The rise of Christianity (briefly). History of the rise of Christianity. History of the Christian religion

The birth of Christianity

In order to imagine the environment in which Christianity was born and spread, it is necessary to get acquainted with the time and place of historical action, the social environment and spiritual climate in which the first Christians lived, the psychology of those people who preached the new doctrine, and those who accept or fight it.

The Roman state two thousand years ago, at the turn of the eras, included virtually the entire Mediterranean. IN Western Europe its borders ran along the Rhine and Danube, the Roman legions were stationed in Britain. All areas outside Italy were called provinces, which were ruled by Roman governors, they housed Roman garrisons.

Gaius Julius Caesar

The inhabitants of the provinces paid taxes to the state treasury of Rome. The provinces were at different levels of economic, social, cultural development, their inhabitants worshiped different gods and spoke different languages. In the eastern provinces, the majority of the population spoke Greek, in Egypt the ancient Egyptian language (which gradually developed into Coptic) was also preserved, and in Syria and Palestine they spoke one of the Semitic languages ​​- Aramaic.

It was difficult to manage this vast territory: real power until the second half of the 1st century. BC e. in the Roman Republic was concentrated in the hands of a small group of the Roman nobility, from which officials(sometimes through bribery) and who, after the end of her term, sat in the senate, the most important governing body in Rome.

In essence, it was an oligarchy, within which there was a struggle for influence, for a profitable governorship, etc. During the elections to the bodies state power more than once it came to bloody clashes between supporters of different candidates, so that sometimes elections could not be held. In this political chaos in the 1st century. BC e. real battles began between the generals, who sought to seize sole power in Rome. This time went down in history as a period of civil wars.

In the second half of the 1st c. one of the generals Gaius Julius Caesar having won a victory over his opponents, for several years he became the sole ruler of Rome. However, his reign was short-lived: in 44 BC. e. a group of senators who sought to restore the republic plotted, as a result of which Caesar was killed. The conspirators hoped that the citizens of Rome would support them, but the Roman nobility, who sought to regain full control of the state, did not have serious support. No matter how strong the traditions of the republican system were in Rome, the senatorial oligarchy was less and less associated in the minds of citizens with republic- "public business".

The civil war that unfolded again ended in 31 BC. e. a naval battle at Cape Actions, in which Octavian's fleet defeated the fleet of his main enemy, Antony, who was supported by the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Anthony, and then the queen herself, committed suicide.

slave gladiators

Octavian became the sole ruler of the Roman state. The Senate gave him an honorary name August. Then he was given the name father of the fatherland, A honorary title"emperor", which was awarded during the period of the republic to the victorious generals, became his permanent title. He received the right to speak first in the Senate (that is, he became the princeps of the senate). It was from this time that the era of empire began.

The establishment of one-man rule meant the end of bloody wars. Some of the policies of Augustus gave rise to hopes for a long peaceful existence, which were associated with the personality of the ruler. A feature of the psychology of the masses during the civil wars, when the usual foundations were collapsing, was the worship of individual outstanding leaders, who, it seemed, alone could save their confused fellow citizens. The victory of Augustus began to be perceived not only as a result of the patronage of the gods, who provided their favorite with happiness and good luck, but also as a result of the extraordinary properties of the hero himself. Among the inhabitants of the eastern provinces, where the traditions of veneration of kings were strong, the deification of Augustus began.

Emperor Augustus of Prima Porta

Simultaneously with these initiatives “from below”, a kind of deification of the emperor “from above” took place, which had to be accepted not only by the provincials, but also by the Romans: Octavian proposed declaring the late Julius Caesar a deity, and the Senate determined the honors that were to be given to the “divine Julius”. A column was erected in his honor, at the foot of which sacrifices were made, vows were made and swore by the name of Caesar.

Since Caesar was once deified by Augustus, the emperor himself became the son of a god. Officially, in Latin texts, Augustus was called "the son of the divine Julius" during his lifetime. Among the people, legends begin to spread about the origin of Augustus himself directly from the deity. Statues of Augustus began to be erected throughout the empire. While maintaining the similarity of the face, his general appearance was idealized: after all, in life he was sickly and frail, and he was portrayed as strong, beautiful and stately.

After the death of Augustus, the inconsistency of the system he created was revealed. His successors (emperors of the dynasty Yuliev– Claudius) were not as popular as the founder of the empire, who stopped civil wars. The monarchical principle of direct inheritance was still impossible, since the state was still considered a republic, but this name was increasingly turning into a fiction.

Emperors became as a result of intrigues, murders, and sometimes a combination of random circumstances. Has been renewed ancient law"On insulting the majesty of the Roman people," which once covered only such serious crimes as incitement to rebellion, unauthorized warfare by generals, but the law was not actually applied during the struggle of generals. Now, however, "insulting majesty" was transferred to the person of the emperor, and, as the historian said Cornelius Tacitus, he was judged not only for his words, but also for his deeds.

The first century was a turning point not only for the political institutions of the Roman Empire: there were also changes in the daily life of the rank-and-file strata of Italy and the provinces, their psychology, associated with the gradual transformation of the entire population of the empire into subjects of the emperor, contradictions between the external forms and the real content of the social system, the search for new patron gods.

In the economic situation of Italy in the first centuries new era there have been significant changes. The use of slave labor in agriculture became unprofitable, especially on large estates. Slaves, disinterested in the result of their labor, required control. It was necessary to maintain the apparatus of overseers. In addition, the influx of slaves from the countries of the East has decreased, since the main conquests have already ended. And the barbarian slaves from the northern countries did not know how to handle vineyards and olive plantations.

Writer-agronomist of the 1st century. n. e. columella He said that on estates where the owners were absent for a long time, the slaves graze the cattle poorly, plow the land badly, show a much greater consumption of seeds when sowing, the manager and the slaves cheat. Therefore, most landowners began to break up their estates into small plots and rent them out to poor peasants (they were called columns), and then the slaves began to allocate plots of land on which they settled (the so-called slaves with a hut). In essence, there was an actual rapprochement between the position of the columns and the slaves planted on the ground.

Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Riga

Slave market in Rome

A characteristic feature of the life of urban artisans was the existence of their associations by profession - various colleges. But no matter how important craft colleges were in the life of ordinary people, they could not protect artisans, especially Italy, from ruin. A huge number of products from the eastern provinces were imported into Italy, with which Italian artisans could not compete. Ruined peasants and artisans continued to move to Rome, expecting cash distributions, magnificent spectacles, primarily gladiator fights and baiting of animals. Augustus tried to reduce distributions to the poor citizens of Rome, but, fearing an explosion of discontent, he was forced to restore the previous order.

Life in the provinces was no less complex and controversial than in Italy. For us, we are primarily interested in the eastern provinces, where Christianity spread first of all. In the 1st century n. e. dilapidated and devastated cities are gradually beginning to be built up, the collection of taxes is being streamlined, and economic ties within the empire are being established. However, the temporary stabilization of the political situation, the strengthening of the central government meant a complete loss of hope for gaining independence, the gradual abolition of local government. Any significant local residents the decision was agreed with the Roman administration, and sometimes with the emperor himself, if his representative did not want to make this decision himself (up to the construction of new baths or the transfer of the temple from one place to another).

Historian Cornelius Publius Tacitus

From the 1st century n. e. the chief officials in the cities were chosen from a narrow circle of families. An important role was played by the Roman citizens living in this city, and the local nobility, who received Roman citizenship by the grace of the emperor. Political activity, once characteristic of the Greeks, has died out. The educated strata of the population of the eastern provinces (in Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, partly in Egypt) dreamed of preserving ancient culture, reviving some ancient customs and festivities.

