The history of the Christian religion and the Christian church began with Jesus and his
apostles.
Christianity is the religion that is based on the birth, life, death, resurrection and teaching of
Jesus Christ.
Christianity began in the 1st century CE after Jesus died and was said to be resurrected.
During the Age of Exploration, Christianity expanded throughout the world; it is currently the
largest religion of the world.
Most of the first Christians were ethnically Jewish or Jewish proselytes.
Worship of Jesus Christ
The Gospels and New Testament Epistles are two sources for the apostolic community's views. They
contain accounts of the Passion, the empty tomb, and appearances of Jesus after his Resurrection. There
are reasons to believe they were written shortly after Jesus' crucifixion.
Jewish continuity
Many Jewish customs were preserved in Christianity. The Septuagint translation of the Torah (the first
five books of the Old Testament) was used by Christians who considered the Jewish scriptures to be
sacrosanct. Liturgical worship included the use of incense, an altar and liturgical readings adapted from
synagogue practice.
Post-Apostolic Church
The period from the beginning of Christian persecutions through the legalization of Christian worship
under Constantine the Great. It was during this time that the term Christianity was first recorded. Ignatius
of Antioch coined the phrase post-apostolic period for the period after the death of the apostles.
Persecutions
Christian martyrs include Stephen and James, son of Zebedee.
Persecutions in larger scale by the authorities of the Roman Empire began with the
year 64. For 250 years there were times when Christians suffered from
persecutions, because they refused to worship the Roman emperor. That was seen
as treason and punished by execution.
Christianity legalized
Christianity became the state religion of Rome in 391. The Church used the
same provinces for administration as the imperial government and called them
dioceses. Ecumenical Councils affirmed that Christ had two natures, fully God and
fully man at the same time.
Church of the Early Middle Ages (476 – 800)
Early Middle Ages saw a "transformation of the Roman world" rather than the
fall of the Empire. The Bishops of Rome were more interested in barbarian kings
than Byzantine Emperors. This led to the coronation of Charlemagne as "Emperor of
the Romans" by Pope Leo III.
Early Medieval Papacy
After the invasion of the Lombards, Rome had to take care of itself.
Eventually, the failure of the Empire to send aid resulted in the popes turning for
support from other sources.
Church of the High Middle Ages (800 – 1499)
The High Middle Ages are the period between 800 and the close of the fifteenth
century. This includes the fall of Constantinople and the end of the Hundred Years'
War. It also includes the discovery of the New World (1492) and the Protestant
Reformation (1515).
Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy was the most important conflict between secular and
religious powers in medieval Europe. Question was who would control appointments
of bishops (investiture). End of lay investiture meant an important loss of royal
power, and a loss for ambitious noblemen.
Crusades
The Crusades were military conflicts conducted by Christian knights for the
defense of Christians and for the expansion of Christian domains. Crusades refer to
campaigns in the Holy Land against Muslim forces sponsored by the Papacy. There
were other crusades against Islamic forces in southern Spain, southern Italy, and
Sicily.
East-West Schism
The East-West Schism was the result of disagreement between Latin and
Greek Christendom over papal primacy. The schism became "official" in 1054 when
the Pope's legates notified Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople that he
had been excommunicated.
Western Schism
The Western Schism was a period of crisis in Latin Christendom from 1378 to
1416, when there were two or more claimants to the See of Rome. The conflict was
political, rather than doctrinal, in nature and involved several rival claimants for the
leadership of the Catholic Church.
Church and the Italian Renaissance (1399 – 1599)
The Renaissance was a period of great cultural change and achievement in
Italy. The City of Rome, the Papacy, and the Papal States were all affected by it. It
was a time of great artistic patronage and architectural magnificence for Italian art
and architecture.
Protestant Reformation (1521 – 1579)
The Protestant Reformation was an attempt to reform the Catholic Church.
The movement's leaders "protested" against the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the
pope. Early protest was against corruptions such as simony and episcopalian
vacancies. It would later incorporate doctrinal changes such as sola scriptura and
sola fide. The Protestant Reformation may be divided into two distinct but basically
simultaneous movements. The Magisterial Reformation involved the alliance of
certain theological teachers with secular magistrates. Radical Reformers often
employed more extreme doctrinal change, such as the rejection of the Councils of
Nicaea and Chalcedon.
Martin Luther
In 1517, he published a list of 95 Theses, or points to be debated, concerning
the illicitness of selling indulgences. Luther had a particular disdain for Aristotelian
philosophy. Conflict between Luther and leading theologians lead to his rejection of
authority of Church hierarchy.
John Calvin
John Calvin was a French cleric and Doctor of Law turned Protestant reformer.
He is best known for his doctrine of predestination, which held that God had
foreordained who would be saved (the elect) and whom would be damned (the
reprobate).
English Reformation
Unlike other reform movements, the English Reformation began by royal
influence. Henry VIII considered himself a thoroughly Catholic King and defended
the papacy against Luther. The ensuing dispute eventually led to a break from
Rome and the declaration of the King of England as head of the English Church.
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the response of the Catholic Church to the
Protestant Reformation. Its heart was Italy and the popes of the time, who
established the Index Librorum Prohibitorum and Roman Inquisition. The activities
of these pontiffs coincided with a rediscovery of the ancient catacombs in Rome.
Great Awakenings
The First Great Awakening was a wave of religious enthusiasm in the
American colonies c. 1730-1740. The Second Great Awakening (1800–1830s)
focused on the unchurched. The Third Great Awakening began from 1857 and was
most notable for taking the movement throughout the world.
Restorationism
Restorationism developed out of the Second Great Awakening and is
connected to the Protestant Reformation. Restorationists do not usually describe
themselves as "reforming" a Christian church but restoring the Church that they
believe was lost. The name Restoration is also used to describe the Latter-day
Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witness Movement.
Fascism
Fascism describes certain related political regimes in 20th century Europe,
especially Nazi Germany. Pope Pius XI issued encyclical saying that Fascist
governments had hidden "pagan intentions". Many Catholic laypeople and clergy
helped in sheltering Jews during the Holocaust.
Fundamentalism
Protestant fundamentalism was a movement that arose mainly within British
and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It sought to
reestablish tenants that could not be denied without relinquishing a Christian
identity, the "fundamentals".
Ecumenism
"Ecumenism" is derived from Greek oἰκoυμέvη (oikoumene), which means "the
inhabited world", but more figuratively something like "universal oneness". The
movement can be distinguished into Catholic and Protestant movements.
