The truth about Jesus Christ - The icon of Christianity is surrounded by mysteries regarding who he really was and how he lived his life. Scientists and researchers have attempted to uncover and verify facts about his existence. Take a look at the gallery to learn something new!

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Jesus - Unfortunately, there are not many sources outside of the Bible that give information about the life of Jesus. Historian André Chevitarese explains that various authors have written similar information about his life, including Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the 1st century.

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Sources - The most widely known writings are attributed to Flavius Josephus. The Jewish scholar cited Jesus twice in his work 'Antiquities of the Jews.'

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Appearance - A specialist in forensic science, British researcher Richard Neave, reconstructed the face of a typical adult from the time Jesus lived. The result was a dark-skinned man with short hair, very different from the more widely known representations.

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God's messenger - According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was very knowledgeable from a young age.

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Equal - In the Bible, Jesus Christ never mentioned nor condemned homosexuality.

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Birthday - Although many Christians celebrate Christmas on 25 December, most are unaware that the New Testament doesn't mention a specific date in which Jesus came into the world.

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Jesus wasn't born on 25 December - According to researchers, it is more probable that his birthday falls sometime between May and November, during the hottest months in Israel.

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Three wise men - As soon as Melchior (also known as Melquior or Belchior), Gaspar, and Balthasar saw the 'star in the east' (the signal that the Messiah had been born), they started their journey to Bethlehem. They didn't arrive until two years later. So they were not in attendance at the birth of Jesus Christ.

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Star of Bethlehem - The star that marked the birth of Jesus was the result of a conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter that occurred in 7 BC in the Pisces constellation.

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Nazareth - The city was small and insignificant. It had only 200 to 400 residents when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus arrived there to escape the violence in Bethlehem. The place is cited jokingly in the Gospel of John, when speaking of the Messiah as Jesus of Nazareth, 'can any good thing come out of Nazareth?'

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Career - The Greek term for Jesus' profession is 'tekton.' Although the most common translation is 'carpenter,' scholars explain that the term referred to a craftsman or mason. The Messiah most likely worked as a mason from age 12 to 30.

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Wealth - His family tree goes back to the Davidic dynasty, one of the richest men in biblical history. The idea that he was poor most likely comes from the fact that he was born in a stable.

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Stable - There was a census in Bethlehem to register the possessions of all residents in the city on the day that Mary went into labor. The city was in such disarray that the couple was only able to find a stable for her to give birth in. The location isn't an indication of wealth.

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Clothes - Jesus was dressed in a special tunic that only rich men wore at the time. It was so valuable that after his crucifixion, soldiers fought over who would keep it.

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Christian atheism - There are people who respect the teachings attributed to Jesus but reject the idea that they were given to him by God.

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A philosopher and humanitarian - For Christian atheists, Jesus was not the son of an all-powerful god, but a philosopher and humanitarian.

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The sacred book of Islam - Jesus is mentioned more in the Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam, than Muhammad.

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Prophet - There is a tomb reserved for Jesus Christ next to that of Muhammad. Jesus is also recognized as a prophet in Islam.

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Divine rage - During filming for the movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' directed by Mel Gibson, two people were struck by lightning. One of them was Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus.

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More lightning... - A 20 m statue of Jesus located next to a church in the city of Monroe, Ohio, USA, was destroyed by a lightning strike and subsequent fire.

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Siblings - Jesus is said to have had four brothers and at least two sisters. The brothers were James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon. There are theories that they may have actually been Joseph's sons from another marriage or even cousins. Historian Flavius Josephus states that according to the Bible, James was stoned to death.

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Sentencing - After 15 years of excavations, archaeologist Amit Re'em and his team found Herod's Palace. Located in the western part of Jerusalem, the palace is known by historians as the place where Jesus was sentenced.

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Married? - A document that indicates Jesus was married was confirmed by researchers. The ink and language used on the scroll date back to the 9th century.

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Burden of the cross - Evidence points to the fact that Jesus carried just the horizontal part of the cross, called the patibulum. Jesus would have dragged the cross, as it weighed around 27 kg.

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Death - The Bible references his death as occurring on Good Friday.

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Death - Only two Fridays match the evidence, in the years 30 and 33 AD. Clues from Pontius Pilate and Tiberius indicate that 33 AD is the more likely year that he died.

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Whipping - Jesus was whipped before his crucifixion. The whip was made out of leather with pieces of bone at the tip, called scourge.

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Wrists nailed - Contrary to popular depiction, Jesus was not nailed to the cross through his hands, but rather through his wrists. If his hands had been nailed to the cross, they would have torn from the weight of his body and he would have fallen.

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Crown of thorns - The whipping flayed his skin and caused hemorrhaging that became even more intense with the crown of thorns. Some historians believe that he could have been beaten to the point where his arteries and nerves were exposed and fatally injured.

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Time until death - His death on the cross could have taken up to six days. According to biblical reports, Jesus died six hours after. The crucifixion occurred at 9 AM and his death occurred at 3 PM that afternoon.

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