Musical and poetry competitions were held in the provinces, ancient works of art were copied, orators delivered speeches on local history, Greek literature, philosophy, etc. But at the same time, representatives of the local nobility sought to make a career in the imperial service. Plutarch in his essay “Manual on State Affairs” he wrote: “The current situation of our cities ... does not provide an opportunity to distinguish themselves in military operations, the overthrow of a tyrant or negotiations on an alliance ... There remain popular courts and embassies to the emperor, for which they also need a person who combines ardor and determination with mind."

Many people moved from city to city in search of a better life. Tombstone and dedicatory inscriptions give us numerous examples of resettlement not only for temporary but also for permanent residence. Sometimes entire families migrated. Migration brought together people of different nationalities and social status. The erasure of class boundaries was also facilitated by the fact that in the provinces, as in Italy, slaves could receive plots of land and start a family.

In the cities, private associations, religious unions were created, which sometimes included not only free people, but also slaves. A special position was made up of privileged slaves and freedmen, who were used in the administration of estates as commercial agents. And the freedmen of the emperors, who lived in the provinces, were a kind of "eyes and ears" of the central government.

In the 1st century n. e. under the conditions of imperial terror, many of these people made large fortunes for themselves, primarily through denunciations. Among the scammers there were many freedmen, they were driven by envy of prominent people, the lack of moral traditions, and sometimes pure self-interest.

Pantheon– "temple of all gods" in Rome

The elimination of class and tribal differences did not prevent unexpected manifestations in the cities of acute hostility towards strangers, who began to be reproached for all troubles (an example of this is the clashes between the Greeks of Alexandria and the Jews who lived there during the reign of the emperor Claudia. The same unjustified hatred of the crowd in individual cities will be experienced by the first Christians during the period of the spread of the new dogma in the Roman Empire).

The inconsistency of private and public life, uncertainty about the future, a crisis of moral ideals, a feeling of the impossibility of changes in the state led to the emergence of many different associations, most of which were associated with the religious searches of the masses of the eastern provinces and Rome. People sought to enlist the help not of the authorities, but of powerful divine forces. When traditionally established ties are destroyed, confidence in the future is lost, a person feels lost, isolated, and under these conditions, questions about the meaning of life, justice, and ways to get rid of suffering and death are very acute. In the 1st century BC e. in the cities of Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, the authority of the ancient gods was rapidly declining. The crisis of traditional religion, in addition to the reasons for the general decline, was also caused by the fact that many Roman gods were faceless, personifying abstract concepts: Loyalty, Justice, Wisdom. Dissatisfaction with the existing religion grew in society: the gods did not understand the believers, did not “hear” their requests, and were unfair.

Christianity came to replace the pagan Roman religion also because many of the ideas and rituals of Christians had long been known in Rome. They were used in Judaism, in the veneration of the ancient Iranian god Mithras and others. The worshipers of the god Mitra were the soldiers of the Roman army, officials. Mithra is the deity of heavenly light, the sun and truth. The cult of this god explained the nature of evil, considering it independent and eternal in the world, preached faith in the afterlife and doomsday. In many cities of Rome, temples of Mithras were set up, where worship services were performed with singing and music. Other Eastern cults also won many adherents: Isis, Phrygian Great Mother Cybele.

Jesus Pantocrator. Fragment of a Sinai icon of the 6th c.

Yet none of these cults has become in the full sense of the word a world religion, as happened with Christianity. It was this doctrine that was able to unite the huge masses of the population of the Roman Empire. Christianity in the Roman Empire was at first perceived by the majority of the people as a clear and understandable form of social protest. It awakened faith in an intercessor capable of asserting the idea of ​​universal equality, the salvation of all people, regardless of their ethnic, political and social affiliation.

The new religion found in the empire not only ideas that met its requirements, but also other fertile ground. This was the cult of emperors we have already mentioned. Firstly, this cult preached the idea of ​​a god-man and thus influenced the Christian dogma about the incarnation of the Son of God into a man. Secondly, the negative attitude of Christians towards the worship of the person of the emperor was one of the reasons for the persecution of Christians.

Against the background of the crisis of traditional religious beliefs in Palestine in the 1st century. n. e. Christianity arose, originally as one of the currents Judaism. Christianity was connected with Judaism by the common belief in the coming of the Savior, or Messiah into the immortality of the soul and existence afterlife. The community was directly related to the origins of Christianity in Judaism. Essenes or, as it is called today, Qumran community (for more details about it, see the section "Judaism").

This sect was repeatedly mentioned by ancient and early Christian writers. For example, the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria talks about the strict way of life of the Essenes and characterizes their allegorical method of interpreting the Old Testament. From his description, it became known that there were communities of Essenes in Egypt, where they were called "therapists". The word "Essenes" probably comes from the Aramaic version of the term "Hasidim". Apparently the group Hasidim, those. "pious", was formed in Judea at the beginning of the II century. BC e. Essene theologians condemned the moral decline of the newly-appeared Jewish kings-high priests, accusing them of "violence against the country," of "desecration of the Temple," of "robbing the property of the poor," and of all kinds of vices. Apparently, there were real grounds for such reproaches.

Preparing for the approach of the Kingdom of God, the Qumranites cultivated purity - moral, bodily and ritual. She should have been reminded white clothes"chosen ones", and constant ablutions. However, their disgust for the vices of society degenerated into extreme intolerance and repulsive sectarian pride. A person from the “world”, who repented of his sins, could, of course, join the order, but many obstacles were placed in his way. He was subjected to rigorous testing and trials, and before that he had not even been allowed to enter the camp. At first, only men were allowed into the community. Marriage was rejected due to the closeness of the end times. People with bodily defects were not recognized as full members of the sect.

Fish– symbol of Christianity. Roman mosaic of the 3rd–5th centuries.

The teachings of the Essenes and early Christians were characterized by common ideas about the end of the world, about the struggle between good and evil, the doctrine of God's predestination of all events in the world, and a sharp condemnation of sacrifices. The Essenes did not receive such distribution as Christianity because of their isolation, the lack of a wide sermon, including about the already accomplished coming of the Messiah - Christ.

As you can see, on initial stage of its existence, Christianity was one of the many Jewish sects. However, by the end of the 1st c. n. e. elements of non-Jewish origin began to flow into Christianity. We know about the widespread cults of savior gods among many peoples of the East. These were Osiris in Egypt, Tammuz Dumuzi in phoenicia, Dionysus in Greece. These deities died and resurrected, symbolizing the change of natural cycles. At the same time, in the popular mind, they were gods, to whom one could turn with a request for help and salvation. This brought them closer to the Jewish faith in the coming of the Messiah. Thus, the Christian doctrine of death and resurrection apparently arose under the influence of the Eastern cults of dying and resurrecting gods, and the veneration of the Mother of God may have become a reflection of the Egyptian cult of Isis. Finally, the feast of the Nativity of Christ undoubtedly has its origins in the veneration of the god Mithra, whose birth was celebrated on December 25, the day of the winter solstice. The above examples show that, along with the Jewish basis, there are many elements from Eastern religions in Christianity.

Resurrection of the executed Osiris the Savior

Christianity is based on worship Jesus Christ or Jesus the Messiah as the Son of God and the unique self-manifestation of God before people. At the same time, Jesus appears before us as a man who, during his lifetime, was completely unknown outside of that part of the vast Roman Empire where he lived, preached and died.

How historical is the figure of Jesus Christ? The answer to this question is given in different ways in the available sources. The first point of view, which appeared in the 17th - 18th centuries, argues that it is necessary to carefully examine the texts gospels and to separate the historical figure of Jesus from the image of Christ, which has nothing to do with historical truth.

