What is Christianity. Christianity from its origins to the present day: the essence of religion, its history and main provisions What is Sacred Tradition
Instructions
Christianity originated in the first century AD (modern chronology is based precisely on the Nativity of Christ, that is, the birthday of Jesus Christ). Modern historians, religious scholars and representatives of other religions do not deny the fact that in Palestinian Nazareth, more than two thousand years ago, a great preacher was born. Jesus is one of the prophets of Allah, a reformer rabbi who decided to rethink the religion of his ancestors and make it simpler and more accessible to the people. Christians, that is, followers of Christ, honor Jesus as God's anointed on earth and adhere to the version of the immaculate virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, from the Holy Spirit who descended to earth in the form of. This is the basis of religion.
Initially, Christianity was spread by Jesus (and after his death by his followers, that is, the apostles) among the Jews. The new religion was based on Old Testament truths, but more simplified. Thus, the 666 commandments of Judaism in Christianity turned into the main ten. The ban on eating pork and separating meat and dairy dishes was lifted, and the principle “man is not for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man” was proclaimed. But the main thing is that, unlike Judaism, Christianity has become an open religion. Thanks to the activities of missionaries, the first of whom was the Apostle Paul, Christian doctrine penetrated far beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, from Jews to pagans.
Christianity is based on the New Testament, which together with the Old Testament makes up the Bible. The New Testament is based on the Gospels - the biography of Christ, starting from the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and ending with the Last Supper, at which one of the apostles Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, after which he was declared a thief and crucified on the cross along with other offenders. Particular attention is paid to the miracles that Christ performed during his life, and his miraculous resurrection on the third day after death. Easter, or the Resurrection of Christ, along with Christmas, is one of the most revered Christian holidays.
Modern Christianity is considered the most popular religion in the world, has about two billion followers and branches into many movements. The basis of all Christian teachings is the idea of the trinity (God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit). The human soul is considered immortal, depending on the number of lifetime sins and virtues, after death it goes either to hell or to heaven. An important part of Christianity are the Sacraments of God, such as baptism, communion and others. Discrepancies in the list of sacraments, the importance of rituals and methods of prayer are observed among the main Christian branches - Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Catholics, along with Christ, revere the Mother of God, Protestants oppose excessive ritualism, and Orthodox (orthodox) Christians believe in the unity and holiness of the church.
Christianity is one of the world religions based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is one of many religions. There are about three billion followers of Christianity.
The history of the emergence of religion.
Christianity originated in Palestine in the first century AD. The creator and propagator of religion is Jesus Christ. He carried out preaching activities: he walked around the world and told the truth of God. How it was? (from the Bible)
Birth of Christ. The Mother of God (or holy virgin Mary) gave birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God. The Virgin Mary was a devout woman. One day, God came to her in a dream and gave her a son. She named her born son Jesus Christ. Jesus was half-god, half-man. They say he could heal people and many other miracles beyond the power of an ordinary person. When the boy grew up, he began to preach a new religious teaching - Christianity. Obviously the religion is named after Christ.
Religion is based on several commandments. Jesus called to love your neighbor, help the sick and disadvantaged, and spoke about other moral principles. He also spoke about heaven and hell, about evil spirits and angels, about the immortality of the soul.
He himself went around the world in search of students and followers. On the road, he helped everyone in need and never refused help. The twelve apostles became his disciples. They were closest to Jesus than all the other followers. These apostles received the gift of healing people. As you know, one of the twelve apostles turned out to be a traitor. Jesus had detractors who wanted the demigod dead. Judas the traitor agreed to hand over his teacher to his ill-wishers for 30 silver coins. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.
Attributes of the Christian religion– cross, temple (church), icons, prayers, Bible, Gospel.
The religion of Christianity has found many followers. But there was a split of the single religion into three movements: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. In fact, there are many more movements in Christianity, for example, Lutheranism, Calvinism and others. But these three trends are the largest and most significant in the modern world. The schism occurred due to different views on religion of several churches.
Orthodoxy.
Orthodoxy was formed in the Eastern Roman Empire. The founder of the movement is considered to be Jesus Christ. Typically, an Orthodox church is a temple with domes, usually gold in color, decorated with icons inside, and it is customary to stand in the temple throughout the entire service. Church ministers are called priests.
Catholicism.
Catholicism appeared on the territory of the Roman Empire. It is considered a continuation of the early Christian religion. The Vatican is considered the center of government for all Catholic churches. The main pope is the Pope. Catholic cathedrals are buildings with blue or white domes; it is customary to sit in them throughout the entire service.
Protestantism.
Protestantism is a relatively young movement. It came about because many people in Europe were unhappy with the Catholic Church. Martin Luther sparked the emergence of the Protestant Church. The Protestant Church is very different from the above churches.
Christianity is one of many religions with different movements. Whatever movement or religion you choose, remember, God is one.
Option 2
One of the world's largest religions, and the most widespread one, is Christianity. This religion, which dates back more than 2 thousand years, is represented in all countries of the world.
What is the essence of Christianity
Christianity is a humane religion. According to its canons, a person must lead a righteous life in accordance with the 10 commandments, which are aimed at kindness and love for God and neighbors.
The book of the Bible, especially the New Testament, is sacred to Christians. Christians believe in one God and his son Jesus Christ, who gave his life and was crucified on the cross for the salvation of mankind.
In his life, Jesus did only good deeds: he treated the sick, helped the poor. At the same time, he lived very modestly and did not set his sights on wealth and power. The main thing for him was to save humanity and their souls. For this salvation, he sacrificed himself and Christians should take this kindness and love for others as an example, and also believe in his teaching.
When and where did Christianity originate?
