Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity

I.Jesus of Nazareth A. Preached for only about 3 years B. Spoke about a relationship with God rather than religious laws C. Main message was love God and treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself – some call this the golden rule D. Crucified by the Roman Government around 33 A.D. in Jerusalem – common method of execution of the time

II.Christian Beliefs A. Jesus is the Son of God B. By accepting Jesus and his message, their soul can achieve salvation = entrance into heaven C. One God exists in three persons – The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This is called the Holy Trinity in Christianity.

III.The Spread of Christianity A. Early apostles like Paul travel and preach the message of Jesus B. Message gave meaning to people’s lives and offered hope for life after death as well as a chance to be part of a caring, loving community C. Appealed to the poor, women and other powerless people – appealed to emotions by offering a better life

IV.Christianity and the Roman Empire A. R.E. had freedom of religion but you must worship the emperor as a God. Christians (and Jews) refused this. B. Romans punished the Christians and began to persecute them. C. Things begin to change when Emperor Constantine allows Christianity in the R.E. in 312 A.D. = no longer persecuted! D. By 392, Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire = now it really begins to become widespread!

Christian Catacombs

Constantine and Theodosius “Leave the Christians alone!”“You must become a Christian!”

“In this sign, you will conquer”

“Branches” or “Denominations” of Christianity

V.Christian Hierarchy and Documents A. As the religion grew, the church began to organize and agreed on specific writings to include in their Bible B. B. The four gospels tell the story of Jesus’ life. They are combined with other writings to create the New Testament of the Bible C. The NT (Jesus) is an addition to the OT which creates the Christian Bible D. The major Christian leader today is the Pope – current Pope Benedict XVI

VI.Christianity splits! A. A schism or separation occurs between the Western and Eastern churches when leaders of the church excommunicate each other in 1054 A.D. B. West = Roman Catholic Church with Pope as the leader C. East (Byzantine) = Eastern Orthodox Church with emperor as the leader D. Later the R.C.C. further splits with the Protest Reformation in the 1500’s

VII.Christianity Today A. There are many different denominations under the “umbrella” of Christianity B. If you believe in Jesus, you are a Christian C. However, people practice this faith in different ways = different denominations of Christianity. D. Catholics are still the largest denomination E. Those that “protested” against the Catholic Church are called Protestant denominations. They include Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, Episcopalians… F. There are also Eastern Orthodox Christians, today many of whom live in what was the lands Eastern Roman Empire

Muhammad and Islam 570 A.D. – 632 A.D.

I.Muhammad and Islam A. Successful merchant who began to preach about Islam which means “surrendering to the will of Allah” (God) B. Preached that all people should worship Allah, the one true god and treat one another equally. People should live good lives and resist evil C. Created an Islamic state - a government that uses its power to uphold Islam D. Created an army to increase the size of his Islamic state = spread of Islam

II.Islamic Practices and Beliefs A. Monotheistic = Worship of Allah B. Refer to themselves as Muslims C. Muhammad is not considered to be a god but only a prophet D. Quran is their holy book and is the true word of God. It the rules to apply to the living of their lives – Five Pillars of Faith!

III.Five Pillars of Faith A. Belief – No God but Allah B. Prayer – Pray 5 times per day facing toward Makkah (Mecca) C. Charity – Give to the poor D. Fasting – Not eating at certain hours during holidays such as Ramadan E. Pilgrimage – Visit Makkah (Mecca) at least once in their life

IV.Spread of Islam A. Caliphs led Muslims to conquer new lands and spread their faith B. Muslims called Sufis traveled preaching and teaching the message of Islam C. Merchants who converted to this religion continued to spread Islam’s message as they traveled. D. Today, it is the 2 nd largest religion in the world and also the fastest growing

V.Split and Struggles of Islam A. Islam splits into two different groups – the Shiites and the Sunnis B. Shiites believed that all caliphs should be descendents of Muhammad C. Sunnis accepted new caliphs like the Umayyads and Abbasids D. This split causes these two groups to develop different ideas and customs E. Today, many problems among Muslims can be traced back to this split in beliefs.

Islam Today

Where do Muslims live today?

Islamic Sects - Sunni and Shiite (Shia)

Arab Spring