Christianity
Part two of the
World Religions
series
Historical Events
• Christianity arose from Judaism
• Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus of
Nazareth
• Early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, which
led many to worship/gather in secret until Constantine I
legalized the religion in 313.
• Using the formation of the Jewish Diaspora (dispersion),
Christians were able to reach Gentile (non-Jewish)
communities, thus spreading Jesus’ philosophy
• Became the dominant religion over the Roman Empire by
the late 4th century
Sermon on the Mount
Subdivisions (Three largest branches of Christianity)
• Catholicism: Distinctive differences include special authority
of the Pope, ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers, the
concept of Purgatory (purification of the elect before entering
heaven), and that bread used in the Eucharist (Mass) becomes the
true body of Christ when blessed by a priest.
• Protestantism (Anglicans are within this branch):
Emphasizes that Christians can communicate directly with God,
instead of through saints and or priests. Praying directly from the
heart instead of reciting fixed prayers are encouraged. Their
theology demonstrates that there is justification by grace through
faith.
• Orthodoxy:
Scripture is interpreted by the 7 ecumenical
councils of the church; emphasis is placed on the practical and
personal experience of truth; the Holy Spirit is central to worship
(liturgy begins with prayer to the spirit and invocations are
addressed to the spirit).
Pietà (pity)
Beliefs
• The Eucharist (Holy Communion or The Lord’s Supper) is the
central symbol of the death of Jesus on the cross and
established the new covenant (formal alliance/agreement).
• Jesus’ resurrection is central to Christian belief.
• Jesus is the son of God and represents the person that all
Christians strive to be like.
• God, is the all-powerful creator and everything he created is an
expression of his power and love.
• The Holy Trinity means that God is the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
• Christians follow ten commandments.
The Ten Commandments (summarized from the Bible):
1. You shall have no other Gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God
in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife,
etc.
Resurrection
Customs and Rituals:
• Prayer is a large part of a Christian’s life
and can be personal (as a private act) and
communal (in Church). Prayers are used
to thank God for his gifts, for forgiveness,
and for blessings and favors.
• Baptism is an important ritual because it
marks the beginning of a person’s life as a
Christian and symbolizes the washing
away of all past sins.
Baptism of Jesus
Facts:
• The term Christ originated from the Greek
word Xristos, meaning “the anointed one” and
is a title applied to Jesus to indicate status.
• The term catholic means universal.
• “Born again” refers to the belief that God
forgives the sins of all who repent and wish to
lead a new life.
• The title Pope originated from papa in Latin
and pappas in Greek, which means father.
Sacred Texts
• The Holy Bible is the text that Christians use. It is
divided into two books; the Old and New Testaments.
The Old Testament consists of Abraham’s
relationship with God and the people of Israel. The
New Testament refers to early Christians and their
new covenant with God through Christ.
•Church services often include a reading (lesson)
from the Bible.
•Catholic and Orthodox Bibles sometimes include the
Apocrypha (hidden books), which were written
between the Old and New Testaments.
Symbolism
• The
fish symbol is a well known icon among Christians
and non-Christians alike. Some scholars believe that it
was a symbol used to recognize other believers when
early Christians were persecuted for their faith. When
meeting a stranger they identified themselves by drawing
an arc in the sand. If the other person was a Christian,
they would draw a second arc, completing the fish. If the
person was not a Christian, then the one arc would not
reveal who they were.
•Alpha and Omega are other symbols used by Christians.
They are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet,
which together signifies that God is the beginning and
the end.
Current Events
• Church Works with U.S. to
Spare Detention
• Is this Christianity's FIRST
church?
* Links available in ppt version
“Even the least among you can
do all that I have done, and
greater things.”
Jesus of
Nazareth
Resources Available in Holly Library
• The unauthorized version : truth and fiction in the Bible by Robin
Lane Fox
• The Oxford illustrated history of Christianity, edited by John
McManners
• Science and creationism, edited by Ashley Montagu
• The Western tradition, video, WGBH, Boston ; in association with
the Metropolitan Museum of Art ; executive producer, Fred Barzyk
• World Christian encyclopedia : a comparative study of churches
and religions in the modern world, AD 1900-2000, edited by David
B. Barrett
• The HarperCollins encyclopedia of Catholicism , general editor,
Richard P. McBrien
• The Gospel of Judas, DVD, produced by National Geographic
Television & Film ; produced & directed by James Barrat ; written
by John Bredar, James Barrat
Bibliography
• Couliano, I; Eliade, C.; Wiesner, H. (1991).
The Harpercollins Concise Guide to World
Religion. Harpercollins Publications
• Pollock, Robert (2002). The Everything World’s
Religions Book: Discover the Beliefs, Traditions,
and Cultures of Ancient and Modern Religions.
F + W Publications, Inc.
• Parrinder, Geoffery, Editor, (1971). World Religions:
From Ancient History to the Present. The
Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, Newnes
Books, 1983.
• Religionfacts website (www.religionfacts.com)
Image Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Slide 3: http://powerspectaclememory.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/sermon-onthe-mount.jpg
Slide 5: http://crazymindseye.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pieta4.jpg
Slide 7:
http://freechristimages.org/images_Exodus/Moses_with_Ten_Commandments_
Champaigne_1648.jpg
Slide 9:
http://www.whiteheadcarvings.com/images/gallery/Resurrection_of_Jesus.jpg
Slide 11: http://www.christusrex.org/www1/stanzas/L51b-Baptism.jpg
Slide 13: http://samuelatgilgal.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/holy-bible.jpg
Slide 15: http://z.about.com/d/christianity/1/0/f/2/Christian_Fish.png ,
http://alpha-yomega.com/&usg=__iLY6Za5eED87vOzcYzD59iZO2jE=&h=400&w=400&sz=12
&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=UWdjkEIYLJRdeM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&prev=/i
mages%3Fq%3Dalpha%2Band%2Bomega%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.micros
oft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
Slide 17: http://jahdai.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/church.jpg ,
http://www.saintpetercatholic.com/images/main-church.jpg ,
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/12/13/nyregion/13indonesians_CA0.h
tml , "First Church" article
Next in the
World Religions series:
Hinduism