Introductions to World Religions by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. An Overview of Christianity

Some Webpages on Christianity:

• Catholic-Resources.org - lots of materials, especially biblical and liturgical, on Fr. Just's website
• Christian History - a study guide based on Anthony E. Gilles' People of God (2000)
• Christian Theology - a study guide based on Thomas P. Rausch's Catholicism in the Third Millennium (2003)
• Wikipedia: Christianity - very comprehensive, but caution: some portions are excellent, others are very poorly written!

What is Christianity?

Christianity is one of the three main “Western” or “Abrahamic” or “Monotheistic” religions (along with Judaism & Islam). As the largest religion in the world today (over 2 billion adherents, or about 1/3 of the world's population), Christianity is based on the belief that Jesus of Nazareth, a man who lived about 2000 years ago in the land of Israel, is the “Christ” (“Messiah”) and the “Son of God.”  Beyond that, however, there is huge variety in specific beliefs and practices.

Like most other world religions, Christianity has several core aspects that can be studied, as outlined below:  
I) History and Development;  II) Core Beliefs and Practices;  III) Structures & Regulations

I-A) History:

• Historical Background:
  • Hebrews, Israelites, Biblical Heritage (from Abraham to the Babylonian Exile; ca. 1800-500 BCE)
• Historical Context:
  • Second-Temple Judaisms - several groups with some common core beliefs, but many strong differences of theology and praxis
  • from the return of the Jews after the Babylonian Exile (ca. 500 BCE) to destruction of Second Temple of Jerusalem (70 CE)
• Historical Foundation:
• Jesus of Nazareth, a first-century Jew (born in Bethlehem, ca. 4 BCE; crucified in Jerusalem, ca. 30 CE)
• Peter and other early disciples/apostles of Jesus (1st cent. Galilee & Judea)
• Paul and other Christian missionaries to the Gentiles (throughout the Eastern part of the Roman Empire)
• Historical Development:
  • Christianity gradually spreads & grows, but is sporadically persecuted by Roman authorities
  • Persecutions end with the Edict of Milan and the conversion of Emperor Constantine (312 CE) 
  • Core Christian Tradition (and many local traditions) are passed on & adapted over 2000 years
• Historical Divisions:
• Christians debate, disagree, and divide from the start; as evidenced even within the NT (see Gal 1-2; 2 John; 3 John; etc.)
• Great Schism (1054) - long-growing tensions finally lead to a definitive split between Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) Christians
• Protestant Reformation (begins 1517) - Martin Luther, John Calvin, and many others "protest" against abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, and end up forming separate churches and denominations, more and more over time

I-B) Branches & Subdivisions:

• See my separate webpage on Branches, Churches, and Denominations of Christianity

I-C) Demographics:

• Total Number of Christians:  about 2 billion in 2000, or 1/3 of the world’s population
• Distribution by Main Branches:
  • About 1/2 of all Christians are Catholic (over 1 billion; especially in South America)
  • About 1/4 are Protestant (500 million, including Anglicans and thousands of other denominations)
  • About 1/8 are Orthodox (250 million, in several autonomous Churches; esp. in Eastern Europe)
  • About 1/8 are Independent or in "Other" categories (250 million; but estimates vary greatly!)
• Percentages of Continental Populations: 
  • Most Christians live in South America, Europe, and North America, but some are also on all other continents and countries.
  • 93% of S. America;  85% of N. America;  85% of Oceania;  76% of Europe;  48% of Africa;  9% of Asia

II-A) Foundational Texts:

• The Bible: two-part collections of authorized scriptures:
  • Old Testament (number of books varies between 39 and 56 - see Hebrew-Christian Bibles page)
    • Hebrew Scriptures; translated & expanded into Greek Septuagint (250 BCE); translated into Latin Vulgate (380 CE)
  • New Testament (almost all Christians accept the same 27 books - see NT Canon page)
    • Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
    • Acts of the Apostles (second volume by Luke)
    • 21 Letters/Epistles (14 attributed to Paul; 7 others)
    • Book of Revelation (Apocalypse)
• The Creeds: short professions of faith, esp. as defined by the first few Ecumenical Councils
  • Nicene Creed - initially formulated at the Council of Nicea (325), expanded at the Council of Constantinople (381)
  • Apostles' Creed - popular in Western Christianity; not accepted by Eastern Orthodox Christians
• Other Writings: by influential Church leaders throughout history
  • Patristic Literature - writings of the "fathers" of the Church (first seven Christian centuries)
  • Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils - periodic meetings of bishops from throughout the world
  • Writings of Popes, bishops, theologians, reformers, mystics, saints, etc.