According to the second point of view, which arose at the beginning of the 20th century, Jesus Christ is a mythical character (A. Dreve). Most modern scholarship, however, accepts the historicity of Jesus. In any case, this person left such a deep mark on history, influenced the development of civilization so much that it is difficult to find an analogue that could in any way be comparable to her.

A. Schweitzer said this beautifully in his work “On the Question of the Historicity of Jesus”: “ Greatest achievement German theology - critical study the life of Jesus. In this issue, she outlined the conditions and predetermined the course of development of religious thought in the future. Historically, her work has been negative; it cleared the way, so to speak, for a new edifice of religious thought. In describing how the ideas of Jesus took possession of the Greek spirit, German theology traces the development of what must seem strange to us, and indeed does.

Adam and Eve

Her attempts to create a new dogma hardly need a historical description; they are alive in us. Undoubtedly, it is interesting to trace how modern thinking discovered a way to penetrate ancient dogmatic systems and, on the basis of the eternal ideas contained in them, formed new constructions ... But the real truth about what we mean by history in this case, we comprehend from our own inner experience ... We have not yet reached a complete reconciliation between history and modern thought, but are only halfway to a compromise between them. We do not know what will be the final goal towards which we are moving and what will give new life and new regulative principles to the coming ages. We can only vaguely foresee that this will be the great work of some all-powerful original genius, whose truth and rightness will be proved by the fact that we, engaged in insignificant things, will do our best to prevent him - we imagining - that we desire nothing so passionately, as the appearance of a sufficiently powerful genius who has supreme power to show the world a new path, seeing that we have not succeeded in advancing along the path we have so painstakingly prepared.

For this reason, the history of the critical study of the life of Jesus has a higher intrinsic value than the history of the study of an ancient teaching or the attempt to create a new one. It must describe the most terrible thing that the religious consciousness has ever dared to do and put into practice. In studying the history of Christian dogma, German theology took the past into account; in her attempt to create a new dogma, she sought to preserve a place for religious life in modern thinking; in studying the life of Jesus, she worked for the future, for she held to pure faith in the truth, not realizing where the study might lead.

Moreover, in this case we are dealing with the very vital phenomenon in world history. Man came to rule the world; He, as history testifies, ruled not only for good, but also for destruction; He destroyed the world in which he was born; the spiritual life of our time seems to be perishing in His hands, because He is fighting against our thinking, which contains a host of dead ideas with the help of spiritual forces, over which death has no power, and He Himself again destroys truth and goodness, which His spirit has created in us so that they can no longer rule the world. That He continues, in spite of everything, to rule as the only Great and only True in the world, the existence of which He denied, is the main example of the antithesis between spiritual and natural truths, which underlies all life and all events, and through Him manifests itself in the realm of history.

Sermon on the Mount

In the first half of the 1st c. n. e. in Palestine, mainly in Galilee, wandered Rabbi- a teacher named Jesus, whose lifestyle and social status had much in common with the rabbis and ascetics of that era, although he himself was not part of their circle. Environment from which Jesus(Yeshua), the first to accept his preaching. These are the Galilean poor, from among whom in the 1st century. n. e. there were many freedom-loving and rebels.

Baptism of Prince Vladimir

What evidence do we have for the existence of Christ? The earliest non-Christian reference is found in the Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus. IN Talmud There are references to Jesus of Nazareth. From pagan literature stands out the letter of Pliny the Younger (about 110 AD), in which he asks the emperor Trajan for advice on how to deal with Christians. A few years later, the famous Roman historian Tacitus describes the persecution of Christians. The credibility of Christ was not denied even by many of his opponents. Christian Sources Confirming the Existence of Jesus Begin with the Epistles of the Apostle Paul(Epistle to the Romans):

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an Apostle, chosen for the gospel of God,

2 which God had previously promised through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

3 about his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh

4 and was revealed to be the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead, in Jesus Christ our Lord,

5 through whom we have received grace and an apostleship, that in his name we may bring all peoples under the faith,

6 among whom you also, who were called by Jesus Christ, are

7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.

9 God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that I remember you without ceasing,

10 I always ask in my prayers that the will of God someday may hasten me to come to you,

11 For I long to see you, that I may give you some spiritual gift to establish you,

12 that is, to be comforted with you in the common faith, yours and mine.

13 I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that many times I intended to come to you (but I have met obstacles even until now) so that I might have some fruit with you, as well as with other peoples.

14 I am indebted to the Greeks and the barbarians, the wise and the ignorant.

15 So, as for me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, first the Jew, then the Greek.

17 In it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth with unrighteousness.

19 For what can be known about God is clear to them, because God has shown them.

20 For His invisible, His eternal power and Godhead, from the creation of the world through the consideration of creations are visible, so that they are unanswerable.

21 But how, having known God, they did not glorify Him as God, and did not give thanks, but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened;

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed animals, and to creeping things,

24 then God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that they defiled their own bodies.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen.

26 Therefore God gave them up to shameful passions: their women exchanged the natural use for the unnatural;

27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the female sex, were inflamed with lust one for another, men doing shame on men, and receiving in themselves the due recompense for their error.

28 And as they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do indecent things,

29 so that they are full of all unrighteousness, fornication, deceit, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deception, malevolence,

30 blasphemers, slanderers, haters of God, offenders, boasters, proud, inventive for evil, disobedient to parents,

31 reckless, treacherous, unloving, implacable, unmerciful.

32 They know the righteous judgment of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death; yet they are not only made, but those who do are approved.

(Romans 1:1-32)

There are many contradictions in the Gospels, many dubious historical information, obvious absurdities about the life of Christ. Apparently, the conversations and speeches mentioned in the Gospels were distorted due to a fragile memory or during correspondence. But these contradictions concern particulars, not essence. In the main features, the Gospels agree quite well, consistently painting a portrait of Jesus.

Virtually nothing is known about the life of Jesus before he reached the age of thirty. He was born about 4 BC. e. Surely Jesus received a good education, but his upbringing was not academic, he trained as a carpenter. The event that prompted Jesus to start preaching was the activity of one of his relatives, John the Baptist. He turned to the Jews with a call to return to God and baptized in the Jordan River those who responded to his call. Among the followers of John was Jesus, who was baptized. And after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus began to preach on his own. He soon became known as a healer and miracle worker. However, the Gospel presents him as one of those who did not change their principles in order to win the glory of a miracle worker, and his authority was not only based on words.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

Very soon, a small group of 12 devoted followers formed around Jesus, disciples who later became apostles, preaching the views of the teacher. Jesus spent much time with them, instructing and strengthening them in the faith and preparing them to continue his work. He told his students that he would soon be killed, but he hoped that they would become the basis of a new society created by his labor.

The popularity of Jesus among the common people grew very rapidly. At the same time, Jewish religious leaders were wary of him, and later completely hostile. And they had reason to do so. Jesus did not recognize social and class differences and was kind to the non-Jewish population, rejected acquisitiveness and luxury. He entered into disputes with Jewish spiritual authorities, interpreting many provisions of the Old Testament in a very radical way. Jesus boldly predicted the inevitable collapse of the national church ideals of the Jews and announced the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God.

John the Baptist

Many enthusiastically met the preaching of Jesus, considering him the Messiah, who would become the leader of the rebellion against Rome. However, he made it clear to people that his idea of ​​salvation was ethical, not political.

