Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth is the most important figure in Christianity. Sometimes Christians refer to him as the Messiah, Christ, or the Savior, and most Christians believe that he was God.

Who was Jesus?

Most Christians believe that Jesus was God, but what else do we know about him?

Almost all historians agree that Jesus was a real person, but nearly everything we know about Jesus comes from Christians' holy text, the Bible. The Bible says that Jesus was a Jewish man who lived about 2,000 years ago in Nazareth, a city in present-day Israel.

Historians don't know much about Jesus's childhood. But they do know that as an adult he began teaching people about God. As his message spread to more people, political leaders took notice and decided to stop him. He was killed by the Romans around the year 33 CE.

Jesus was known for his teachings. He often taught using parables.

Parables are stories that seem simple but are meant to teach an important moral, or lesson about how people should behave.

Jesus [told this] story: "A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds . . . and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him."

"Now which of these three would you say was a [good] neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. [A] man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same [for others]."

priest: a leader in the Jewish community who ran the temple

despised: hated

Samaritan: a member of the Samaritan religious group, which was looked down upon by Jews at the time

Luke 10:25-37 in Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

Who were ancient Samaritans?

Samaritans worshipped the same god as Jews, but they had a different temple. Most first-century Jews believed the temple in Jerusalem was the only place where people could worship God. But Samaritans believed they should worship at a place called Mount Gerizim. Having different temples may not seem like a big deal today, but it caused a major conflict during Jesus's time.

There are still members of the Samaritan religion today. They are a very small community, though, with fewer than 1,000 members worldwide.

Jesus had a small group of supporters, called disciples, who helped spread his message to thousands of people. One of his disciples was named Simon, but Jesus called him Peter. Many Christians believe that Jesus chose Peter to help lead his other followers.

• Jesus picked the name Peter, which means "rock," because Peter was strong and reliable. Peter was originally named Simon, but Jesus renamed him because Peter was strong and reliable. These are important characteristics for a leader to have. The fact that Jesus thought Peter had those characteristics supports the claim that Jesus saw him as a leader.

• Jesus asked Peter to care for his followers after Jesus's death. Jesus wouldn't have asked just anyone to care for his followers after his death. He would have asked someone who he thought could lead them during a difficult time. This suggests that Jesus saw Peter as a leader.

When Jesus was about 33 years old, the Roman Empire executed, or killed, him. They did this because they thought he was a threat to Roman power.

How did the Roman Empire respond to Jesus?

The Bible says that Jesus was arrested by the Roman government and put on trial. A Roman leader named Pontius Pilate decided that Jesus would be executed. Jesus was crucified, or killed by being nailed or tied to a cross. Today, the cross is an important symbol of Christianity.

What do Christians think happened after Jesus died?

The Bible says that Jesus died and his body was placed in a tomb on a Friday. When his followers went back on Sunday, the tomb was empty.

Most Christians believe Jesus came back to life for a short time, visiting his followers and giving them instructions for spreading his message. Christians celebrate this story on Easter.

Today, many Christians see this story as proof that Jesus was divine, which means he was God.

In the Bible, there are stories about Jesus appearing to his followers after he rose from the dead. Read the following passage from the Bible. Then complete the text below.

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

disciples: followers

baptizing: performing a ceremony to welcome new followers into the community

Matthew 28:18-20 in Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

After Jesus's death, his closest followers and students were unsure what they should do next. When Jesus appeared to his followers, he told them to spread his teachings to new people.

"Tongues of fire"

One story in the New Testament tells how Jesus's followers were able to spread his message to people who spoke different languages.

Jesus's followers were gathered together when they heard a loud, rushing noise. The Bible says that little flames, or "tongues of fire," suddenly appeared over each of them.

When they went outside, people from many nations gathered around them. Jesus's followers began speaking, telling Jesus's story. Although the people in the crowd spoke many different languages, each person heard their own language being spoken!

Today, Christians remember this story during the holiday of Pentecost.

One book of the New Testament is called the Acts of the Apostles. It tells stories about how early Christians spread their messages. One famous story is about a man named Paul, who at first opposed Jesus's followers. The story tells how he converted, or changed his religious beliefs.

Blinded on the road to Damascus

Before Paul converted, he persecuted Jesus's followers. To persecute means to treat unfairly or cruelly. Paul wanted to stop Christians from spreading their message.

Many Christians believe that Paul was on his way to Damascus to threaten the Christian community there. Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright light and heard a voice ask, "Why do you persecute me?" Paul believed the voice came from Jesus, and it convinced him to become a Christian.

Community was important to first-century Christians. Small congregations, or groups of religious people, would meet together in order to read scriptures and share meals.

House churches

Christian congregations met in people's homes for almost 300 years. It wasn't until the end of the third century that Christians began constructing special buildings for their religious meetings. Even then, the buildings were modeled after homes.

From Roman temple to Christian church

Today, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome is the Pantheon. The Pantheon was originally built around 125 CE as a Roman temple dedicated to all gods.

In 608 CE, the building was changed into a Catholic church. By that time, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire, so Christian churches were carefully cared for. Most other Roman temples were either destroyed or allowed to fall apart. Christians still worship in the Pantheon today!

Look at the following information about the relationship between Rome and early Christians.

• • • In the early first century, all people within the Roman Empire had to worship Roman gods. This meant that being a monotheist, or someone who worships only one god, was illegal.

    • During this time, the Roman Empire made an exception for Jews. In other words, Jews were allowed to be monotheists, but members of newer religions were not.

    • The earliest followers of Jesus were monotheists and did not acknowledge Roman gods. However, they were not punished for these beliefs.

If being a monotheist was illegal for everyone except Jews, and Jesus's first followers were allowed to be monotheists, then the earliest followers of Jesus must have been considered to be Jewish. Otherwise, they would have been punished for their monotheism.

Many Romans believed it was important to sacrifice to the Roman gods. The sacrifices took different forms, but they could be as simple as burning incense. If the gods received sacrifices, the gods would help the empire thrive. But if they did not receive sacrifices, the gods would be angry and refuse to help.

Private vs. public religion

Roman religion had two parts, private and public. Privately, many Romans worshipped personal gods who they hoped would protect their homes and families. But they were also expected to practice a public form of religion, where they honored state gods. Romans believed that state gods protected the Roman Empire, just like personal gods protected individual families. Members of the government didn't care what personal gods people worshipped. But they did want to make sure that everyone worshipped state gods, because the state gods affected the empire.

In 313, the Roman Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan.

An edict is an official order given by someone in a position of authority. T

We . . . grant both to Christians and to all men freedom to follow whatever religion each one wished . . . this opportunity [is] not to be denied to anyone at all, whether he wished to give his mind to the observances of the Christians or to that religion which he felt was most fitting to himself.

observances: practices

most fitting: best

Michael Mass, Readings in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook. Copyright 2000 by Routledge.

Why did Constantine legalize Christianity?

Scholars disagree about why Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. Some historians believe it was because he thought it would make ruling the empire easier. Others argue that Constantine converted to Christianity and that was why he changed the law. It is also possible that both reasons were true.

Constantine's vision

Many people believe that Constantine had a vision before he issued the Edict of Milan. According to Christian tradition, Constantine was praying before a battle when he and his army saw a cross in the sky, along with the words "by this symbol you will conquer."

Later that night, he also dreamed that Jesus told him the cross would protect him and his army. From then on, Constantine made sure that his army always had images of the cross with them when they went into battle.