Title: Christianity
1Christianity
- Basic Beliefs and Early History in Middle East
and Beyond
2Christianity
- Worlds largest religion
- Central Belief
- Jesus Christ was the son of God, died for the
sins of all humanity, was resurrected and
returned to heaven - Must believe this in order to go to heaven
- Different branches and denominations
- Catholicism
- Protestantism
- Eastern Orthodox Christianity
3Holy Trinity
- One God with three parts
- Father Creator, Master Planner, Holy
- Son (aka Jesus) Needed as a sacrifice for
humanitys sin - Holy Spirit Active, sent to fulfill God the
Fathers plans
4Foundations in Judaism
- Jesus and the Apostles were Jews
- The first Christians began as Jews
- The story of Creation, the first people, the Ten
Commandments, stories of judges and kings of
Israel, and books of prophets are important and
read
5Difference from Judaism
- Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah
foretold by the Old Testament prophets - Jews believe that the Messiah has not come
- Some ethnic Jews do believe that Jesus was the
Messiah (they are a minority though)
6The Bible
- 66 Books in the Bible
- Old Testament 39 Books, before Jesus came to
Earth - New Testament 27 Books, after Jesus came to
Earth and went back to heaven, letters of advice
on how to live for early Christians (no Bible was
organized yet)
7Old Testament
- Creation and first people (Adam, Eve, Noah,
etc.), Original Sin - How God set apart the nation of Israel
- Exodus and giving of the Law of Moses
- Conquest of Canaan with Joshua Creating Nation
of Israel - Nation of Israel (Judges then Kings) Jewish
history - Cycle of sinfulness, punishment, repentance
- Conquest by enemies (Assyrians, Babylonians) and
captivity - Return to homeland, rebuilding of Jerusalem
8New Testament
- Gospels 4 versions of Jesus life
- The Book of Acts (Acts of the Apostles)
- Epistles of Paul and other epistles (Romans,
Corinthians, Galatians, etc.) - Revelation Apocalypse, Second Coming of Christ,
Armageddon, Judgment, the New Jerusalem
9Parts of Jesus Christs Life
- Incarnation and childhood (birth through 12 years
old) - Public Ministry (30 33)
- Passion (events surrounding his crucifixion)
- Resurrection and Ascension
10The Twelve Apostles (Disciples)
- Jesus chose 12 close confidants but had many
other followers - Here are the Twelve
- Peter (orig. Simon) Andrew (brothers)
- James John (brothers)
- Philip Bartholomew
- Matthew Thomas
- James, son of Alphaeus Thaddeus
- Simon the Zealot Judas Iscariot
11Apostles Confusion Was Jesus the Messiah?
- He was a great leader, teacher, healer, miracle
worker but the Messiah? - Could he be Moses, Elijah, or someone else
reincarnated? - Peter the first to recognize him as Messiah
privilege of being the rock on which Christ
will build his church (the body of Christian
believers), holds keys to heaven
12Betrayal of Jesus/The Kiss of Judas
- Part of the Passion
- Jewish religious leaders did not want to arrest
Jesus in public - Judas goes to them and offers to help them
- Pharisees give him 30 pieces of silver
- Judas leads them to the Garden of Gethsemane
where Jesus liked to bring the Apostles to get
away from crowds - Judas leads a group to arrest him, identifies
Jesus by greeting him with a kiss - Guilt Judas commits suicide
13Christian Practices
- Celebration of Easter
- Prayer
- Going to church
- Bible reading the Word of God
- Communion
- Baptism in Water
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit
14Sin
- Anything displeasing to God based on Ten
Commandments and other commandments given by
Jesus (building on Ten Commandments - Examples?
15Ten Commandments
16- 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to
be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge
the flesha rather, serve one another humbly in
love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in
keeping this one command Love your neighbor as
yourself.b 15 If you bite and devour each
other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each
other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you
will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For
the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit,
and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you
are not to do whateverc you want. 18 But if you
are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
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17- 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious sexual
immorality, impurity and debauchery 20 idolatry
and witchcraft hatred, discord, jealousy, fits
of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live
like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. - 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live
by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking
and envying each other.
