Christianity is the most widespread and numerous monotheistic religion, with over two billion followers worldwide. Its name comes from the Greek word “christos,” meaning “anointed one,” and is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose birth marks the beginning of the new world era. Christianity refers to the religion of Revelation – the appearance of God to men in human incarnation.
The appearance of Christianity occurred in the first century A.D. among Jews living in Palestine, which at that time was one of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. At that time Judaism had a special status in the Empire, being the only monotheistic religion in the Mediterranean. The state religion was paganism, which united the features of different regions and peoples by worshipping the king as a god, an exception was made only for Judaism. But despite the concessions made by Rome, the Jews were still eager to get rid of imperial rule and were genuinely waiting for the Messiah (Christ [Greek]), so the seeds of the teachings of Jesus Christ immediately found fertile ground for themselves.
Jesus began to preach at age 30 (the age at which Jews are permitted to teach others), although we know of his visit at age twelve to the Temple of the Wise of Jerusalem, where many wise men marveled at his words and learned from him. He was in the service of his parents until the age of 30 and worked as a carpenter. During his three years of public service, Jesus preached the will of God, spoke about God, healed the sick and raised the dead, and explained the Scriptures of the Old Testament. As he wandered, he chose twelve apostles to accompany him.
However, though many people were attracted to Christ’s teachings, not all could accept him and believe the prophecies he spoke. Very few of the Jewish leaders believed that Jesus was the messiah they had been waiting for, so they had him crucified. On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus resurrected and appeared to his disciples for another 40 days, instructing them in the correct understanding of Scripture, then he ascended, promising to return before the end of the world. And the apostles began to preach the teachings of Christ, attracting more and more new followers of the new religion.
During the first three centuries, Christians were persecuted, the apostles and their followers were considered a Jewish sect and persecuted from the synagogues. They were vilified in every way possible, accused of various crimes: debauchery, infanticide, misant slaughter, misanthropy, etc. While Jews in the Roman Empire were allowed not to honor the king as god and not to offer sacrifices, Christians were not allowed to do so. From a state perspective, Christianity was not a allowed religion and its followers were atheists.
The Edict of Milan of 313 became a turning point in the history of Christianity. This became possible thanks to Emperor Constantine the Great, who promoted the development of the new religion.
