History of Christianity

HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY 

Origins of Christianity

Jewish sect to a world religion

Around the beginning of our era lived among the various Jewish communities in the Roman

province of Judea, the hope of the coming of the messiah. The Messiah is a figure that is

referred to in the Jewish Tanakh as a future king who will unite the Jews of Palestine and

whose arrival will announce the end times? During this time, Jesus of Nazareth drew the

charismatic faith healer around.

Jesus preached charity and forgiveness. He also allegedly said that he was able through his

a close relationship with God to forgive sins. Where most Jews lived with the conviction that

the earth God's kingdom will come soon, Jesus would have said that it had already begun.

All in all loved Jesus within Judaism so different thoughts on it, but he was certainly not the

only preacher who proclaimed such ideas.

Jesus provoked the Roman and Jewish authorities to proceed with a large following to

Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he was taken in as a king.

The Romans Jesus more and more is seen as a troublemaker, which constituted a threat to

the established order. This was the moment that the Romans led to arrest Jesus went and

lay on one of the most gruesome Roman punishment: death by crucifixion.

At this point begin historical facts and Christian myths to walk through together. The only

historical sources we have about the life and death of Jesus are the gospels. Mark's Gospel

is by historians usually the oldest and, therefore, represents the most reliable seen,

although it probably was written in response to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem,

over 40 years after the death of Jesus.

All gospels describe how the followers of Jesus three days after his death his tomb empty

saw. Mark's Gospel stops below abruptly while the Gospel of John - which around 100 n.

Chr. was written - extensively deals with the resurrection of Jesus and the miracles he would

have done.

For many Jews, the death of Jesus was the confirmation that he was not the long-awaited

Messiah. After all, would a secular leader of the Jews a great and proud nation.

In the first years after the crucifixion, the memories lived on the life and teachings of Jesus

(which they went refer to as the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח, Greek: Χριστός, Latin: christ))

resulting in a small group of 'Nazarenes' (followers Jesus of Nazareth) within Judaism. The

followers of the firebrand been discredited by orthodox Jews and even prosecuted.

One of the Jews who distrusted the early Christians and initially encouraged them the

prosecution was Paul. Paul was an educated man, standing next to the vernacular Aramaic

(Jesus also spoke the language), also, Greek and Hebrew controlled. According to Christian

tradition, Paul was en route to the city of Damascus when he was above the road saw a

bright light with a vision of Jesus who persuaded him to become a Christian.

Although he never had contact with Jesus, the importance of Paul for the history of early

Christianity is hard to underestimate. According to Paul, it was not so much the memory of

Jesus' life that mattered. The core of the faith was, according to him in his death and

resurrection. The death of Jesus was a chance of redemption for all mankind, not just Jews.

According to Paul, it was faith in Jesus as Messiah sufficient to obtain salvation. Paul made

Christianity a small sect within the Jewish community to a universal doctrine of salvation.

Distribution and prosecution :

Because Paul's version of Christianity had no elaborate initiation rituals and was open to

everyone spread the new faith is slowly but surely by the Roman Empire. At the beginning

of the second century, there were Christian communities in North Africa, Gaul (France) and

Ethiopia. Christianity was still mostly an urban phenomenon but attracted more and more

fans from all walk of life.

The Roman authorities viewed Christianity with suspicion. Christians refused to make

sacrifices to the emperor and they drove on the assembly line making fun of the old Roman

state religion. In the beginning, Christians were still tolerated in silence. Every now and then

the Romans, Christians asked to make a sacrifice to the emperor. Those who refused were

tortured and executed. Later, Christians were persecuted systematically. Many Christians

were martyred for the new faith.

Many martyrs during the second and third centuries were willing to die for their faith, made a

powerful impression on potential converts. This is also one reason why Christianity

continued to grow despite the persecution. Another reason was that Christians could only

count as a savior by faith in one God and the role of Jesus in a good afterlife. Additionally

stood charity and assistance to the weak central issues that previously never had room for

in the brutal Roman society.

A Christian emperor :

Around the year 300 AD, there were Christian communities in every province of the Roman

Empire, mainly concentrated around urban centers. These communities were tight and

organized hierarchically. They were led by priests and bishops. At the same time

threatened by internal disc function and almost incessant attacks of barbarian tribes on the

borders to collapse the empire.

Roman Emperor Galerius Valerius Maximinus ( Daia ) saw that persecution of Christians

would not lead to more unity in the empire. He issued in 311-tolerance edict, official a

statement that the Roman state declared it will leave the Christians alone, provided they do 

not disturb public order.

In 312 AD, Constantine the Great took the city of Rome, and he became ruler of the western

part of the empire. Constantine acted for some time as a protector of the Christians, but now

he could emperor was openly manifest as a Christian.

The choice of Constantine to be Christian was politically sensible. The tight organization of

the church could be used for the benefit of the weakened empire. The emperor himself the

first chosen of God on earth was.

When Constantine became sole ruler in 324 over the empire he used his power to support

the church in every way possible. So he gave the church, especially to the Bishop of Rome,

large tracts of land and beautiful buildings. Clergymen were from when a special position of

privilege.

Theology of Arius to Augustine :

Christianity had however gone through the necessary internal quarrels and developments at

that time. Especially in Egypt and Syria was the ascetic movement more and more

followers. More and more hermits (literally 'people in the wilderness) and hermits saw in

solitary seclusion and self-torture a direct path to salvation. The clergy of the Catholic

(Greek: καθολικός, general or universal) a church did not know what to do with these people

had.

Even within the church, there were frequent disagreements. In the fourth century, it was

mostly about the relationship between God and Jesus. Jesus was called the Son of God,

which, according to the Egyptian priest Arius (256-336) implied that he 'lesser' stature was

the father. How could you still maintain that there was only one god?

In 325 AD, Constantine called in the city of Nicea convened a council (council of ministers)

to resolve such issues. Here it was found, inter alia, that God the Father, God the Son and

God the Holy Spirit by the Holy Trinity, which they are all equal. The Bishop of Rome was

recognized as a spiritual leader of the Church.

In 380 AD calls emperor, Theodosius the Great brought Christianity into the state religion of

the Roman Empire. This comes politically an end to the history of early Christianity.

In theology marks of Augustine of Hippo work the end of Christian antiquity. He completed 

his main work "The City of God" in 426 AD.

From 257 AD to 571 AD Visigoths ( Western Goths ) conquer Cordoba. The Roman Empire

had collapsed and the city of Rome was sacked by the Visigoths.

Augustine stated that this event in the light of eternity was not as shocking as it was

experienced. "The City of God is forever settled by the faithful that God has chosen to do

so."  With the work of Augustine break the Christian Middle Ages. The Catholic Church led

from Rome, was able to maintain its position as the only true church almost a thousand

years.