Upon solemnly entering Jerusalem, Jesus organized a kind of demonstration against the religious regime, but showed no hostility towards the authority of Rome. He was soon arrested by the Jewish spiritual authorities with the help of Judas, one of his students. Jesus was accused of blasphemy for his claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah. The court sentenced him to death, and in order for the verdict to be approved by the Roman authorities, Jesus was also accused of preparing an uprising.

Procurator Pontius Pilate approved the verdict, and Jesus was crucified on the cross. The Romans used this type of execution only in relation to robbers and rebels. In this death, with all its cruelty and injustice, the main idea of ​​Christianity is focused - the idea of ​​salvation. Jesus was already preparing his disciples for this idea, although they hardly fully understood him.

After his death, Jesus' body was transferred by his followers to a nearby tomb carved into the rock. But two days later, the disciples were surprised to find that the tomb was empty.

The meaning of this event became clear to them much later, after several meetings with Jesus himself, alive and real, but no longer limited by time or space. He could suddenly appear and just as suddenly disappear, even from a closed room. Over the course of several weeks, the students saw the teacher several times under various circumstances. He again explained to them the meaning of his life and death, the purpose of the mission to which he instructed them. Then Jesus left them, and they began to preach to the world that the one who conquered death itself was the Lord and Savior. It was the resurrection of Jesus that formed the basic idea of ​​early Christianity, where the Lord, who had risen from the dead, was honored.

Christian communities began to form from those who recognized Jesus as the Messiah-Savior in Asia Minor and Egyptian Alexandria. At first, their members were mainly people from the social lower classes. There was still no ordered cult until the beginning of the 2nd century. there was no single creed. At that time, all kinds of groups and sects were called Christian, which waged a fierce struggle among themselves. Disputes were about the attitude towards the state, about the need to conduct sermons among the pagans, whether it is required to observe the ritual prescriptions of Judaism, when and how the Kingdom of Heaven will come, how believers should prepare for it, what should be the attitude towards the Roman authorities, whether it is necessary to demand community from Christians property, etc. The only thing that united them was the hatred of Rome and the hope for its imminent fall, deliverance from its yoke, faith in the imminent coming of God the Savior and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, headed by Christ. This belief permeates the oldest of the monuments of Christian literature - Apocalypse(second half of the 1st century AD), the authorship of which is attributed to the evangelist John:

1 And I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss and big chain in his hand.

2 He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal over him, that he should no longer deceive the nations, until the thousand years were ended; after this he must be set free for a little time.

Procession to Calvary

Saint Gregory Palasha

4 And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them, to whom it was given to judge, and the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who did not bow down to the beast, nor to his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that has a share in the first resurrection: over them the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him a thousand years.

7 When the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

8 And they went out into the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

I. Gossart. Adoration of the Magi

9 And fire fell from heaven from God and devoured them;

10 And the devil that deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged according to what was written in the books, according to their deeds.

13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to his works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whoever was not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

(Revelation of John the Evangelist 20:1-15)

The “delay” in the coming of the Messiah and the onset of the end of the world, as well as the change in the social composition of communities, their adaptation to real life conditions, led to the fact that rebellious moods in Christianity are gradually fading into the background.

The victory of the current, calling for reconciliation with the existing order, marked new stage development of early Christianity. This stage can be traced in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, one of the closest disciples of Christ. They express a tendency to break with Judaism, there is a departure from the rebellious moods of the original Christianity, earthly authorities are recognized, and the second coming of Christ is postponed indefinitely. The final break with Judaism occurred by the middle of the 2nd century BC. However, the Jewish tradition in Christianity still survived.

Evangelist Luke

In the earliest period of their existence, members of Christian communities gathered for prayer meetings at night or early in the morning. Often these meetings were held in hidden places: country houses, sheds, sometimes in underground cemeteries - catacombs. Those gathered sang hymns in honor of Christ in chorus, listened to the teachings and sermons of anyone who considered himself an “instrument of the spirit of God”, read stories about Christ. The meetings ended with a modest communal meal of white bread and red wine diluted with water. The meeting was presided over by a leader chosen by the community, presbyter, who was assisted by ministers and ministers - deacons And deaconesses. Over time, special economic leaders began to appear in the community - bishops.

If during the first century of the existence of Christian communities all their members were considered equal, there was no special administrative apparatus, then from the middle of the 2nd century. organization becomes more complex. Appear metropolitans- the leaders of individual churches, and already in the IV-V centuries. - Patriarchs, leaders of large church associations. Wealthy Christians acquire significant influence, it was from their midst that elders began to be selected. Bishops become the sole leaders of communities, relying on presbyters and deacons. At this time, female deaconesses disappear. Special white clothes are installed for clerics, as they began to call the elders and clergymen. Only clerics could hold prayer meetings and perform divine services. If at the end of the 1st c. the only type of replenishment of the funds of the communities were voluntary contributions from its members, then in the III century. many of the communities owned land, houses, and slaves bequeathed by wealthy believers.

The spread of Christianity was also facilitated by the fact that it offered its supporters not only a worldview, but also a cohesive church organization. Belonging to it was not safe, but it provided parishioners with moral and material support, united them into a team. Bishops of individual communities supported each other, which contributed to their rallying in the struggle against other religions for dominance.

With its influence, and later with wealth, the Christian community objectively, and often subjectively, opposed the state and its ideology. By the end of II - beginning of III century. Christian communities turned from small sectarian groups into a powerful social force, which forced the rulers of the Roman Empire to pay the most serious attention to the relationship between power and religious Christian associations.

G. M. Hotgard. crucifixion

Roman emperors, considering the Christian church as a possible political rival in the conditions of an acute crisis in the 3rd century, severely persecuted Christians: they were brought on charges of atheism, because refused to take part in official cults; in insulting the authorities, because they did not make sacrifices in front of the statue of the emperor, as well as in secret crimes attributed to rumor.

The first persecution of Christians took place under the emperor Nerone in 64 AD e. A terrible fire in Rome destroyed most of the city. Rumor accused the ruler himself of setting fire, allegedly trying to find inspiration for writing a poem about the death of Troy. When they began to look for the cause of the disaster, the accusation was directed at the Christians. The persecution began in all areas of the empire and lasted for about four years. Christians were sewn up in animal skins and thrown to be torn to pieces by dogs, crucified on crosses, smeared with a resinous composition and burned. The pagans themselves, accustomed to bloody spectacles, shuddered with horror at the sight of the suffering of the victims.

Rest on the flight to Egypt

Periods of persecution alternated with times of relative religious tolerance. Severe persecution of Christians in the 3rd and early 4th centuries. arose only from time to time and open adherence to the Christian cult became the most common phenomenon.

Early Christianity, as you know, quickly abandoned rebellious moods, subsequent early Christian writings call for obedience to superiors and condemn any attempts not only to rebellion, but even disobedience. However, it is clear that these appeals did not always reach their goal. The very fact of their constant repetition shows that ordinary believers showed no desire to submit to the authorities. After the completion of the organizational formation of the Christian church, the emphasis in Christian preaching was completely shifted to the propaganda of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the tendency towards complete reconciliation with those in power finally prevailed in it.

2. The birth of the laboratory

author Kovalev Sergey Ivanovich

The Origin of Literature The emergence of literature in Rome was naturally associated with the appearance of writing, and the latter with the alphabet, which very early, back in the pre-republican era, was borrowed by the Romans from the Greeks of southern Italy. Define anything exactly

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15. Church of St. Irene - one of the first basilic churches of apostolic Christianity, which replaced the former circus churches of tribal Christianity Today we all know very well that the altars of Christian churches are directed to the east. It must be said that for many old temples this

From the book Secrets of Underwater Espionage the author Baikov E A

The Origin of the Idea The idea of ​​listening to Soviet submarine cable lines was first conceived in the late 1970s by the already mentioned James Bradley, head of the Underwater Operations Division of the US Naval Intelligence Agency. Perhaps he has this idea.

