Chapter 27 the origin of christianity

Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam are listed as the world's three major religions.Christianity was born among the lower-class Jewish people scattered in Asia Minor and other places in the 120s and 1930s, and soon spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire.According to legend, Christianity was founded by Jesus of Nazareth, so Christians believe in God and worship Jesus as the "savior of the world". The original meaning of "Savior" is the messenger sent by God to save the world with holy anointing oil. It is generally called "Messiah" in Hebrew and "Christ" in Greek, and the religion got its name from this.

Christianity first appeared among the lower Jewish people has its historical roots.The Jewish people have experienced catastrophes and hardships in history.The Palestine area where they lived was ravaged by Assyrian soldiers in the 8th century BC. By 586 BC, the New Babylon had destroyed the Jewish Kingdom, and a large number of Jewish residents were taken captive to Babylon (some of them became slaves). This is the so-called "Babylonian Prisoner".In 538 BC, Persia destroyed New Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland.After the fall of the Persian Empire, the Jews fell under the rule of the Seleucid Kingdom.Beginning in 165 BC, the Jews fought under the leadership of Judah Maccabee and once won independence.Rome conquered Palestine in AD 63, and the Jews suffered under Roman rule. They launched major uprisings in AD 66 and 132, and they were brutally suppressed.The Jews were either slaughtered or left their homes.The fate of subjugation and failure made the Jewish people feel desperate. As early as the 2nd century BC, a secret sect that preached that the "savior" was coming was popular among the lower Jewish residents. Many "prophets" preached among the Jewish residents in various parts of Asia Minor ".Christianity was formed out of this new sect.

As an ideology, Christianity also has its specific sources of thought.In terms of doctrine and canons, Christianity has inherited and absorbed a series of spiritual wealth from ancient Eastern religions including Judaism and Greek classical philosophy.The concept of "savior" and worship of one God in early Christianity obviously came from Judaism.The philosophy of Greece and Rome, the theory of Philo of Alexandria, the philosophy of Stoicism and the ethics of Cynicism also had important influence on the formation of Christianity.The "logos" (intermediary between God and man) in Philo's theory can be combined with the idea of ​​"savior".The Stoic school of thought that everyone is a slave of God, and everyone is equal before God, as well as the ideas of patience and obedience, spiritual repentance, asceticism, and fatalism all provide ideological elements for Christianity.

In terms of belief, Christianity believes that God created everything in the world, as well as human beings, and is the supreme master of the universe.Human beings are born with "original sin" and must rely on God and the savior "Jesus" sent by him for redemption.In order to save mankind, God manifested himself and made the virgin Mary give birth to Jesus without wedlock.He came to the world as a messenger of God, recruited 12 disciples, preached in Palestine, and helped those in need. Later, he was killed because of the betrayal of his disciple Judas, but he was resurrected three days after his death (this day is the resurrection day), and then ascended to heaven.According to legend, Jesus will return to the world at the end of the world to destroy evil and rebuild the happy "Millennium Kingdom".

The classic of Christianity is the "Bible", including the "Old Testament" and "New Testament". The "Old Testament" was originally a Jewish classic, and was later accepted by Christians.In the 2nd century AD, preachers compiled the Gospels, four of which have been handed down to the present: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, and constitute the main body of the New Testament. content. The idea of ​​the kingdom of heaven reflects the social outlook of the early Christians. One is against the greed of the rich and the tyrannical rule of Rome; the other is the simple idea of ​​social equality.The latter is reflected in religion, which is the so-called everyone is equal before God, everyone is guilty, God saves everyone, endures suffering in the world, and ascends to heaven after death.Most of the earliest Christians were slaves, freed slaves, handicraftsmen, urban commoners and other lower-class people.They organized some small-scale communes in cities and towns, using the cross as a symbol, to live a life of shared property, and all believers gathered together, listened to sermons, prayed, had dinner together, and helped each other on an equal footing.The apostles are the organizers and missionaries of this kind of commune, collecting donations for the needs of the commune.The leaders of the commune were elders and deacons, and financial oversight was added later.By the end of the 2nd century, the communes in various cities gradually united to form churches.

Judging from the thoughts and activities of early Christianity, it was mainly a social movement of the lower class people pursuing equality and freedom.They opposed Roman rule, did not believe in the old Roman gods, and did not worship the emperor, so they were brutally suppressed.In AD 64, Emperor Nero launched a massive persecution against Christianity, killing many Christians.By the middle of the third century AD, uprisings were raging and continuous throughout the Roman Empire.The persecution of Christians by the Roman government intensified, prohibiting believers from holding services, confiscating their property, and massacring preachers.However, political persecution did not stop the rapid development of Christianity.

Since the second half of the 2nd century AD, due to the rapid spread of Christianity, middle-class property residents (handicraft workshop owners, merchants, wealthy farmers, etc.)These people were in varying degrees terrified and hopeless by the damage of the slavery crisis, and at this time Christianity had shifted from the commune to the establishment of the church. In the whole of Rome, about 5% of the population had joined the church, and the power of the church made people feel it. spiritual dependence.The churches in various places facilitated the business activities of merchants and handicraftsmen.Proprietary people joined the church, changing the social composition of early Christianity, so that Christian thought and organization also changed.They donate property to the church, and they are more educated, so they have a greater influence in the church and gradually gained a leadership position.At the same time, the spirit of equality and fraternity, solidarity, hostility to the rich, and opposition to Rome in early Christianity gradually disappeared, while the teachings of persuading people to be tame, loving and hating as themselves, and hoping for the afterlife were brought to the main position, and even preached that both Obey the good master, but also obey the strict master, "give the kingdom to the king, and give the kingdom of heaven to God" and other propositions.Therefore, by the second half of the 2nd century, Christianity had evolved and its dominant force was the rich and slave owners.

In the third century, Christianity developed more rapidly.Some of the slave owners, big landlords, big businessmen, bureaucrats, and even relatives of the emperor who were shaken and hit also joined Christianity.The church also developed. Cities such as Rome, Byzantium, Carthage, and Alexandria became the center of the church in their area, and gradually developed into the upper church leading the church in the area.The leadership of the church was transferred to the hands of the rich, and Christianity thus lost the nature of the religion of the oppressed, and gradually degenerated into a tool in the hands of the exploiting class.In 392 A.D., Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity to be the state religion of Rome. Christianity, from the religion of the oppressed people, finally completed its integration with the imperial regime and became a tool of the ruling class.