18Forgiveness
- Seek forgiveness from God through the blood of
Jesus Christ - FORGIVE OTHERS
- Do not judge others, judge yourself
19Essential Belief
- Nicaea Creed
- Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of the
Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified
and buried and rose again on the third day and
ascended to be at the right hand of the father - He will come again to judge the living and the
dead
20Focus on Heaven
- Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ
- Not a blank check to sin Think of God as
literal father and friend Would you keep
hurting/insulting your father or friend? - Obeying commandments
- Love God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength
(first four commandments) - Love neighbor as you love yourself
- These sum up Ten Commandments
21Differences among Christians
- Different denominations have different views
- Salvation by faith alone (Protestant) vs.
Salvation and Good Works (Catholic) faith
without works is dead it does say this in the
Bible - Women as priests/ministers
- Biblical interpretation Literal (fundamentalist)
vs. open/metaphorical - Views towards the Sabbath, gays, abortion/birth
control, drinking, enjoyment of pop culture
22Why is it significant to understand Christianity
in History of Middle East?
- Jerusalem is holy to Christians site of Jesus
crucifixion and resurrection - Christians believe that Armageddon, the final
battle between good and evil, will occur in
Israel. - Control of Holy Land influences Crusades, which
greatly damages relations with Muslims
23Constantine the Great (272 337 CE)
- First Christian Roman Emperor
- Mother Helena was Christian
- Claimed to see a vision of cross of light in sky
before a battle with inscription In this sign
you will conquer. - Legalizes Christianity Christians were being
persecuted - Promotes Christianity as major religion
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26Significance of Byzantine Empire
- Moves capital to Byzantium and calls it New Rome
residents call it Constantinople - Byzantine Empire Eastern Roman Empire western
Europe falls to barbarian invasions but east
remains. - Byzantine Empire had control over the Holy Land
(Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Mount Sinai) - Byzantine Empire follows Orthodox Christianity
established as the state (official) religion by
Constantines successors
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29Map of Byzantine Trade Routes
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31Was Constantine a true Christian?
- Textbook calls him a nominal Christian
- Had rivals killed so that he could consolidate
power - Colossal image of himself resembling the Roman
god Jupiter in a basilica in Rome - Baptized on his death bed (although not uncommon
for early Christians - If he really wanted to accept Christianity,
wouldnt he have behaved following Christs
example?
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33Council of Nicaea
- Meeting called by Constantine (about 300 bishops
present from all over the Roman Empire) - Answers questions and builds consensus on who
Christ was this becomes the Orthodox view - Christians, who had different views, were labeled
heretics and persecuted as if they were rebelling
against the empire
34Icon of Constantine and the Church Fathers
- They are holding a slightly modified form of the
Nicene Creed (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of
381).
35Christian Dissident Groups
- Arians believed that Jesus was divinely sired
and inspired, but was not on the level of God
(arose in Alexandria priest called Arius) - Nestorians through that Christ was two people
one divine, one human (When the church of Ephesus
condemned them, they fled to Persia) arose in
Antioch - Monophysites opposite view of Nestorians and
Arians Jesus was only one being and was only
divine (not human) - arose
36Heretics, Christian Arabs, and Muslims
- Because the Orthodox view of Christianity
persecuted Christians with different view points,
how would that hurt the Byzantine (Eastern Roman)
Empire? - Christianized Arabs felt greater loyalty to their
culture over the Byzantine Church. - Heretics became enemies of the Byzantine Empire
and fought alongside Muslim armies in the 7th and
8th centuries.
37Official View of Church
- Council of Nicaea determined the proper view of
Christ - Created a common prayer (Nicene Creed)
- Decided what books/writings would make up the
Bible (Why did they choose some books over
others?) - Jesus Christ was 100 man and 100 God contained
in the body of one man
38America, Christianity, and Middle East
- America, while having freedom of religion, is
heavily influenced by Christianity many
lawmakers identify themselves as Christians. - Christians, because of ignorance on Islam, side
with Israel because of Judaisms connection to
Christianity. - America often favors Israel (sharing of
technology, military and financial aid) an
important ally in the Middle East
39Radical Christian Hope for End of World and
Christs Last Judgment
- Belief that conflict in Middle East will hasten
the day of Christs return - Finally, they will be able to see Jesus and live
in heaven - Better to side with Israel then Islamic nations
- Demonstrates misunderstanding of what Islam is
really about