**In favor:**
1. **Historical Context**: Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, both of which are in Judea, a region with a predominantly Jewish population during the Second Temple period.
2. **Cultural Practices**: Jesus observed Jewish laws, celebrated Jewish festivals, and taught in synagogues, indicating his Jewish identity and upbringing.
3. **Genealogy**: The New Testament includes genealogies (in Matthew and Luke) that trace Jesus' lineage back to Jewish patriarchs, reinforcing his Jewish ethnicity.
**Against:**
1. **Universalism of Teachings**: Some argue that Jesus' teachings transcended Jewish identity, emphasizing a universal message rather than a strictly ethnic one, which could imply a separation from Jewish ethnicity.
2. **Religious Movement**: As Christianity developed, some early followers sought to distinguish the faith from Judaism, promoting the idea of Jesus as a universal figure rather than a Jewish prophet.
3. **Interpreting "Jewish"**: Critics may argue that the term "Jewish" has evolved, and Jesus' identity could be seen more in terms of spiritual significance rather than ethnic classification.
