Illustration of the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees in Mark 2

Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity and first-century Judean figure, has been the subject of criticism from both religious scholars and secular thinkers. Jesus has faced a variety of criticism on the basis of his actions, teachings, and legitimacy across history and in modern times. A person who makes counter-arguments to refute these criticisms is called an Apologetic.

Jesus was criticized in the first century AD by the Pharisees and scribes for disobeying certain halakhic interpretations of the Mosaic Law, for example by healing on Sabbath. He was decried in Judaism as a failed Jewish messiah claimant and a false prophet by most Jewish denominations. Judaism also considers the worship of any person a form of idolatry,[1][2] and rejects the claim that Jesus was divine. Some psychiatrists, religious scholars and writers explain that Jesus' family, followers (John 7:20)[3] and contemporaries seriously regarded him as delusional, possessed by demons, or insane.[4][5][6][7][8]

Early critics of Christianity and Jesus included Celsus in the second century and Porphyry in the third.[9][10] In the 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche was highly critical of Jesus as described in the New Testament, whose teachings he considered to be "anti-nature"[citation needed] in their treatment of topics such as sexuality[citation needed]. More contemporary notable critics of Jesus include Ayn Rand, Hector Avalos, Sita Ram Goel, Christopher Hitchens, Bertrand Russell, and Dayananda Saraswati.

Criticism by Jesus' contemporaries

Disobedience of Mosaic law

The Pharisees and scribes criticized Jesus and his disciples for not observing Mosaic Law. They criticized his disciples for not washing their hands before eating. (The religious leaders engaged in ceremonial cleansing like washing up to the elbow and baptizing the cups and plates before eating food in them—Mark 7:1–23,[11] Matthew 15:1–20.)[12] Jesus is also criticized for eating with the publicans (Mark 2:15).[13] The Pharisees also criticized Jesus' disciples for gathering grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–3:6).[14]

There was some disagreement in the early church about the inclusion of Gentiles, including the status of the Mosaic covenant (called the Old Covenant by Christians) and whether Christians are still bound by it. Paul the Apostle believed that the New Covenant had superseded the old, and that Christians were no longer bound by all parts of the latter. His views, called Pauline Christianity, would become dominant in the following centuries, with most Christian denominations today believing that Jesus released his followers from the obligation to follow Mosaic Law in its entirety.

Claim to divine authority

Throughout the four canonical gospels, Jesus is characterised by his claim to divine authority as Messiah, variously either entrusting his disciples to keep this status a secret (as in Mark) or openly proclaiming (as in John) his status and his mission. Only in the Gospel of John does Jesus emphatically claim divinity, and not just divine authority, through the seven statements of "I am". In the gospel, it is this claim which leads to some of the Jews attempting to stone him, and their eventual handing Jesus over to Pilate for crucifixion on charges of blasphemy:

Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus makes multiple claims of divine authority, ability to cast out demons, authority to forgive sins, and that spiritual peace and salvation were to be found in the acceptance of his leadership. The claims caused controversy among the local Jewish community, as anyone making claims like these are false prophets per several verses in Deuteronomy.[16][17]