History of World Religions - Christianity

Summary

This script delves into the origins and development of Christianity, the world's largest religion with over 2 billion followers. It traces the religion's beginnings in 1st century AD Judea, under Roman rule, and the belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Despite initial persecution, Christianity's growth was catalyzed by the evangelizing efforts of Jesus's followers and later, Roman imperial support. The script also touches on the schism that led to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Protestant Reformation. It highlights Christianity's profound influence on Western art, philosophy, and society, and its deep connections with Judaism, sharing Jerusalem as a holy city.

Takeaways

• 😀 Christianity is the world's largest religion, with over 2 billion followers, making up about one-third of the global population.
• 🐟 The main symbols of Christianity include the crucifix and the ichthys fish, representing the faith's core beliefs.
• 🗺️ Christianity originated in the 1st century AD in Judea, which is present-day Israel and Palestine, during the height of the Roman Empire's power.
• 👤 Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, is believed to be the Messiah prophesied in Jewish writings, and his life and teachings form the basis of the religion.
• 🕊️ Jesus' message of peace, love, and repentance contrasted with the Jewish community's expectation of a military leader to lead a rebellion against Roman rule.
• ✝️ Jesus' crucifixion and subsequent resurrection are foundational events in Christian belief, marking the transition from a small following to a widespread religion.
• 📢 The early followers of Jesus, known as disciples, evangelized and spread his teachings throughout the Roman Empire, leading to the establishment of Christian churches.
• 🛡️ Early Christians faced persecution under Roman rule, with Emperor Nero being a notable example, until Emperor Constantine's conversion and legalization of Christianity in 312 AD.
• 🔄 The Roman Empire's division led to a schism in Christianity, resulting in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, with further splits during the Protestant Reformation.
• 📜 The Holy Bible, including the Old Testament shared with Judaism, is the central scripture for Christians, guiding their beliefs and practices.
• ⛪️ Christianity has had a profound influence on Western art, philosophy, politics, and society, with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem being the holiest site for the faith.

Q & A

What are the two main symbols associated with Christianity mentioned in the script?

The two main symbols associated with Christianity mentioned in the script are the crucifix and the ichthys fish.

How many followers does Christianity have worldwide according to the script?

Christianity has over 2 billion followers worldwide.

In what century AD is Christianity traditionally believed to have been founded?

Christianity is traditionally believed to have been founded in the 1st century AD.

What is the Greek origin of the word 'Christ' and what does it mean?

The word 'Christ' comes from the Greek word 'Cristo' which means 'Messiah'.

What was the political situation in Judea during the time of Jesus according to the script?

During the time of Jesus, Judea was under the control of the Roman Empire, and the Jewish people were seeking freedom from Roman control.

Why did the Romans persecute the early followers of Jesus?

The Romans persecuted the early followers of Jesus because they saw the messianic movements, including that of Jesus, as politically troublesome and potentially disruptive to law and order.

How did the followers of Jesus react after his death according to Christian tradition?

According to Christian tradition, after the death of Jesus, his followers did not disappear but instead went out in public to continue spreading his message and teachings.

What significant event in 312 AD is mentioned in the script regarding the status of Christianity in the Roman Empire?

In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine came to power, converted to Christianity, and made it a legal religion in Rome.

What is the significance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Christianity?

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered the holiest site in Christianity as it is believed to be the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

What are the three main branches of Christianity mentioned in the script?

The three main branches of Christianity mentioned in the script are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Introduction to Christianity

This paragraph introduces Christianity as the next major monotheistic religion following Judaism. It outlines the approach to studying Christianity, which includes examining its symbols, geographical origins, historical development, and basic beliefs. The paragraph emphasizes Christianity's status as the world's largest religion with over 2 billion followers and its widespread presence across continents. The origins of Christianity are attributed to Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD, and the paragraph sets the stage for exploring how a small religious group evolved into a global faith.

