There are over 1.8 billion people who practice some form of Christianity, making it the largest monotheistic religion in the world.

Transcription

1 There are over 1.8 billion people who practice some form of Christianity, making it the largest monotheistic religion in the world. (1) Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of one man, Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ. (2) The word Christ is Greek for Messiah. (3) The word Messiah means savior, which is what Christians thought of Jesus of Nazareth He was the Messiah. (4) Not everyone believes Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, as the Christians do. Most Jews and Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet, but not the Son of God. (5) The teachings of Jesus of Nazareth have had a greater influence on the world than any other man in all of history! (6)

2 Christianity teaches people to love each other, treat everyone with justice, and love God. (7) Christians practice their faith in a Church, or Christian house of worship. (8) One of the main prayers of Christians is called the Apostles Creed, which expresses the main beliefs of Christians. (9) Jesus of Nazareth, the main teacher of Christianity, had 12 main followers, called Apostles or Disciples. (10) Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth s birth was a miracle. They also believe that three days after he died, he rose from the dead (called the Resurrection); another miracle. (11) The Holy Book for Christians is called the Bible, and it is the best-selling book of all time! (12)

3 The Christian Bible was one of the main reasons that Johannes Gutenberg invented the world s first movable-type printer around the year (13) The birth of Jesus of Nazareth is widely seen as the dividing line between the time periods BCE and CE. However, many historians and archaeologists believe Jesus of Nazareth was actually born around the year 6BCE. (14) The Christian Bible is divided into two sections: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 46 books, and the New Testament contains 27 books. (15) The Old Testament in the Christian Bible is the same as the Holy Book for the Jews! It details the history of the Christians before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. (16) Christianity and Judaism are very similar religions in some respects. In fact, Christianity branched off of Judaism after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Many Jews followed the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and became Christians. (17)

4 Christianity has spread around the world in large part because of the Roman Empire. In the year 312CE, the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and encouraged the religion to spread around the Empire. (18) Before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Christians were discriminated against and many times, they were put to death by Roman officials. Many Romans were unhappy with the Christians belief in only one god. (19) Some groups of Christians believe every single word in the Bible to be absolute truth. These people are called fundamentalists. However, many other groups of Christians believe that the Bible has many symbols and there is a need for interpreting many parts of the Bible to find out what they truly mean. (20) The best resource historians have about the life of Jesus of Nazareth comes from the four Gospels, found in the New Testament in the Christian Bible. These four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (21) A traditional ritual for many Christians is that of Baptism. This ritual involves praying while pouring holy water over a person s head. It is a ritual where Christians believe they become part of God s Christian church. (22)

5 While he was alive, Jesus of Nazareth spent a short time in the city of Jerusalem. It was there that he was killed by crucifixion, or being nailed to a cross. Crucifixion was a popular form of punishment throughout the Roman Empire. (23) Because Jesus of Nazareth was crucified when he died, the cross has become a major symbol of Christianity. (24) Jesus of Nazareth was forced to march a significant distance in order to be crucified. While he was marching, there were several events that happened to him. These have become the 14 Stations of the Cross for the Christians. These Stations of the Cross are a major reason why the city of Jerusalem is so sacred to Christians. (25) Christianity is responsible for some of the greatest architecture of the Middle Ages. Many cathedrals, or large churches, were built to honor God. One of the most famous cathedrals is in France, called Notre Dame. (26) Since its beginning, Christianity has developed into over 100 different denominations, or religious groups. While they all are a little bit different from each other, each denomination considers itself Christian. (27)

6 In the 1520 s a man by the name of Martin Luther went against some of the Christian Church s teachings and launched what has been called the Protestant Reformation. He protested certain teachings and he wanted to reform the Church. The result was a new Christian Church, called Lutheranism. (28) The ultimate goal for the Christians is to get to Heaven, where they will live in paradise forever. (29) The dove, cross, and fish are three of the main symbols of Christianity. (30) Jesus of Nazareth was actually a Jewish carpenter! (31) When the Roman Empire split in two in the 4 th Century CE, the Christian Church did the same thing. The Western Roman Empire adopted the Roman Catholic Church, while the Eastern Roman Empire adopted the Eastern Orthodox Church. Both of these are Christian churches. (32) One of the main holidays of the Christians is Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It is always celebrated on December 25 of every year. (33)

7 One of the main holidays of Christians is Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection, or Jesus rising from the dead. While it falls on different dates every year, it is almost always in March or April. (34)