From the book Primary Sources on the History of Early Christianity. Ancient Critics of Christianity author Ranovich Abram Borisovich

A. B. Ranovich PRIMARY SOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY ANTIQUE CRITICS

From the book Ancient East and Asia author Mironov Vladimir Borisovich

Reasons for the Popularity of Christianity Christianity However, what has forced and is forcing millions and millions of people for many centuries to believe in Christ and profess Christianity? Is it only those high moral principles that He told this world? Humanity throughout

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From the book I was the adjutant of General Anders author Klimkovsky Jerzy

The Origin of the Army On September 8, the first employees of the divisional headquarters and, partially, the army headquarters, headed by Generals Boruta and Tokarzhevsky, departed from the Moscow airfield on a Douglas-type aircraft to their permanent locations. There are about twenty people in total. Among them:

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From the book Mission of Russia. national doctrine author Valtsev Sergey Vitalievich

The birth of man is the birth of spirituality Spirituality is as ancient a phenomenon as man himself. Since the beginning of his evolution, man has possessed spirituality. Actually, this is obvious, because spirituality is a distinctive characteristic of a person. There is spirituality

The emergence of Orthodoxy Historically, it so happened that on the territory of Russia, for the most part, several Great world religions have found their place and have peacefully coexisted from time immemorial. Paying tribute to other Religions, I want to draw your attention to Orthodoxy as the main religion of Russia.
Christianity(originated in Palestine in the 1st century AD from Judaism and received a new development after the break with Judaism in the 2nd century) - one of the three main world religions (along with Buddhism And Islam).

During the formation Christianity broke up into three main branches :
- Catholicism ,
- orthodoxy ,
- Protestantism ,
in each of which the formation of its own, practically not coinciding with other branches, ideology began.

ORTHODOXY(which means - to praise God correctly) - one of the directions of Christianity, isolated and organizationally formed in the XI century as a result of the division of churches. The split occurred in the period from the 60s. 9th century until the 50s. 11th century As a result of the split in the eastern part of the former Roman Empire, a confession arose, which in Greek began to be called orthodoxy (from the words “orthos” - “straight”, “correct” and “doxos” - “opinion”, “judgment”, “teaching”) , and in Russian-speaking theology - Orthodoxy, and in the western part - a confession, which its followers called Catholicism (from the Greek "catholikos" - "universal", "universal"). Orthodoxy arose on the territory of the Byzantine Empire. Initially, it did not church center, since the church power of Byzantium was concentrated in the hands of four patriarchs: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem. As the Byzantine Empire collapsed, each of the ruling patriarchs headed an independent (autocephalous) Orthodox Church. Subsequently, autocephalous and autonomous churches arose in other countries, mainly in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe.

Orthodoxy is characterized by a complex, elaborate cult. The most important postulates Orthodox dogma are the dogmas of the trinity of God, the incarnation, redemption, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. It is believed that dogmas are not subject to change and clarification, not only in content, but also in form.
The religious basis of Orthodoxy is Holy Scripture (Bible) And sacred tradition .

The clergy in Orthodoxy is divided into white (married parish priests) and black (monastics who take a vow of celibacy). There are men's and nunneries. Only a monk can become a bishop. Currently in Orthodoxy highlighted

• Local Churches
• Constantinople
• Alexandria
• Antioch
• Jerusalem
• Georgian
• Serbian
• Romanian
• Bulgarian
• Cypriot
• Helladic
• Albanian
• Polish
• Czecho-Slovak
• American
• Japanese
• Chinese

The Russian Orthodox Church is part of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy.

Orthodoxy in Rus'

The history of the Orthodox Church in Russia still remains one of the least developed areas of Russian historiography.

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church was not unambiguous: it was contradictory, replete with internal conflicts, reflecting social contradictions throughout its path.

The introduction of Christianity in Rus' was a natural phenomenon for the reason that in the VIII - IX centuries. the early feudal class system begins to emerge.

Major events in history Russian Orthodoxy. In the history of Russian Orthodoxy, nine main events, nine main historical milestones can be distinguished. Here's what they look like in chronological order.

First milestone - 988. This year's event was called: "The Baptism of Rus". But this is a figurative expression. But in fact, the following processes took place: the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion of Kievan Rus and the formation of the Russian Christian Church (in the next century it will be called the Russian Orthodox Church). A symbolic action that showed that Christianity had become the state religion was the mass baptism of the people of Kiev in the Dnieper.

Second milestone - 1448. This year the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) became autocephalous. Until this year, the ROC was integral part Patriarchate of Constantinople. Autocephaly (from Greek words“auto” - “self” and “mullet” - “head”) meant complete independence. This year, Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich, nicknamed the Dark One (in 1446 he was blinded by his rivals in the interfeudal struggle), ordered not to accept the metropolitan from the Greeks, but to choose his metropolitan at the local council. At a church council in Moscow in 1448, Ryazan Bishop Jonah was elected the first metropolitan of the autocephalous church. The Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire (1553), after the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, the Russian Orthodox Church, being the largest and most significant among the Orthodox Churches, became a natural stronghold of Universal Orthodoxy. And to this day the Russian Orthodox Church claims to be the "Third Rome".

Third milestone - 1589. Until 1589, the Russian Orthodox Church was headed by a metropolitan, and therefore it was called a metropolis. In 1589, the patriarch began to head it, and the Russian Orthodox Church became a patriarchy. Patriarch is the highest rank in Orthodoxy. The establishment of the patriarchate raised the role of the Russian Orthodox Church both in inner life countries and in international relations. At the same time, the importance of tsarist power also increased, which no longer relied on the metropolis, but on the patriarchy. It was possible to establish a patriarchate under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, and the main merit in raising the level of church organization in Rus' belongs to the first minister of the Tsar, Boris Godunov. It was he who invited the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah to Russia and obtained his consent to the establishment of a patriarchate in Rus'.

The fourth milestone - 1656. This year, the Moscow Local Cathedral anathematized the Old Believers. This decision of the council revealed the presence of a schism in the church. The denomination separated from the church and became known as the Old Believers. In his further development Old Believers have become a collection of confessions. main reason The split, according to historians, were social contradictions in Russia at that time. The Old Believers were representatives of those social strata of the population who were dissatisfied with their position. Firstly, many peasants became Old Believers, who were finally enserfed at the end of the 16th century, abolishing the right to transfer to another feudal lord on the so-called “St. George's Day”. Secondly, a part of the merchant class joined the Old Believer movement, because the tsar and the feudal lords, with the economic policy of supporting foreign merchants, prevented the development of trade for their own, Russian merchant class. And finally, some well-born boyars, dissatisfied with the loss of a number of their privileges, joined the Old Believers. The reason for the split was the church reform, which was carried out by the higher clergy under the leadership of Patriarch Nikon. In particular, the reform provided for the replacement of some old rites with new ones: instead of two-fingered rites, three-fingered rites, instead of earthly bows in the process of worship, half-length ones, instead of a procession around the temple in the sun, a procession against the sun, etc. The breakaway religious movement advocated the preservation of the old rites, this explains its Name.

Fifth milestone - 1667. The Moscow Local Council of 1667 found Patriarch Nikon guilty of blaspheming Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, deprived him of his rank (proclaimed a simple monk) and sentenced him to exile in a monastery. At the same time, the cathedral for the second time anathematized the Old Believers. The Council was held with the participation of the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch.