II-B) Core Theological Beliefs (Dogmas & Doctrines)

• Trinity: One God / One Divine Nature - Three Divine Persons (cf. 3 parts of Nicene Creed):
  • Father / Almighty / Creator
  • Son / Jesus / Christ
  • Holy Spirit / Giver of Life / Paraclete
• Jesus:  fully human & fully divine (one person; two natures)
  • Christological Titles: Messiah/Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Lord, Savior, King of the Jews, etc.
  • Stages of jesus' Life: pre-existence, incarnation, birth, public ministry, passion/crucifixion, death/burial, resurrection, ascension, second coming
• World & Humans:
  • created by God, in God’s image;  endowed with free will
  • originally good, but corrupted by sin/death
• Church / Ecclesiology:
  • Images/Metaphors: community of believers, body of Christ, people of God
  • Notes/Characteristics: one / holy / catholic / apostolic (from the Nicene Creed)
• Salvation & Eschatology: 
  • Faith vs. Works? (Rom; Gal; James)
  • Eschatology = "teachings about the last things" (Mark 13; par. Matt 24; Luke 21)
  • Resurrection of the body; Final Judgment; Eternal life or punishment; Heaven & Hell  (Matt 25; 2 Pet 3; Rev)

II-C) Core Ethical Teachings (Commandments & Precepts):

• Definitions:
  • Latin mores and Greek ethos both mean "custom" (how a group of people customarily live and act).
  • Thus, both "ethics" and "morals" have the same meaning, and could be used interchangeably;
  • but in practice, "morals" often refers to sexual matters, while "ethics" refers to everything else:
• Foundational Principles: 
• Basic Moral Imperative - "Do good & avoid evil" (basic human philosophy; Luke 6:27-36; Rom 12:21; 13:3-5; 1 Peter 3:8-17)
• Decalogue - Ten Commandments, from Exod 20 & Deut 5, partially quoted in Matt 5:17-48; Mark 10:19 (par. Matt 19:18-19; Luke 18:20
• Greatest Commandment - "Love God; and Love others as yourself" (Deut 6:4 & Lev 19:18); as quoted in Mark 12:29-31 (par. Matt 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-28; cf. Rom 13:9-10)
• More Love Commands - "Love your enemies" (Matt 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-35);
  "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34; 15:12-17; Rom 13:8; 1 Thess 4:9; 1 John 2:7-10; 3:23; 2 John 5)
• Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matt 6:12; par. Luke 6:31);
  related to this is "forgiving others" (Matt 6:12-15), "not judging others" (Matt 7:1-5),
  and in general striving to be and act like God (Matt 5:48; Luke 11:2-4; cf. Lev 11:44-45).
• Conscience - priority of individual conscience; but obligation to develop an "informed" conscience
• Principles of Sexual Morality:  dual purpose of sex;  consistent ethic of life;  central role of family;  mutuality in human relationships
• Principles of Social Ethics:  dignity of each person;  preserve the common good;  work, participation, property;  care of the poor/needy

II-D) Religious Practices:

• Liturgical Calendar:
  • Advent / Christmas / Epiphany / Baptism of the Lord
  • Lent / Easter / Pentecost
  • Ordinary Time; Saints; local/universal feasts
• Public / Communal Worship:
  • official rituals, liturgies (esp. Sunday worship)
  • Sacraments (esp. Baptism & Eucharist)
  • Lectionary (scriptural readings on 3-year cycle)
• Private / Individual Spirituality:
  • Biblical Prayer, esp. the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6)
  • A.C.T.S.: Adoration (praise), Contrition (penance), Thanksgiving (blessing); Supplication (petition)
  • asceticism, monasticism, religious life
  • devotions, pilgrimages, pious & spiritual practices, etc.

III-A) Organizational Structures (with great variety between different branches & denominations):

• Ecclesial Structures:  international associations, national conferences, regional dioceses, local congregations/parishes
• Religious Leaders:  bishops (incl. Pope, cardinals), priests, deacons, lay ministers;  pastors, elders, brothers/sisters, etc.

III-B) Rules & Regulations:

• Membership:  Who can join? What are the requirements? What is the process? (evangelization; catechesis; initiation)
• Discipline:  What obligations do leaders & members have? How is someone punished or kicked out? (Canon Law)

III-C) External Relations:

• Ecumenical Relations:  dialogue (or competition?) with other Christian churches, esp. East/West and Protestant/Catholic
• Inter-religious Relations:  dialogue (or conflicts?) with other world religions, esp. Judaism & Islam (common heritage)
• Church/State Relations:  cooperation (or tensions?) with political, social, and secular institutions

Prominent Christian Symbols:

• See Christian Symbols, by Rudolf Koch

Other Possible Topics:

• Christian Monasticism
• Christian Art & Architecture
• Ecumenical Dialogues
• Jewish-Christian Relations
• Muslim-Christian Relations
• There's always more possible, so continue learning on your own!

Related Webpages:

• An Introduction to "Religion" and "Religious Studies"
• An Introduction to "Theology" and "Theological Studies"
• An Introduction to the Three Major "Western Religions"
• An Overview of Judaism
• An Overview of Christianity
• An Overview of Islam

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This page was last updated on June 12, 2017
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