Christianity: An Overview
Jesus Christ
Christianity is a religious based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah. According to to the scripture that is common to Judaism and Christianity - known as the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament - one day a Messiah would come down to earth. Christians believe that Jesus was this prophesied Messiah. Today, the religion can be categorized into three main groups: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity.
Who was Jesus?
According to early Christian writings known as creeds,Jesus suffered, died from crucifixion, was buried and was resurrected from the dead to open heaven up to those who believed in him. These creeds also claim that Jesus' body ascended into heaven. Many Christian denominations state that Jesus will eventually return to Earth to judge all humans, both the living and the dead, and grant eternal life to his followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life. Furthermore, Christians believe that he is both the revealer and the physical incarnation of God. Christians refer to Jesus' message as the Gospel, which translates as "good news".
Not much is known about Jesus' life before he began to preach at the age of 30. Below is a short clip from National Geographic exploring these mysterious years.
A Brief History of Christianity
Depiction of Christian persecution by Romans
Christianity began as a Jewish sect. It originated in the eastern Mediterranean region in the mid-1st century. Its earliest development took place under the leadership of the Twelve Apostles, most notably under Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle. At this time Christians were subject to persecution by Jewish religious leaders, who vehemently disagreed with the apostles' teachings. Authorities from the Roman Empire also heavily contributed to the persecution of Christianity beginning in the year 64, when Emperor Nero blamed them for the Great Fire of Rome. However, this persecution ceased in the 4th century when Constantine I (a Roman emperor from 306-324 C.E.) issued an edict of toleration in 313 C.E. Not long after that, in 380 C.E. Roman Emperor Theodosius I enacted a law establishing Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Click here to listen as New Testament Scholars asses the reasons why Rome ultimately embraced Christianity: Rome and Christianity Audio
Demographics
Approximately 33% of the world considers themselves to be Christian. This percentage has stayed relatively constant throughout the past 100 years. Currently, there are 2.1 billion followers spread across the three main branches of Christianity: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity. However, while Christianity is the most practiced religion in the world, it is not the fastest growing one. Populations in developing countries - countries that have significantly less wealth than developed countries - are growing much more rapidly than those in developed countries and often practice religions other than Christianity. Therefore, the rate at which other religions, most notably Islam, is faster than Christianity.
The map below shows Christian populations throughout the world. If a country has at least 50% of its citizens practicing Christianity then it will be shaded purple. If a country is pink, then 10-49% of its citizenry claim to be Christian. Grey countries have less than 10% of their population consider themselves Christian.
Three Branches of Christianity
As mentioned before, the three main branches of Christianity are Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity. Within these branches there are hundreds of denominations that all attempt to distinguish themselves in some way from each other.
Some draw broad distinctions between Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity.
Some draw broad distinctions between Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity.
Catholicism
The current pope, Pope Benedict XVI
The Catholic Church encompasses churches headed by bishops, in communion with the Pope, as its highest authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance. Like the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic Church traces its origins to the Christian community founded by Jesus Christ. This is through Apostolic succession. This term refers to the idea that current bishops are the successors of the original Twelve Apostles, and have been from the first century until the present day. Because of this, believers of Apostolic succession assert that Bishops have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power and responsibility that was given to the Apostles from Jesus Christ.
Arguably the most important event in the history of the Catholic Church is known as the "Great Schism". Occurring in 1054, it was then that medieval Christianity divided into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) group. These later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectfully. The Catholic faith is detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Overall, the Catholic Church contains 1.1 baptized members and is the largest church representing over half all Christians and one sixth of the world's population.
Arguably the most important event in the history of the Catholic Church is known as the "Great Schism". Occurring in 1054, it was then that medieval Christianity divided into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) group. These later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectfully. The Catholic faith is detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Overall, the Catholic Church contains 1.1 baptized members and is the largest church representing over half all Christians and one sixth of the world's population.
Click here to experience a virtual tour of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.: National Cathedral
Protestantism
In the 16th century, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin created what is now called Protestantism. This is when the oldest Protestant groups separated from the Catholic Church. Protestantism is the second largest group of Christians in the world behind the Catholic Church and ahead of the Orthodox Church. There are many individuals who hold basic Protestant beliefs, but simply identify themselves as "Christians" and in some cases "born-again Christians". The latter term refers to the notion an individual can experience spiritual and metaphorical rebirth by accepting Jesus as the Messiah and receiving the holy spirit. Often times these individuals and others will distance themselves from Christian denominations, by calling themselves "non-denominational". These churches are often founded by individual pastors.
Below is a diagram outlining the formation of different Protestant denominations. Note that the origins of Protestantism can be traced to Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation in 1519.
Orthodox Church
Metropolitan Kirill Celebrates Russian Orthodox Christmas
Eastern Orthodoxy comprises those churches in communion with the Patriarchal Sees of hte East. Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodoxy Church also traces its heritage to the foundation of Christianity through Apostolic succession (see "Catholicism" for more detail on this concept). The formation of the Eastern Orthodox Church occurred as a result of the Great Schism in 1054. It was then that the East and West broke into separate churches - Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, respectively.