Jesus: The Most Influential Person in History?

Is Jesus the most influential person in history? For Christians, Jesus is the Savior. For some Buddhists, he was a Buddha (enlightened one). For some Hindus, Jesus is another incarnation of Krishna. For Muslims, Jesus was a prophet. Jesus of Nazareth began a movement that has changed the course of Western civilization, and influenced Eastern cultures. Jesus also appears to be the most well-known figure in history, as well. The encyclopedia, Britannica, for example, devoted 21,000 words to Jesus Christ, holding as the largest of the biographies, surpassing that of former US President Bill Clinton - a mere 2,511 words. The story of a young man from a small village who would later go on to become the single most influential person in all of human history, even to this day, nearly 2,000 years after his death.

In what ways has he influenced our world? Millions of churches across the world have been built in his name, thousands of charities and foundations, hospitals, colleges and universities, and many lives have been changed by the teachings of Jesus. The calendar we typically use is based around his birth - BC means Before Christ, AD means Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord; some mistakenly believe that AD means After Death, however, but Christ was born around 3/4 BC and died between AD 39-33). Many works of art, literature, music, films, plays, and other such things have been influenced by Jesus. The holidays of Christmas and Easter are based on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Further, we may say that St. Patrick's Day and St. Valentine's Day, two holidays which are originally rooted in the lives of two Christian saints, are indirectly caused by Jesus and the movement he began. Most of the world in the last 2,000 years has at least once heard of Jesus. A number of religious orders - such as the Franciscan Order - have been founded within the religious tradition that Jesus began, and these orders have themselves made and continue to make large impacts upon the world.

Scholars have often found the teachings of Jesus to be most wise and astute. At the very least, they hold Jesus in regard as a great teacher. Jesus was only in the public eye for an estimated three and a half years, and is more well-known and influential than even the big three philosophers: Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Those three philosophers had around a total of 150 years in the public eye. Across the globe, for centuries, people have been deeply influenced by Jesus. Authors over the past 2000 years have felt compelled to write about Jesus. Writers of the second century for example, Tertullian or even St. Irenaeus, supported the accounts written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Many more joined in - take H.G. Wells for example. Known for such works as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and many others, he had written a 1200 page volume titled "The Outline of History." Wells not a Christian. He was startled when he had completed to manuscript, to find that two pages had been devoted to his hero, Plato, and that there was a total of forty-one pages devoted to Jesus Christ - larger than any other historical figure in the work.

The three leading magazines in the United States - Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News World Report, tend to dedicate their covers to top news from that week, be it economic, social, scientific, political, entertainment, or have what you. In the last decade alone, Jesus Christ has been featured on the covers of these magazines more than 21 times. He has appeared on the cover of Time magazine more than any other person, excluding the last several U.S. presidents. If these magazines cover hot topics and current events, why dredge up events that are 2000 years old? In the last seventy years, Christianity itself has been featured on the cover of Time magazine more than sixty-five times. So why is this simple Jewish man from a small village is so popular and influential?

Matthew 8, Mark 8, and Luke 9 records and exchange between Jesus Christ and his disciples. "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, 'Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?' So they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ [which means Messiah], the Son of the Living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 16:13-17) The question can be asked of us is then, "Who do we say that Jesus is?" This question, and how we answer that question, can and have wide ranging consequences.

Jesus will continue to fascinate and intrigue the world until the end. If we were to take a look at each and every way that Jesus Christ has influenced history, has influenced culture, religion, society, life in general, politics, economics, and what have you, I suppose we would be sitting here for quite a while indeed, for no one man can determine what a major impact Jesus has had upon the lives of billions of people in history - and the effect that he continues to have on us today.

Troy Hillman