Exposition of Christianity
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ScribdTranslationsExposition of Christianity
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ScribdTranslationsTHE CHRISTIANITY
Christianity
► It is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings and miracles
of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament.
► It is the largest religion in the world
► Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God as well as the Messiah, who
He suffered, was crucified, descended into hell, and rose from the dead to give
eternal life to those who believe and trust in him for the redemption of their sins.
The four most important branches
► Catholicism (1.3 billion adherents)
► Protestantism (920 million)
► The Orthodox Church (270 million)
► Eastern Orthodox Church (80 million)
INTRODUCTION
► Christianity Judaism emerged in the middle of the 1st century AD in the Roman
province of Judea. The first leaders of the Christian communities were the
apostles and their successors the apostolic fathers.
► Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380, under
Emperor Theodosius I the Great, during these early centuries the church fathers
gradually consolidated the doctrines of Christianity and oversaw the development
of the New Testament canon.
Origin and diffusion
► Christianity has its historical origin in Second Temple Judaism at the beginning of
the current era. Although Jesus of Nazareth identified himself as a devout Jew in
his doctrine and teachings. He identified himself as the only way to the heavenly
father.
► It is not known precisely the number of followers that Christianity could have
achieved during the life of Jesus of Nazareth, nor how many remained within the
Christian community founded by him after his death, executed by secular
authorities. A few years after his death, Paul of Tarsus, a Jew who had Roman
citizenship, played a prominent role in preaching and connecting various Christian
groups in the Near East.
► Once it became the majority religion of the Empire, Christianity spread throughout Europe, the Germanic
peoples progressively became Christianized in the 4th century.
► The expansion to northern Europe and Western Europe was later, but also in those regions, Christianity
has historically been the majority religion for centuries. With European expansion in America there was a
deliberate effort to impose, either peacefully or through coercion, Christianity on the populations of
American origin. Since the 16th century, the Portuguese also made efforts to bring Christianity to certain
areas of Africa and Asia, which were under their rule. The rise of European colonialism in Africa, Asia
and Oceania increased the number of Christians around the world.
Beliefs
► There is a more or less shared core of beliefs and doctrines among different
Christian groups, although some of these doctrines are not accepted by all. In
that core is
► That God is one and at the same time three persons (FATHER SON AND HOLY
SPIRIT)
► THAT God the Father created and preserves the universe by his word
► That God the Father revealed himself to men from the beginning and took care of
the
mankind to give eternal life to all who seek salvation by perseverance in good
works
► Who spoke to the conscience of our ancestors on different occasions and in
many ways through the prophets.
SCRIPTURES
► Virtually all Christian churches accept the authority of the Bible which includes the
Old Testament and the New Testament.
► The different Orthodox Christian churches, as well as various Eastern churches of
dogma and the Catholic Church, include in their Bibles other books called
Deuterocanonical that the early Christian communities had received in the
Septuagint Bible, much more extensive than the Jewish Hebrew Aramaic Tanakh,
from the Israelite communities. Greek speakers from around the Classical World
the life after death
► Christian visions of life after death generally involve heaven (also called Paradise)
and hell. Catholicism, since the first centuries, believes in an intermediate place
called purgatory. Except for the latter (whose inhabitants will finally enter Heaven,
after purification. permanence in these regions is usually assumed to be eternal
► Many Christians interpret salvation as the possibility of entering Heaven as a gift
from God (and escaping Hell) after death. The question of who is saved has been
considered a mystery by many theologians, although Protestants consider it a
matter of acceptance of Jesus as the only Lord and Savior.
practices
► Within the orthodox Protestant and Catholic practices these stand out:
► BAPTISM: Initial sign of introduction to Christianity
► PENITENCE : Sign of forgiveness
► E UCHARIST : Liturgical sign of the Catholic Church
► CONFIRMATION : Sign that ratifies faith in Jesus Christ
► PRIESTLY ORDER
► MARRIAGE : Celebration of the union of a man and a woman before
GOD and the community
WEEKLY WORSHIP
► IT IS DESCRIBED AS A 2ND CENTURY TRADE WHOSE STRUCTURE CAN
ALSO BE IDENTIFIED IN most of the churches today in which it stands out.
► READING OF THE SCRIPTURES: beginning with a reading of the Old
Testament, one of the gospels or an epistle
► A SERMON: is placed at the end of the service
► COMMUNITY PRAYER: NORMALLY this happens several times during the
service
► EUCHARIST: IT IS a rite in which small amounts of previously blessed bread and
wine (body and blood of CHRIST) are eaten and drunk.
STRUCTURE
► The Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches (both in communion with ROME
and autocephalous) are governed by a hierarchy: bishops direct local regions
(called diòsesis) and appoint priests to administer individual congregations. In the
Catholic Church, supreme authority is held by the bishop of Rome, who is called
the Pope, which means "He who receives power in the name of Peter." He is
elected by a college of cardinals and normally serves for life.
Percentage of Christians by country
% c populatio
Christieh
30-100
80-90 65-
80 50-65
30-50
15-30