Sixth milestone - 1721. Peter I established the highest church body, which was called the Holy Synod. This government act completed the church reforms carried out by Peter I. When Patriarch Adrian died in 1700, the tsar “temporarily” forbade the election of a new patriarch. This “temporary” term for the abolition of the election of the patriarch lasted 217 years (until 1917)! At first, the church was led by the Theological College established by the tsar. In 1721, the Holy Synod replaced the Theological College. All members of the Synod (there were 11 of them) were appointed and removed by the tsar. At the head of the Synod, as a minister, a government official appointed and dismissed by the tsar was placed, whose position was called “chief prosecutor Holy Synod". If all members of the Synod were required to be priests, then this was optional for the chief prosecutor. So, in the 18th century, more than half of all chief prosecutors were military men. The church reforms of Peter I made the Russian Orthodox Church part of the state apparatus.

Seventh milestone - 1917 . This year the patriarchate was restored in Russia. On August 15, 1917, for the first time after a break of more than two hundred years, a council was convened in Moscow to elect a patriarch. On October 31 (November 13, according to the new style), the cathedral elected three candidates for patriarchs. On November 5 (18) in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the elder monk Alexy drew lots from the casket. The lot fell on Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow. At the same time, the Church experienced severe persecution from the Soviet authorities and underwent a series of schisms. On January 20, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a Decree on freedom of conscience, which “separated church from state.” Every person received the right to “profess any religion or not profess any.” Any infringement of rights on the basis of faith was prohibited. The decree also "separated the school from the church." The teaching of the Law of God was forbidden in schools. After October, Patriarch Tikhon at first spoke out with sharp denunciations of Soviet power, but in 1919 he took a more restrained position, urging the clergy not to participate in the political struggle. Nevertheless, about 10 thousand representatives of the Orthodox clergy were among the victims of the civil war. The Bolsheviks shot priests who served thanksgiving services after the fall of local Soviet power. Some of the priests accepted Soviet power and in 1921-1922. started the renewal movement. The part that did not accept this movement and did not have time or did not want to emigrate went underground and formed the so-called "catacomb church". In 1923, at the local council of the Renovationist communities, programs for the radical renewal of the Russian Orthodox Church were considered. At the council, Patriarch Tikhon was deposed and full support for the Soviet government was proclaimed. Patriarch Tikhon anathematized the Renovationists. In 1924, the Supreme Church Council was transformed into a Renovationist Synod headed by the Metropolitan. Part of the clergy and believers who found themselves in exile formed the so-called "Russian Orthodox Church Abroad". Until 1928, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia maintained close contacts with the Russian Orthodox Church, but these contacts were subsequently terminated. In the 1930s, the church was on the verge of extinction. Only since 1943 did its slow revival as a Patriarchate begin. In total, during the war years, the church collected over 300 million rubles for military needs. Many priests fought in partisan detachments and the army, were awarded military orders. During the long blockade of Leningrad, eight Orthodox churches. After the death of I. Stalin, the policy of the authorities towards the church became tougher again. In the summer of 1954, the decision of the Central Committee of the party to intensify anti-religious propaganda appeared. At the same time, Nikita Khrushchev made a sharp speech against religion and the church.

Christianity belongs to one of the world religions along with Buddhism and Judaism. Over a thousand-year history, it has undergone changes that have led to branches from a single religion. The main ones are Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Catholicism. Christianity also has other currents, but usually they are sectarian and are condemned by representatives of generally recognized trends.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Christianity

What is the difference between these two concepts? Everything is very simple. All Orthodox are Christians, but not all Christians are Orthodox. The followers, united by the confession of this world religion, are separated by belonging to its separate direction, one of which is Orthodoxy. To understand how Orthodoxy differs from Christianity, one must turn to the history of the emergence of world religion.

Origins of religions

Christianity is believed to have originated in the 1st century BC. from the birth of Christ in Palestine, although some sources claim that it became known two centuries earlier. The people who preached the belief were waiting for God to come to earth. The doctrine absorbed the foundations of Judaism and the philosophical trends of that time, it was strongly influenced by the political situation.

The preaching of the apostles greatly contributed to the spread of this religion. especially Paul. Many pagans were converted to the new faith, and this process continued for a long time. At present, Christianity has the most a large number of followers compared to other world religions.

Orthodox Christianity began to stand out only in Rome in the 10th century. AD, and was officially approved in 1054. Although its origin can be attributed already to the 1st century. from the birth of Christ. Orthodox believe that the history of their religion began immediately after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, when the apostles preached a new creed and attracted more and more people to religion.

By II-III centuries. Orthodoxy opposed Gnosticism, which rejected the authenticity of the history of the Old Testament and interpreted the New Testament in a different way, not in accordance with the generally accepted. Also, opposition was observed in relations with the followers of the presbyter Arius, who formed a new trend - Arianism. According to them, Christ did not possess a divine nature and was only an intermediary between God and people.

On the creed of nascent Orthodoxy big influence provided by the Ecumenical Councils supported by a number of Byzantine emperors. Seven Councils, convened over the course of five centuries, established the basic axioms subsequently adopted in modern orthodoxy, in particular, confirmed the divine origin of Jesus, disputed in a number of teachings. This strengthened the Orthodox faith and allowed more and more people to join it.

In addition to Orthodoxy and small heretical teachings, rapidly fading in the process of developing stronger trends, Catholicism stood out from Christianity. This was facilitated by the split of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern. Huge differences in social, political and religious views led to the collapse one religion into Roman Catholic and Orthodox, which at first was called Eastern Catholic. The head of the first church was the Pope, the second - the patriarch. Their mutual excommunication of each other from the common faith led to a split in Christianity. The process began in 1054 and ended in 1204 with the fall of Constantinople.

Although Christianity was adopted in Rus' in 988, it was not affected by the process of schism. The official division of the church did not take place until several decades later, but at the baptism of Rus', Orthodox customs were immediately introduced, formed in Byzantium and borrowed from there.

Strictly speaking, the term orthodoxy was practically not found in ancient sources; the word orthodoxy was used instead. According to a number of researchers, earlier these concepts were given different meaning(orthodoxy meant one of the Christian directions, and Orthodoxy was almost a pagan faith). Subsequently, they began to attach a similar meaning to them, made them synonyms and replaced one with another.

Fundamentals of Orthodoxy

Faith in Orthodoxy is the essence of all divine teaching. The Niceno Constantinopolitan Creed, drawn up during the convocation of the Second Ecumenical Council, is the foundation of doctrine. The ban on changing any provisions in this system of dogmas has been in effect since the time of the Fourth Council.

Based on the Creed, Orthodoxy is based on the following dogmas:

The desire to earn eternal life in paradise after death is the main goal of those who profess the religion in question. A true Orthodox Christian must follow the commandments handed down to Moses and confirmed by Christ throughout his life. According to them, one must be kind and merciful, love God and neighbors. The commandments indicate that all hardships and hardships must be endured meekly and even joyfully, despondency is one of the deadly sins.

Differences from other Christian denominations

Compare Orthodoxy with Christianity can be done by comparing its main directions. They are closely related to each other, as they are united in one world religion. However, there are huge differences between them on a number of issues:

Thus, the differences between directions are not always contradictory. There are more similarities between Catholicism and Protestantism, since the latter appeared as a result of the split of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. If desired, the currents could be reconciled. But this has not happened for many years and is not foreseen in the future.

Relation to other religions

Orthodoxy is tolerant of confessors of other religions. However, without condemning and peacefully coexisting with them, this movement recognizes them as heretical. It is believed that of all religions, only one is true; its professing leads to the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. This dogma is contained in the very name of the direction, indicating that this religion is correct, opposite to other currents. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy recognizes that Catholics and Protestants are also not deprived of the grace of God, because, although they glorify Him differently, the essence of their faith is one.

