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Every light opens another layer.
Begin with Jesus. Select any connected record to recenter the constellation, reveal another layer, and inspect the evidence behind every line. Every verse in the Bible is a door into the graph.
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Accessible trail
Every visible record, in words.
The constellation is an overview, not the source of truth. These links and evidence records preserve the same selection for keyboard, screen-reader, and close reading.
- Event
The birth of Jesus
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, during the reign of Herod the Great. Luke records the manger and the angels' announcement to shepherds; Matthew records Joseph's obedience and the visit of the magi.
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The visit of the magi
Magi from the east followed a star to Jerusalem asking where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod's scribes pointed them to Bethlehem from Micah's prophecy, and the magi found the child with Mary, worshiped Him, and gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh before slipping home by another road.
Focus this layer - Person
Anna
Anna was a prophetess of the tribe of Asher, a widow of great age who never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer. When Jesus was presented she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to everyone waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
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Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth is the center of the Christian faith and of FaithGraph. The Gospels present Him as the promised Messiah of Israel, the eternal Word made flesh, who taught, healed, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily on the third day, and commissioned His followers to carry the good news to all nations.
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Joseph of Nazareth
Joseph was a descendant of David who was betrothed to Mary. Matthew describes him as a righteous man who, guided by dreams, took Mary as his wife, named the child Jesus, and protected the family by fleeing to Egypt and later settling in Nazareth.
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Mary, mother of Jesus
Mary was a young woman of Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, who received the angel Gabriel's announcement that she would conceive a son by the Holy Spirit and name Him Jesus. Luke records her consent and her song of praise; John places her at the cross.
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Simeon
Simeon was a righteous and devout man in Jerusalem who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ. Led into the temple when the infant Jesus was presented, he took the child in his arms, blessed God, and spoke of a light for the Gentiles and a sword for Mary.
Focus this layer - Place
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the city David made his capital and where Solomon built the temple. In the Gospels it is where Jesus taught in the temple, shared the Last Supper, was tried, crucified, and rose, and where the church was born at Pentecost.
Focus this layer - Place
The temple in Jerusalem
The temple in Jerusalem was the house of God at the center of Israel's worship, rebuilt after the exile and greatly enlarged by Herod the Great. Jesus was presented there as an infant, taught in its courts, drove out the traders, foretold its destruction, and was accused at His trial of threatening it.
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Connections around The presentation in the temple
The birth of Jesus precedes The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe presentation follows the birth by the days of purification required in the law, about forty days.
Evidence:The presentation in the temple precedes The visit of the magi
Historical inferenceMedium confidenceMatthew's magi find a child in a house and Herod targets boys up to two years old, which suggests a visit some time after the forty-day presentation. Luke 2:39 moves the family directly to Nazareth, so the ordering is a harmonization choice.
Evidence:Other responsible views
- Magi before the presentation: Some harmonizations place the magi within the first weeks in Bethlehem, before the trip to the temple, and the flight to Egypt after it.
Anna participates in The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAnna comes forward at that moment, gives thanks, and speaks about the child.
Evidence:Jesus participates in The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe infant Jesus is brought to the temple and taken up in Simeon's arms.
Evidence:Joseph of Nazareth participates in The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceLuke says the parents brought the child in and marveled at what was said.
Mary, mother of Jesus participates in The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceSimeon addresses Mary directly with the word about the sword.
Evidence:Simeon participates in The presentation in the temple
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceSimeon, led by the Spirit into the temple, blesses God and the family.
Evidence:The presentation in the temple occurs at Jerusalem
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceLuke names Jerusalem as the destination of the presentation.
The presentation in the temple occurs at The temple in Jerusalem
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe family brings the child to Jerusalem and Simeon meets them in the temple courts.