Christianity

History– The Life and Times of Jesus

† Beginnings around 0 AD† Centers around the Life of Jesus of Nazareth

† Life story told in the four Gospels† Matthew, Mark, Luke & John

† Born to Jewish parents in Bethlehem† Traditional Christianity believes that he is

the actual son of God.

† Became an itinerant (wandering) teacher † Condemned for heresy and treason and crucified (executed)

around 33 AD† Recognized as Messiah or Christ by early believers following

his death

History– The Spread of the Church

† Following Death of Jesus teachings were continued by disciples† Paul

† Converted to Christianity† Became its 2nd most

influential teacher † Expanded church to

Roman Empire and beyond

† Author of most of the New Testament

† Constantine† 4th Century AD† Roman Emperor† Made Christianity the

official religion of Empire† Spread with Empire

History-Division of the Church

† Councils † Held to determine Church

position of beliefs.

† Great Schism (split)† Differences on authority of

Pope (among others)† Divided Church between

“East” and “West”† Eastern Orthodox† Roman Catholic

† Protestant Reformation† Martin Luther (1517)

† 95 Theses protesting church practices

† Fundamental differences† Reject papal authority† Faith and Works needed

† Divided from each other following split

Beliefs

† Humans are sinful and unable to overcome sin alone† Savior required to overcome sin as part of God’s plan† Jesus is that Savior and the son of God

† Died on Cross and was resurrected for sins of men† Bible is guide to history and theology

† Old Testament- pre-Jesus, record of Jews† New Testament- Story of Jesus and the early church† Variations in what is included based on denomination

† Church is central “sacred space” for worship

Sacred Sites

† Many places in modern-day Israel are considered sacred to Christianity as this is where Jesus lived and taught. † Bethlehem- Birthplace of Jesus† Jerusalem- Place of condemnation,

suffering and death of Jesus† Multiple other sites in Israel

† Some denominations have other sites, outside of modern- day Israel, that are considered sacred.

Current State of Affairs

† Europe and Latin America have largest populations† Divided among beliefs and current issues

† Issues- War, Social Injustice, Poverty, Gender Roles, Sexual Identity

† More than 20 different denominations with variations in beliefs