05:00

📜 The Historical Context and Growth of Christianity

This paragraph delves into the historical context of Christianity's emergence within the Roman Empire, highlighting the political and social climate of the 1st century AD. It discusses the Jewish expectation of a Messiah and how Jesus, as a preacher and healer, offered a message of peace and love, contrasting with the messianic expectations of a military leader. The paragraph also covers Jesus's crucifixion, the belief in his resurrection, and the unexpected growth of Christianity as his followers continued to spread his teachings despite persecution. The eventual acceptance and promotion of Christianity by Roman Emperors Constantine and Theodosius are noted as pivotal in its rise to dominance.

10:03

🏛 The Development and Divisions within Christianity

The final paragraph discusses the evolution of Christianity from a small following to a major world religion. It addresses the schism between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity, leading to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The paragraph also touches on the Protestant Reformation and the resulting divisions within Christianity. It summarizes the basic beliefs of Christianity, such as the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus, and its significant impact on Western art, philosophy, politics, and society. The paragraph concludes with a brief overview of Christian practices, including worship in churches, the significance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and the Holy Bible as the central scripture.

Keywords

💡Monotheistic

Monotheistic refers to the belief in a single, all-powerful deity. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the nature of the major world religions being discussed, including Christianity, which believes in one God. The video mentions Christianity as the next in chronological order of monotheistic religions after Judaism, highlighting the shared belief in one God as a key characteristic of these faiths.

💡Crucifix

A crucifix is a symbol of Christianity that represents Jesus Christ's crucifixion. The video identifies the crucifix as one of the main symbols associated with Christianity, along with the ichthys fish symbol. The crucifix is central to Christian belief as it symbolizes the sacrifice Jesus made for humanity's sins, as per Christian doctrine.

💡Ichthys

Ichthys, often represented as a fish shape, is an ancient symbol used by early Christians. The video mentions the ichthys fish as another common symbol of Christianity. In the script, it is noted that the class will delve into greater detail about the ichthys, indicating its significance and historical relevance within the Christian faith.

💡Geography

Geography, in the context of the video, refers to the study of the origin and spread of Christianity across the world. The video discusses how Christianity originated in Judea, in the region of present-day Israel and Palestine, and how it spread globally to become the world's largest religion with over 2 billion followers.

💡Roman Empire

The Roman Empire is mentioned in the video as the political entity that controlled Judea during the time of Jesus. It is significant because it sets the historical context in which Christianity emerged. The video explains that the Roman Empire's rule over Judea influenced the Jewish people's desire for a messiah, which they believed would deliver them from Roman control.

💡Messiah

In the video, the Messiah is discussed as a prophesied savior in Jewish tradition, and Christians believe Jesus to be that Messiah. The term is integral to understanding the video's exploration of the origins of Christianity, as it explains the religious and political climate of the time and the expectations people had for a deliverer from Roman rule.

💡Evangelizing

Evangelizing refers to the act of spreading the Christian message and teachings. The video highlights that after Jesus's death, his followers did not disappear but instead went out to evangelize, which led to the establishment of Christian churches across the Roman Empire and contributed to the religion's growth.

💡Constantine

Emperor Constantine is mentioned as a pivotal figure in the history of Christianity. The video explains that his conversion to Christianity in 312 AD and subsequent declaration of Christianity as a legal religion in Rome were instrumental in the religion's acceptance and spread throughout the empire.

💡Theodosius

Emperor Theodosius is noted in the video for making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century. This action further solidified Christianity's status and influence, contributing to its growth and acceptance across the empire.

💡Schism

A schism refers to a division or split within a religious body. The video discusses the schism between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches, which led to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East. This division was due to political and religious differences, including disputes over the leadership of the Christian Church.

💡Pope

The Pope is identified in the video as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, which is one of the three major branches of Christianity, along with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant denominations. The Pope resides in the Vatican in Rome, and his role is central to the governance and spiritual guidance of the Catholic Church.

Highlights

Christianity is the world's largest religion with over 2 billion followers.

The main symbols of Christianity are the crucifix and the ichthys fish.

Christianity originated in the 1st century AD in Judea, present-day Israel and Palestine.

Jesus of Nazareth is traditionally regarded as the founder of Christianity.

Christians believe Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in Jewish writings.

The Roman Empire's control over Judea influenced the rise of messianic movements.

