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Christianity, with over 2.4 billion adherents, is a monotheistic Abrahamic faith based on the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament. It emerged in the 1st century AD and has three main branches: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, each with distinct beliefs and practices. The religion's core tenets include the belief in Jesus' death and resurrection, the significance of the Bible, and the anticipation of the Second Coming.

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9 views3 pages

Module 3

Christianity, with over 2.4 billion adherents, is a monotheistic Abrahamic faith based on the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament. It emerged in the 1st century AD and has three main branches: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, each with distinct beliefs and practices. The religion's core tenets include the belief in Jesus' death and resurrection, the significance of the Bible, and the anticipation of the Second Coming.

Uploaded by

paguiogarcia2104
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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GEC205 - Religions, Religious Experiences and Spirituality

Module 3: Christianity

Christianity is the religion with the most adherents in the world (more than 2 billion) Christian
belief is anchored to doctrines about the nativity, the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Although it began amongst a small number of converts, scholars largely attribute the
growth and acceptance of Christianity on a global scale as one of the most successful spiritual
ventures in world history.

What is Christianity?

Christianity is a monotheistic Abrahamic faith based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
as presented in the New Testament. It is one of the world's largest religions, with over 2.4
billion followers worldwide (Atiya, 2023). Christianity emerged in the 1st century AD in the
Levant region of the Middle East and spread throughout the Roman Empire, eventually
becoming the state religion. Its diverse denominations include Catholicism, Protestantism, and
Eastern Orthodoxy, each with its own traditions and beliefs.

Salient Information

Founder: Jesus Christ Believers: Christian


Sacred Scripture: Bible Religious Symbol: Cross
Place of Worship: Church

Background of Christianity

At the core of Christianity lies the person, death, and


resurrection of Jesus, as interpreted from Christian
viewpoints. Christians have an Evangelical belief that
God sent his only begotten son, the Messiah, to
redeem the world. Their belief in the crucifixion of
Jesus on the cross as means of atonement of sins and
his resurrection, 3 days after death, before ascending
to heaven, is accepted by them. Christians also hold
that Jesus will come to earth a second time as part of
the Second Coming. The Holy Bible contains the sacred
scriptures which describe the teachings and messages
that Jesus gave, the lives and messages of Jesus,
prophets and disciples, and give guidance for the
Christian life. Christians and Jews share the Old
Testament for the Bible, unlike the Jews the Christians
also believe the New Testament.

Historians all but agree that Jesus was an actual man,


was born between the years 7 to 2 BCE. Information
about Jesus can be traced primarily from the New
Testament. Christians hold that the conception of
Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem through the
GEC205 - Religions, Religious Experiences and Spirituality

Holy Spirit. He was raised in Nazareth, lived for a short while in Egypt and was brought up in
Judaism. Scholars agree that he aimed to redevelop Judaism, not to engender a new religion. At
about age 30, having been baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus went into public ministry. For
about three years, he traveled with his twelve disciples, teaching and performing miracles,
including raising Lazarus, walking on water, and healing the blind.

Persecutions

Early Christians faced persecution from both Jewish and Roman authorities. Nero held them
responsible for the fire of 64 AD in Rome and subjected them to the torture to die. Christianity
was illegal under Domitian, with confessed Christians executed. The Great Persecution, took place
during Diocletian and Galerius’s rule from 303 AD onwards.

Division of Christianity

In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius I made Catholicism the Roman Empire's state religion, with the
Pope as its head. Catholics revered Mary, observed seven sacraments, and honored relics and
sacred sites. After the Empire's fall in 476 AD, divisions arose between Eastern and Western
Christians, culminating in the 1054 AD split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
churches.

Christianity has three main branches: Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. The Catholic
Church spearheaded by the Pope and bishops. The Christian Eastern Orthodox Church consists
from autonomous entities, independently controlled by a Holy Synod, and it is without a central
leader such as a Pope. Protestantism consists of a number of denominations that differ from each
other with regard to interpretations of the Bible as well as in their church customs.

Roman Catholic refers to the form of Christianity that developed in the Roman Empire during
the early centuries of the Common Era. It was influenced by the cultural, social, and political
dynamics of the Roman world, and it played a significant role in shaping the religious landscape
of the empire (Cross, 2023).

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a branch of Christianity that traces its origins to the early
Church and the Byzantine Empire. It is characterized by its adherence to the Nicene Creed and
its rich liturgical tradition, which includes the use of icons and the celebration of the Eucharist as
the central act of worship (Doe & Nikiforos, 2023

Protestant Christianity is a branch of Christianity that originated from the Reformation


movement in the 16th century (Sukamto, 2023). It encompasses various denominations and
emphasizes the authority of the Bible and the doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
GEC205 - Religions, Religious Experiences and Spirituality

References:

Atiya, A. (2023). A History of Eastern Christianity.

Cross, J. (2023). Tolerance, Intolerance, and Recognition in Early Christianity and Early Judaism.
Edited by Outi Lehtipuu and Michael Labahn. Early Christianity and the Roman World 2.
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Church History, 92, 407-408.

Doe, N., & Nikiforos, A. (2023). Legal Thought and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

History. (2017, October 13). Christianity. History; A&E Television Networks.


https://www.history.com/topics/religion/history-of-christianity

Sukamto, A. (2023). The Role of Entrepreneurs in the Development of Protestant Christianity in


East Java in the Nineteenth Century. International Journal of Asian Christianity.

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