Christianity is one of the world's most widespread religions. It is based on the principle of monotheism and was formed in the I-II century within the framework of Judaism. The central principle of this religion is that Jesus Christ is the only God, who owns precisely the divine, and not the human power, who incarnated on Earth in the form of the Son of God to die for the sins of all people. However, Christianity is not just a monotheistic faith. It also introduces the idea of the trinity of a single person (God, Logos, Holy Spirit) into the principles of monotheism.
The rise of Christianity. Early history in brief
In the understanding of the Christians themselves, their religion arose suddenly as a result of the ascension of Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven. However, one cannot ignore the fact that the Christian doctrine is a continuation of the centuries-old theology of the Jews, mixed with the myths of the Hellenes. Thus, Paul, in his original epistles of the New Testament, as early as 50 AD. e. describes the "mystery religion of Jesus". And, judging by these writings, Paul knew nothing about the divine conception of Christ, nor about the Last Supper, nor about the resurrection after death. He did not explicitly state whether heJesus baptism, although quite often mentions baptism in the name of Christ.
After 20 years, the Gospel of Mark was able to reveal some of the features of Jesus' ministry. However, the later gospels of Matthew and Luke are more based on the previous teaching, while John tells the story in a completely different way.
Even in the first centuries of our era, many of the written works on Christianity were recognized as unreliable and fraudulent. Differing interpretations have led to the fact that disputes over the subtleties of theology have become possible. Dissent in the Christian Church was brought to an end when the First Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine I in 325, adopted the very first creed. And already in 380 in the Roman Empire, this religion acquired official status.
Characteristics of Christianity
This religion has the following basic principles:
1. Spiritualistic monotheism with the doctrine of the trinity of Persons in one divine being.
2. God is absolutely perfect Spirit, God is love.
3. The human person is absolutely valuable and is an immortal spiritual being, created by God in his own image.
4. The ideal purpose of a person lies in the all-round endless spiritual improvement.
5. The spiritual principle dominates matter. And God is her master.
6. Evil is not in matter and was not created from it, but from the perverted will of angels and man.
7. Christianity is also the doctrine ofthe resurrection of the flesh and the bliss gained by the righteous in the enlightened and eternal world.
8. The dogma of Christianity is the doctrine of the God-man who descended to Earth in order to save people from sin.
9. This religion is based on the main book, the Bible, and faith.
Thus, Christianity is also a religion of harmony of matter and spirit. It does not degrade any of human activities, but tries to ennoble them all.
What is Christianity as a creed?
First of all, it is the belief that the savior of mankind, Jesus Christ, was God in the flesh, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Living on Earth during the reign of Pontius Pilate, he experienced suffering and was crucified. After his death, Jesus descended into hell, and on the third day rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. And now from there he will come to judge both the living and the dead.
The exact meaning of the word "Christianity" is rather vague. And when interpreting it, it is of great importance what historical and religious sources you can rely on or with whom you are talking. Traditionally, its concept is stated in three main provisions: the Apostolic Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed. However, other provisions have also been developed.
At different times, Orthodox, Catholics, Cathars, Gnostics, Protestants, Mormons, Quakers and other religious groups were not considered Christian and were recognized as heretical. In most churches, heresy was considered a betrayal, which eventually led to mass persecution, tortureand murders.
Salvation
In Christianity, a person is recognized as an inherently imperfect being, which is easily tempted (original sin of Adam and Eve). At the same time, everyone can receive salvation, which is given in the form of God's grace. It is necessary for people to accept the presence of God after death. How exactly does this process take place? It is not completely clear, because there are several different statements: some believe that the most important thing is faith; others - that it should be confirmed by good deeds. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that the death of Jesus Christ is an atonement for the transgressions of all mankind.
Trinity
Most of the Christian world support the concept of the Trinity, which is based on the fact that one God has three hypostases: God the Father (created the Universe), God the Son (Jesus Christ, who redeemed people), Holy Spirit (saves human souls).
Trinitarianism, or the doctrine of the Trinity, is the accepted view for most Christians, but not for all. Thus, for example, Unitarians recognize the existence of only one personality of God the Creator. And Oneness Pentecostals believe that Jesus Christ is the only God.
Thus, Christianity is one of the most fragmented religions, which contains many confessions.