Jesus's teachings emphasized peace, love, and repentance, contrasting with the expected militant messiah.

After Jesus's crucifixion, his followers believed he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

Unlike other messianic movements, Jesus's followers continued to spread his teachings after his death.

Christianity's growth was significantly influenced by the Roman Empire's eventual acceptance and promotion of the faith.

The Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 AD was a pivotal moment for the religion's legitimacy.

The Great Schism led to the division of Christianity into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s further diversified Christianity into Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant branches.

Christianity has had a profound impact on art, philosophy, politics, and society in the Western world.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is considered the holiest site in Christianity.

The Holy Bible is the scripture followed by Christians, with strong connections to the Jewish Torah.

Christianity is deeply connected to Judaism, sharing common roots, holy sites, and holy cities like Jerusalem.

Transcripts

greetings and salutations ladies and

gentlemen so we finished up with Judaism

the first of our major monotheistic

world religions and now in chronological

order we move on to the next one and

that one is Christianity and so will

approach Christianity in the same way

that we did Judaism so here on the

screen as a lot of you probably already

know the main symbols associated with

Christianity are the crucifix and

something called the ik this fish and

we'll go into greater detail on what the

ik this fish is in class but just know

the crucifix and the ictus fish are two

very very common symbols that are

associated with Christianity

so as we delve into the history of the

development of this religion we'll start

with geography in what part of the world

that Christianity originated and then of

course today where do most Christians

live we'll get into the history of the

foundation of the religion by looking at

the founder of Christianity and then the

traditional historical beliefs behind

this religions foundation and finally

we'll wrap up with just the basics what

are some of the basic beliefs and basic

facts regarding Christianity thus

without further ado let's go ahead and

begin

so Christianity is the world's largest

religion encompassing over 2 billion

followers around the world I mean in a

world of about 7 billion people over 2

billion of them are Christian so you

know somewhere in the avenue of

one-third of the world's population as

Christians clear the world's largest

religion its adherents can be found on

every populated continent of the world

so Christianity is very very widespread

and a big question worth addressing here

is how did a religion that started out

relatively small in all honesty

essentially a what we might call a Jesus

cult or a small devoted group of

followers that followed the teachings of

this guy Jesus how does it go from that

to becoming this massive worldwide

religion that's something that we'll

explore as we look at the history of the

development of Christianity so according

to tradition Christianity was founded in

the 1st century AD by a man named Jesus

and Christians are the followers of

Jesus

Christ the word Christ from which the

word Christian derives comes from Greek

origin the Greek word Cristo which means

Messiah because Christians believe that

Jesus was the Messiah who was foretold

in the writings of the Jewish prophets

so Christianity founded in traditional

belief by this guy Jesus the word

Christianity comes from the Greek word

Cristo meaning Messiah now to really

understand why Christianity develops the

way that it does where it does we have

to look at what's going on in that part

of the world during this time period so

let's go to the 1st century AD right

it's the first century the Roman Empire

controls pretty much all of Western

Europe all of North Africa the Middle

East this is the height of the power of

the Roman world and so in the early 1st

century AD the Roman Empire controls the

land of Judea this is the present-day

country of Israel land of Palestine this

is where the Jewish people live and we

know that their story is one of

independence and then bondage and

independence and bondage it's now here

they are getting controlled by the

Romans well the Romans allowed the

Jewish people to freely practice their

religion and remember that the Romans as

long as you behaved and paid your taxes

and followed Roman law that's really all

they cared about but the Jewish people

in that region would given their history

of you know being ruled by others and

then rising up gaining independence they

still desire freedom from Roman control

the Romans didn't exactly treat them

horribly but you can also see why they

would want their own independence and so

remember as we learned in Judaism the

coming of a messiah had long been

foretold by the Torah and by the

prophets and so given that this was

another time in which they felt they

were being ruled under an oppressive

regime many Jews believed that now would

be the time for this Messiah to come

they believe that this Messiah would

come during this time and deliver them

to freedom from Roman control so they

thought that this was the time for the