By comparison, Catholics consider the only way to salvation to be the practice of their religion, while others, including Orthodoxy, are false. The task of this church is to convince all dissenters. The Pope is the head of the Christian Church, although this thesis is refuted in Orthodoxy.

The support of the Orthodox Church by the secular authorities and their close cooperation led to an increase in the number of followers of the religion and its development. In a number of countries, Orthodoxy is professed by the majority of the population. These include:

A large number of churches and Sunday schools are being built in these countries, and subjects dedicated to the study of Orthodoxy are being introduced into secular general educational institutions. Popularization also has a downside: often people who consider themselves Orthodox have a superficial attitude to the performance of rituals and do not observe the prescribed moral principles.

You can perform rites in different ways and relate to shrines, have different views on the purpose of your own stay on earth, but in the end, everyone who professes Christianity united by faith in one God. The concept of Christianity is not identical with Orthodoxy, but includes it. Keeping moral principles and being sincere in your relationship with the Higher Forces is the basis of any religion.

Religion plays a huge role in the life of society and the state. It compensates for the fear of death with faith in eternal life, helps to find moral, and sometimes material support for the suffering. Christianity, if we talk briefly about religion, is one of the world's religious teachings, which has been relevant for more than two thousand years. In this introductory article, I do not pretend to be complete, but I will certainly name the key points.

Origin of Christianity

Oddly enough, Christianity, like Islam, is rooted in Judaism, or rather in its sacred book - Old Testament. However, only one person gave a direct impetus to its development - Jesus of Nazareth. Hence the name (from Jesus Christ). Initially, this religion was another monotheistic heresy in the Roman Empire. Christians were persecuted just like that. These persecutions played an important role in the sacralization of Christian martyrs, and Jesus himself.

Once upon a time, when I was studying history at the university, I asked the teacher of Antiquity during the break, and they say, how was Jesus in reality or not? The answer was such that all sources indicate that there was such a person. Well, questions about the miracles that are described in the New Testament, everyone decides for himself whether to believe them or not.

Speaking, abstracting from faith and miracles, the first Christians lived in the form of religious communities on the territory of the Roman Empire. The original symbolism was extremely simple: crosses, fish, etc. Why did this particular religion become a world religion? Most likely, the matter is how the sacralization of the martyrs, in the teaching itself, well, of course, in the policy of the Roman authorities. So she received state recognition only 300 years after the death of Jesus - in 325 at the Council of Nicaea. The Roman emperor Constantine the Great (himself a pagan) called to peace all Christian movements, of which there were many then. What is worth only the Arian heresy, according to which God the father is higher than God the son.

Be that as it may, Constantine understood the unifying potential of Christianity and made this religion the state religion. There are also persistent rumors that, before his death, he himself expressed a desire to be baptized ... All the same, the rulers were smart: they would do something at random until the pagans - and then bam - and before death convert to Christianity. Why not?!

Since then, Christianity has become the religion of all of Europe, and then of a large part of this world. By the way, I recommend a post about.

Fundamentals of Christian Doctrine

• The world was created by God. This is the first position of this religion. It doesn't matter what you think, maybe the Universe and the Earth, and even more so life appeared in the course of evolution, but any Christian will tell you that God created the world. And if he is especially knowledgeable, he can even name the year - 5,508 BC.
• The second position is that a person has a spark of God - a soul that is eternal and does not die after the death of the body. This soul was originally given to people (Adam and Eve) pure and unclouded. But Eve plucked an apple from the tree of knowledge, ate it herself and treated Adam, during which arose original sin person. The question arises, why did this tree of knowledge grow at all in Eden? .. But I ask this, because, ultimately, from the kind of Adam)))
• The third proposition is that this original sin was redeemed by Jesus Christ. So all the sins that are now are the result of your sinful life: gluttony, pride, etc.
• Fourth, in order to atone for sins, one must repent, observe church regulations, and lead a righteous life. Then, perhaps, you will earn your place in heaven.
• Fifth, if you lead an unrighteous life, you will perish in hell after death.
• Sixth, God is merciful and forgives all sins if repentance is sincere.
• Seventh - there will be a terrible judgment, the Son of Man will come, arrange Armageddon. And God will separate the righteous from the sinners.

Well, how? Scary? There is, of course, some truth in this. You need to lead a normal life, respect your neighbors and not commit evil deeds. But, as we see, many people call themselves Christians, but behave in the exact opposite way. For example, according to surveys by the Levada Center, in Russia 80% of the population considers themselves Orthodox.

But how I don’t go out: everyone eats shawarma in fasting, and they do all kinds of sinful things. What can you say? Double standards? Perhaps people who consider themselves Christians are a little hypocritical. It would be better to say that believers, not Christians. Because if you call yourself such, it is assumed that you behave accordingly. How do you think? Write in the comments!

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jewish holy council - the Sanhedrin - began
brutal reprisal against the followers of Christ.

We know from the Bible about a Pharisee named Saul who was cruel to them.
persecutor. Later he believed in Christ and gave his life for believing in Him.
Saul changed his name and became known as the apostle Paul. Persecuted
Christians went further and further from Judea, preaching their faith
pagans, until, finally, Christianity was spread throughout
Roman Empire.The first Roman emperor who began massacres against
Christians, was Nero.

A cunning and cruel man, he dreamed of building Rome in his own way.
project to raise his name. For this it was necessary to destroy
old residential buildings in the center of Rome. By his secret order in 64 was
a fire was started. Almost half of Rome burned down due to oversight. Outraged
the crowd began to demand that the emperor investigate and punish the criminals.
Nero quickly found the "guilty". They were representatives of the new
unknown religion - Christians. Christians were crucified, burned,
thrown to be eaten by wild animals.

After Nero, many emperors carried out executions for the Christian faith.
Christians hid in the catacombs, held their meetings in secret
places, and dutifully went to the execution, being discovered. But despite
persecution, Christianity grew and grew stronger.

When Emperor Constantine came to power,
in 313 he issued the Edict of Milan, which equalized the rights of all religions.
Christians came out of the catacombs, they were given many rights, and they were returned
property taken from them by the previous emperor, Diocletian.
Later, Constantine began to lean more and more towards the Christian religion,
having built several Christian cathedrals.

Fifty years later, Emperor Theodosius

declared catholic * (* the term "Catholic Church", or Orthodox,
which means: true, was used in relation to the Christianity of Rome with
beginning of the 2nd century, and to the Christianity of Constantinople - from the end of the 4th century)
Christianity as the state religion and banned pagan worship,
converting all pagan temples into Christian ones. To help the pagans
convert to Christianity, pagan holidays were announced
Christian, pagan icons and statues were given biblical names,
many pagan rituals have become rituals of the Christian church. So
the church of Rome has lost its purity Christian doctrine, distorting many
provisions of the Bible (worship of Mary, saints, statues, pagan
holidays, prayers for the dead, infant baptism, etc.).

After the death of Theodosius, the Roman Empire was divided between 2 of his
sons to the Western part with the center in Rome and the Eastern part - with the center in
Constantinople.In 476, the emperor of the western part of the empire, Romulus Augustus
was forced to abdicate, and all power was concentrated in the hands of
Eastern part of the empire (Constantinople).Western part of the empire
left without state support and the army, and often conquered
neighboring barbarian tribes. The invaders taxed the people with unbearable
and taxes, and the only authority to which the people could turn for
help, was the church. The Church has been in diplomatic negotiations with
invaders, promising them the intercession of God for their cooperation and help.

