CHRISTIANITY
Founder  Jesus (of Nazareth)
When  born c. 4 BC; died c. AD 30
Where  Roman province of Judea; AKA Palestine; Present-day Israel
Holy Book  The Bible (Old & New Testaments)
Major Beliefs and Teachings
1. Christianity is firmly rooted in Jewish traditions:
a) Belief in one God, the God of the Old Testament
b) The Ten Commandments & teachings of the Jewish prophets in the Old
Testament were accepted as God’s Word.
2. Jesus is the Son of God; the Messiah or Christ-the One sent by God to save his
people from their sins.
3. Love God and other people, both friend and enemy
4. Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind
5. Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his execution
6. Promise of salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ
THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
1. For the first 300 years, thousands of Christians were persecuted and killed
Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire
2. Nevertheless, it spread throughout the Roman Empire by missionaries like the
apostle Paul who utilized Rome’s roads.
(AD 313) Edict of Milan  Emperor Constantine makes Christianity legal
AD 393  Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Chrisitianity would soon become the dominant religion in all of Europe.
  The pope and Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome, would become
the dominant institution in Western Europe for the next 1000+ years.