Messiah and so there you know people are

actively seeking out looking for this

Messiah to come during this time and the

person that they're looking for is

someone like Judah Maccabee like the

Maccabee brothers who

going to lead an armed rebellion and

help gain their freedom from Rome that's

what Jews in the region are looking for

in the form of a messiah and so it is

into this world during this time that a

man named Jesus is born into the Jewish

community in Judea so Jesus was born and

raised a Jewish person and historically

speaking you know we look at the

founders of these religions and you go

back to Abraham with Judaism and there

isn't a much historical evidence really

anything to prove his existence it's all

a matter of faith the evidence for the

existence of Jesus is scant but it is

there we have some of our most trusted

historians from the time period

particularly Josephus a Roman historian

of the region who mentions that a guy

named Jesus existed and his followers

thought he was the Messiah so we're very

certain that a guy named Jesus who does

a become the founder of Christianity is

living during this time and if

traditional Christian beliefs are

believed to be true then probably around

the age of 30

this guy Jesus has become a traveling

preacher and a travelling healer whose

message preaches a doctrine of peace and

love and repentance which given you know

a Jewish community that wants

independence from Rome this message of

peace and love is is vastly different

from what you might be expecting and so

from 30 ad to 33 ad roughly only about

three years Jesus this Jesus character

travels throughout the land of Judea

spreading his message gaining followers

gaining disciples Jesus's followers came

to believe that he was the Messiah who

would deliver them to freedom from Roman

control and you know let's be clear

about this too this is a world in which

people in the Jewish community are

seeking out this Messiah and Jesus was

not the only messianic movement in Judea

during this time there were at least a

handful of others maybe as many as a

dozen other people during the first

century whose followers all believed

that their man was the Messiah which

again leads this question how is it that

the Jesus Movement is the one that gave

rise to Christianity versus any of these

others Jesus's followers believed that

he was the Messiah but so did the

followers of some of these other folks

as well now most of the Jews in this

region

they didn't believe that Jesus was the

Messiah they did not share the point of

view remember what they're looking for

in a messiah is a military leader

someone who's going to lead an uprising

and deliver them to freedom from Roman

control and the Romans for their part

having dealt with a number of these

messianic movements see them as being

politically troublesome if you're the

Romans all you want is law and order and

you want things to be peaceful and

people to follow the law and pay their

taxes and and live like little girls

like good little girls and boys but for

the Romans with these messianic

movements what they see is trouble and

the way they typically tended to handle

it was they arrested and imprisoned or

arrested and executed the leaders of

these movements and then their followers

would just sort of disappear into the

shadows and then you wouldn't see him

anymore and so for the Romans their part

they see the Jesus movement as another

one of these potential potentially

problematic movements and they handle it

the same way they handled all the others

they arrest Jesus as a political rebel

they put him on trial and he's executed

by crucifixion now according to

Christian tradition at this point three

days after he was executed Jesus as the

Son of God rises from the dead and

ascends into heaven okay that's the

Christian traditional belief and in most

cases what the Romans were expecting

after the death of Jesus was that

Jesus's followers would just go away

that's what they expected them to do

disappear into the woodwork and not be a

problem anymore

however unlike these other messianic

movements the followers of Jesus do just

the opposite rather than disappearing

and going into hiding after the death of

their leader instead they go out in

public and they continue to spread the

message and spread the teachings of

their leader Jesus after the death of

Jesus the disciples travel throughout

the eastern Mediterranean Sea region and

parts other parts of the Roman world and

they begin preaching the religious

message that Jesus had taught they began

spreading his message and teachings this

is what's called evangelizing going out

and spreading the message so the

followers of Jesus rather than going

into hiding begin to evangelize and

spread the message and eventually

because of their practice

is their actions of spreading them

spreading the words reading the messages

eventually we see Christian churches

start to pop up all over the Roman

Empire in Greece in Asia Minor in Egypt

Gaul Spain even the city of Rome itself

and the big difference here in why

Christianity rises out of the teachings

of Jesus that his followers did not

disappear they went out and they spread

the message and they spread the

teachings and that's why we start to see

Christianity grow out of those teachings

were rather than one of these other

messianic movements now originally