From the time that Theodosius founded the church in Constantinople,
she was constantly in conflict with the church of Rome because of differences in
rituals and dogmas, property disputes, divine services in different languages
(Latin - in the west, and Greek - in the east) and the struggle of the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople for primacy among Christian
patriarchs. The emperors supported the eastern church, while the western
insisted on its primacy, as allegedly founded by the Apostle Peter.

In 606, Rome succeeded in obtaining from Emperor Phocasdecree, which
legitimized that "the Diocese of the Blessed Apostle Peter should be
head of all the Churches." The decree guaranteed that the title of "Ecumenical Bishop"
may belong exclusively to the Bishop of Rome, and he
received the title of "Vicar of Jesus on Earth" and "Papa", which means "Father".

Feeling the power, already in716 Pope Gregory II excommunicated
emperor lion III who tried to ban the worship of icons
(iconoclasm) in Italy by imperial decree, without the consent of the pope. A
in 741, Pope Zachary did not even turn to the Byzantine emperor to
approve his election as pope (although this was a formality, but for
people created the appearance that the pope is subordinate to the emperor).

When the Lombards began to oppress the population of the Western part of the empire, Pope
turned for help to the King of the Franks Pepin the Short. Papa promised
support his Carlovingian dynasty, and for this King Pepin cleared
the western part of the empire from the barbarians and gave the church an extensive papal
area, and dad - privileges spiritual guide all governments. In 756
Pope crowned Pepin's son, Charles, to the throne of the Roman Empire.

The Byzantine emperor no longer claimed power over the Western part.
The Roman Empire was now considered only the Western part, the Byzantine
only the Eastern half remained an empire.

Since then, the papacy has received absolute power, and could approve or
reject any candidate for the throne of the empire. without papal approval
the emperor could not make any important decision, being under threat
excommunication from the church.

In 1054, the Church of Constantinople categorically refused to be
under the control of Rome. Both churches anathematized each other. This is how it happened
schism: the Church of Rome became Catholic, the Church of Constantinople -
Orthodox.

The Russian Church was subordinate to the Constantinople
patriarchy. In Kievan Rus Orthodox faith became a state
religion around 990, after the baptism of Rus' by Prince Vladimir.

Around the end of the 16th century, the Russian Orthodox Church received
independence from Constantinople.

After the split, from 1096 to the end of the 13th century, the Catholic Church
organizes a series of crusades to liberate the Holy Land from
Turkish Muslims who captured it.

At the beginning of the 13th century (1215), to combat heresy, the Catholic Church established
special judicial body "Holy Inquisition".

Armies of executioners and spies from the church, false witnesses waiting, as it were,
snatch from the property of the executed "heretic", flooded the streets of the towns.
The Church, fattened on the blood of innocent people, now, like the sword of Damocles,
hung over each. No one had protection from her, not even kings. Almost
nothing in the church is left of the teachings of Christ. The people were heavily
taxes, and the church did not pay for anything. All services were held in
Latin, and people to understand the teachings of Christ could rely only
to the explanations of the priests.

When the pope issued a bull for the forgiveness of sins by the church and the sale of indulgences,
young German theologian Martin Luther wrote and announced 95 abstracts,

in which he pointed to the extra-biblical, anti-Christian dogmas of the church.
There have been speeches against the papacy before (the Czech preacher Jan Hus and
his followers were executed for this by the church), but so boldly, openly and
justifiably like Luther, no one spoke. He called on the entire German
nation tofight against papal dominance. For this he was excommunicated from the church, and
sentenced to death (died a natural death before the appointed execution). He translated
Bible in German. Around the same time, the New Testament
spoken English translatesWilliam Tyndale. For this he was burned
church, and most copies of the translation were confiscated and burned
Also. However, many managed to read and understand that the church is not a saint, but
a sinner, and a great one. Another reformer, John Calvin, with his
followers complete the translation of the New Testament into French.

From this time begins a period called the Reformation. If
Luther's supporters (Lutherans) tried to remove from the church everything that
contradicts the Bible, then the followers of Calvin (Calvinists; the same
Huguenots in France) tried to remove from the church everything that is not in the Bible
mentioned.

Calvinists introduced into practice the interpretation of any passage of the Bible not from positions
any human authority, but solely through
the authority of God—i.e. other places in the Bible. They liquidated
church rituals, recognized the inspiration of only the Holy
Scriptures, and therefore the fallibility of any church councils. Calvinists
abandoned monasticism because God created men and women for
creating a family and having children. They rejected the need for help
clergy in the salvation of people, believing that salvation is given only by faith
into Christ, and the works of faith are not needed for salvation, but it is determined by them,
whether your belief is true or not. There are works, so there is faith.The Calvinists succeeded
achieve complete freedom from the papacy. Geneva became the center of the reformation.

In England, the situation was more tense. The Reformation took place
"below" and "above". King Henry VIII, a cruel and
unpredictable (had 6 wives, beheaded two of them), wanted to achieve
independence from Rome. Part of England was still Catholic, part Calvinist. Using religious conflict, Henry tried
implement their political ambitions absolute monarchy, And
dictated his terms to the church. The unrest did not subside. There were many conflicts
around church property.

After his death, Henry's daughter, Maria, a Catholic, came to power. She
restored Rome's authority over the Church of England, heresy laws re-entered
into force, and the Inquisition began over the Protestants. After Mary's death,
nicknamed "Bloody Mary" by the people, her sister ascended the throne -
Elizabeth. She managed to achieve some balance by infringing on the rights of Catholics
and giving some rights to Protestants. However, the conflict intensified.
Catholic priests were under the authority of Rome and refused to
recognize the powers of the queen. Elizabeth ordered the execution
Catholic priests.

Somewhere in this troubled time, puritanism was born. The Puritans wanted to
greater purity of the dogmas of the Church and complete independence from the Catholic
influence. When King James came to power, they hoped for reform
churches of England. However, Jacob rejected their offer because he was afraid
that the Puritans' denial of the king's absolute authority over the faithful might
lead to rebellion. At this time, in 1620, many Puritans left England and
migrated to America in the hope of establishing a state with a single religion,
cleansed of everything superficial, based only on the Word of God and free
from all Catholic inventions.

Thus was born Protestantism in America.

At the time when the Puritans were exploring America and studying the Bible, in Russia
(reform of Patriarch Nikon 1650-1660) argued about whether two or three
cross with fingers, how many bows to give, whether to bow to the ground, or
waist-deep, what kind of seal to make on the prosphora, how many times to say “Alleluia”,
in which direction to go to the procession. For this, the "Old Believers", i.e. those who
wanted to be baptized with two fingers, the church executed.

The translation of the Bible into Russian was carried out only at the end of the 19th century, and
appeared in narrow circulation decades later. subsequent wars,
revolutions, Soviet power, and in general the shortage of books - all this threw aside
the Orthodox Church is far back in the study of the science of theology (theology).
If all English-speaking countries exchanged their achievements for centuries
knowledge and experience given by the Holy Spirit not only to priests, but also
flock of God, publishing a lot of bibles and literature for the study of the Bible,
available to anyone who wishes, the Orthodox Church "was brewed in
own juice”, rereading again and again the works of medieval elders
and occasionally publishing some theological work, available for decades
for reading only to a limited circle of monks.

Today, having become a state church again, it tries its best to
authority to suppress any desire among the people to get acquainted with the accumulated
theological experience of their English-speaking fellow believers, declaring
Protestant churches by sects and throwing mud at them.

SUMMA SUMMARUM : The facts speak for themselves.