Christianity is an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on Jesus of Nazareth's life and teachings. With around 2.5 billion adherents, it is the world's largest religion. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament in Christianity) and recounted in the New Testament. They are the majority of the population in 157 nations and territories. This article will explain to you the concepts related to Christianity which will be helpful in Indian Art and Culture preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Christianity

Christianity - Origin

• In the year 4 BC, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as a Jew. He was thought to have superhuman abilities.
• He began preaching to people in many towns and traveling far. Afraid of Jesus Christ's growing popularity and preaching, several Jewish priests plotted to assassinate him and succeeded in having him crucified.
• Jesus was resurrected on the third day after His Crucifixion. He then ascended to heaven after another 40 days on earth.
• The events leading up to and following his birth corresponded to Old Testament prophecies that the son of God would be born on the earth to atone for humanity's sins.
• Following Jesus, his followers established a new faith known as Christianity (after Christ) and its adherents as Christians.
• For the first time, the church was divided into two parts: Western, led by the people of Rome, and eastern, led by the Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople. Protestantism shattered the Roman church.
• According to the Saint Thomas Syrian Christians of Kerala, Thomas the Apostle is supposed to have brought Christianity to India in 52 AD when he arrived on the Malabar Coast of Kerala.

The Crucifixion

Christianity - Significance

• Christianity, one of the world's largest religions, has a sizable following in India.
• It was formed in Jerusalem by Jesus Christ, and following his trial and three-day resurrection, it began to gain more and more disciples.
• After some time, it became the Roman Empire's official religion and began to grow fast. Vatican City became the center of Roman Catholic Christianity.
• After some time, numerous Christian reform movements emerged, and sects such as Protestants, Methodists, and others grew in popularity.
• The Bible is the Christians' holy book. The Bible is a collection of Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and English literature dating from 9 BC to 1 AD.
• The Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament, which has 46 books, and the New Testament, which contains 27 books.
• The Old Testament is a Hebrew scripture that offers information concerning the origin of the world and is important to both Jews and Christians.
• The New Testament records Jesus Christ's life and teachings, which are at the heart of the Christian faith.

Holy Bible

Tenets of Christianity

• The existence of one God who created the Universe is central to Christianity's philosophy.
• When it is essential, God sends messengers or messiahs to assist his creation. Jesus was a messenger sent to assist mankind in discovering God and becoming their "savior."
• They also believe that God's presence was kept on Earth after Jesus died, in the form of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
• Christians worship the Holy Trinity, which includes the Father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost.
• The Bible is the Christians' sacred literature.
• It includes Jewish elements of the Old Testament and a collection of new texts designated by the Roman Catholic Church, which is led by a Pope.
• The New Testament was the name given to this compilation, and it was combined with the Old Testament to form the Bible.
• On Christmas, they commemorate Christ's birth and encourage people to gather in the hallowed place of prayer known as Church.
• Baptism is one of their key practices, in which a child or anyone enters the church's service.
• Another ritual is Eucharist, which entails breaking bread and wine with God to symbolize unity with the universe.
• Christians believe that Jesus Christ chose 12 learned men to serve as his messengers and that he instructed them to spread his teachings and guide the people.
• Peter (Simon), his brother Andrew, James, and his brother John, Philip and Bartholomew, sons of Zebedee, Thomas and Matthew, James, son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, are the 12 apostles.

Sects in Christianity

• After Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, converted to Christianity in 313 AD, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• With the Roman Pope as its leader, the religion was known as Catholic or universal.
• Many divisions occurred by 1054 AD, and the Church was formally divided into Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic schools.
• A new school of thinking emerged in the 15th century, challenging the Pope's power.
• Martin Luther promoted various reforms in the Church in the 16th century, resulting in yet another division in the Christian world and the establishment of Protestant churches throughout Northeast Europe.
• Protestants opposed the Pope's authority and pushed for the Bible to be the exclusive source of authority.

Christianity in India

• According to legend, Christianity arrived in South India in 52 AD with the advent of St. Thomas, one of Jesus Christ's apostles, on the Malabar Coast.
• He lived in South India for a while and died near Madras. Others, however, claim that Saint Bartholomew was the first missionary to arrive in the country.
• The Portuguese discovered a maritime passage between India and Europe in 1498, which resulted in commerce and cultural contacts between the two countries.
• The Portuguese also impacted the Mughal monarchs Akbar and Jahangir.
• In addition, the Portuguese attempted to convert Mughal Emperors Akbar and Jahangir to Christianity.
• Christian scholars were also invited to the Ibadatkhana, which was erected by Akbar, for religious debate.
• Christian preachers proceeded to visit Krishnadeva Rai, Vijay Nagar's most powerful monarch.
• Christians began to arrive in India in this manner in medieval India.
• The major turning point occurred in 1557, when the Jesuit, St. Francis Xavier, elevated Goa to the rank of Archbishopric.
• This phase of the missionaries, began in the 18th century when they arrived in Bengal and influenced the religious climate by converting people.
• The missionaries began to focus on providing modern (English) education and medical assistance to those who converted.
• Even today, organizations such as the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) take the message of Christ to smaller tribal areas of India, where they convert locals and provide them with education and medicines.
• several smaller denominations are active and flourishing, such as the Syrian Christians of Kerala, Protestant groups, and so on.
• When the British government took over authority in India from the East India Company in 1858, the great period of Christian growth in India started. As missionaries, Christians from various countries arrived.
• Christians are currently dispersed throughout India, with the majority residing in the Northeast, Kerala, and other southern regions.
• In India now, there are 23 dioceses, 11 of which are located in Kerala.

Conclusion

Christianity is now the world's most popular religion. It has a global following of 2.168 billion people or around 31% of the world's population. With a population of 31.9 million people, it is India's third-largest religion after Hinduism and Islam. Following ongoing reforms that maintained the state system and economy independent from religion, Christianity has grown into a strong and established religion. As a result, it sets the way for human development on all levels.