Christians were severely persecuted by

the Romans beginning with the Emperor

Nero who of course blamed the Christians

for the great fire that burned half of

Rome Roman emperors would persecute the

Christians some more than others some

were more tolerant and some severely

persecuted them and this persecution

continues until the year 312 ad when the

Emperor Constantine comes to power and

he himself converts to Christianity and

makes Christianity a legal religion in

Rome as of 312 ad 80 years later the

Emperor Theodosius makes Christianity

the official religion of the Roman

Empire and this really allows

Christianity to take off and it spreads

and becomes a widespread the dominant

main religion in the Roman world and

this is what really catapults

Christianity from being the original

sort of you know cult surrounding the

teachings of Jesus - now this incredibly

widespread and important and influential

religion that it becomes in the world

States because of Roman acceptance of

Christianity and the spreading of those

teachings that Christianity really

becomes the global religion that it is

today now eventually we know the Roman

Empire is going to split into an East

and West following the split of the

Roman Empire into an East and a West we

begin to see strain arise between the

Christian Church in the east and the

West particularly it's kind of a

political power struggle between Rome

and Constantinople political and

religious doctrinal differences are

going to lead to the split what it

ultimately comes down to is the bishop

in Rome thinks that he should be the

leader of the Christian Church and the

bishop in Constantinople thinks that he

should be

leader of the Christian Church this

leads to a schism or a split between the

church in the West the Roman Church and

the church in the east the Church in

Constantinople and so Western

Christianity would be known as the Roman

Catholic Church while Eastern

Christianity would be known as the

Eastern Orthodox Church the Roman

Catholic Church would splinter even

further during the 1500s when the

Protestant Reformation took place based

largely on the teachings of a man by the

name of Martin Luther that's something

that we'll hit later on in this semester

but just know that Christianity split

again and so as a result today most

christians belong to one of three

general groups Roman Catholic Eastern

Orthodox and Protestant all right so

let's zip through now sort of the basics

Christianity just the basics basic

beliefs basic facts so according to

Christian tradition people can receive

eternal life by following the teachings

of Jesus and believing in in Jesus and

again they don't mean that you literally

become immortal and you'll never die but

you receive eternal life meaning that

after you die you go on and you'll live

forever in heaven in the afterlife

Christianity has a major impact on art

philosophy politics society in the

Western world after the fall of Rome

the Catholic Church the Christian Church

is the one constant that still remains

in Western Europe and as a result it

becomes very politically and socially

powerful more to come on that later in

the semester Christianity as we know is

the world's largest religion with over

two billion followers worldwide and

Christianity has a very very deep

connection with Judaism they share

common roots they share holy sites they

share holy cities for example Jerusalem

is the holiest city for Christians just

as it's the holiest city for Jews and

the holiest site for all of the

Christian faith is a place in Jerusalem

a place called the Church of the Holy

Sepulchre the Church of the Holy

Sepulchre is a church that was built

over the site that Christians believed

to have been the crucifixion and

resurrection of Jesus if you go into the

church

the holy sepulcher you'll find a shrine

that looks just like this one it's

actually this shrine right here and this

is the spot on which Christians believe

that Jesus was crucified if you go to

the other side of the church you'll find

this shrine and inside this shrine is a

first century tomb this is the tomb that

Christians believe Jesus was originally

buried in and they believe it was from

this tomb that Jesus then rose from the

dead so this is the holiest site in all

of Christianity the scripture that

Christians follow is of course the Holy

Bible the connection between Judaism

Christianity here is very strong the

first five books of the Bible the Old

Testament of the Bible is basically the

writings of the Jewish Torah so there's

that connection once again Christians as

you probably know worship in churches

and the leader of the Christian Church

is a guy called the Pope who lives in

the Vatican in Rome all right well there

we have it guys we took a look at the

history behind the foundation of

Christianity we saw that Christianity is

something that is worldwide today where

most of them live we also saw where

Christianity originated in Judea the

land that is today Israel and Palestine

we looked at the basic historical

background of Christianity looked at the

founder people believed the founder to

be Jesus and then of course we ran

through some of the basic facts and

beliefs regarding Christianity so pay

attention to these essential questions

be ready to talk about them and other

things the next time that we meet but as

always until that time I bid you

farewell