christianity. history– the life and times of jesus †beginnings around 0 ad †centers around the...
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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