Christianity began in the 1st century AD. in the homeland of Jesus Christ, in Palestine, which was under the yoke of the Roman Empire. Rome, conquering new lands, imposed unbearable oppression on the peoples of these lands, and the struggle against Roman lawlessness was suppressed. And with the birth of Jesus Christ, a new movement appeared in the struggle for justice, in which everyone, rich and poor, was considered equal before one God. This movement in the name of Christ was called Christianity, and its followers were called Christians.
Christians were persecuted by the rulers and dealt with very cruelly. Gathering in communities secretly, mostly in caves, they were true to their ideals and refused to believe in the Roman gods or make sacrifices to them.
The sermons of Jesus Christ and his followers had a beneficial effect on the spread of this religion, and his martyrdom and miraculous resurrection further strengthened people's faith in one God. And not only the poor, but also rich people took the side of Christianity, because they were satisfied with the ideas of humility and patience. So in 325, Emperor Constantine recognized this religion as the state religion in Rome. As the years passed, the religion spread throughout the world and began to dominate other religions.
Currents in Christianity
Although the ideas of Christianity are united, there are differences in the essence of the doctrine. Christianity is divided into three branches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Within each branch there is also divergence in the teachings of the faith. But the essence of religion is the same.
Report about Christianity
There are three major religious movements in the world, one of which is Christianity. Founded in Palistine in the 1st century AD, it preaches faith in the Son of God - Jesus Christ, who accepted a painful death on the cross to atone for human sins.
Christianity is professed by three church movements: Protestantism, Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
Historians have not come to a consensus about the real existence of Jesus. A more plausible version is that the Son of God really existed as a historical figure. This is proven by the chronicle of Josephus Flavius “Antiquities” and many other historical sources. The New Testament describes events that are confirmed in archaeological remains.
On Mount Sinai, the 10 commandments, the foundations of Christian life, were revealed to the prophet Moses by God:
1. God is one and for people there should be no other Gods.
2. You cannot create an idol for yourself.
4. One day a week (the seventh) must be dedicated to God.
5. Respect your parents.
6. You cannot take the lives of other people.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. You can’t take someone else’s.
9. You cannot falsely accuse another person.
10. You cannot desire what another person has.
The main holy book for people of the Christian faith is the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. She is the bearer of the truth of the life of a believer, tells about the life of the Savior, tells the kingdom of the living and the spring of life after death.
The New Testament consists of four narratives of the prophets (Matthew, John, Mark and Luke), as well as the Apocalypse of John the Evangelist and the Acts of the Apostles.
There are seven rituals in Christianity, they are called sacraments. A person is accepted by the church through baptism, the bond of marriage is sealed through a wedding, when a believer commits a sin, he can bring repentance before God to forgive his offense, to get rid of an illness there is a ritual of blessing of oil, and to establish a spiritual connection with God, a person takes communion.
In memory of the terrible torment and death of the son of God, Christians venerate the cross. The domes of churches are decorated with it, and after baptism the believer wears it on his body.
Armenia adopted Christianity as its main religion before other states. This event dates back to 301, then in 313, Emperor Constantine I proclaimed Christianity as the state religion in the Roman Empire; at the end of the 4th century, the Byzantine Empire also began to recognize Christianity as the main faith in the state.
In Rus', the spread of faith about Christ began in the 8th century, and Prince Vladimir baptized Rus' in 988.
The place of worship is a church, which is dedicated either to a specific church holiday, or to a particularly revered saint, the day of celebration of whose memory is the patronal day for a particular church.
Faith in Christ is the most widespread in the world. According to UNESCO, it numbers more than 1.3 billion people. In almost every part of the planet there are people who believe in Christianity.
4, 5, 7, 9 grade
Christianity
“The most important of the arts for us is cinema,” once said the leader of the world proletariat V.I. Lenin. And although these days this man has long ceased to have any weight, it is impossible not to agree with him that
There are about 5 thousand religions in the world. Some beliefs are not very well known to the general reader - only to researchers. Some are the most common and discussed. Christianity is, without exception, the largest religion, with over 2 billion followers. The question arises - where did this religion begin? What is its essence?
History of Christianity
Christianity focuses on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It began with a small group of adherents who secretly practiced a new religion. This was not easy - in those distant times, paganism (the worship of many gods) was considered the main one, and any deviation from it was strictly and severely punished by the authorities. During the first centuries, the first Christians secretly gathered in a secluded place and professed Christianity. Initially there was a single religion, but in the middle of the 11th century it split into two branches - Western and Eastern. The Western began to be called Catholicism (its center was in Rome), and the Eastern - Orthodoxy (with its center in Constantinople).
In addition, in the middle of the 16th century, those dissatisfied with the policies of the Catholic Church appeared and tried to protest against its harsh laws and dogmas. Thus, another branch of Christianity was born in Europe - Protestantism. Then, in the course of a successful struggle, many countries begin to create other Christian directions. There are not as many followers as the main movements, but they are gaining popularity every year. These are Baptists, Presbyterianism, Quakers, Unitarianism, Calvinism, Lutheranism.
Christians are monotheistic, meaning they believe that there is only one God and he created the heavens and the earth. This divine principle consists of three parts: the Father (God himself), the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.
The essence of Christianity
The essence of Christianity revolves around life, death and Christian beliefs about the Resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe that God sent His Son, the Messiah, to save the world. They believe that Jesus was nailed to the cross to bring forgiveness of sins and was resurrected three days after his death. Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth again in what is called the second coming. The holy book of Christians, the Bible, includes important scriptures that tell about the teachings of Jesus, the life and teachings of the prophets and disciples of Christ, and also gives several rules on how Christians should live. The cross is the main symbol of Christianity.
The most important Christian holidays are (which celebrates the birth of Jesus) and (which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus). Christmas is celebrated all over the world on the night of December 24-25; in Russia this holiday is celebrated on January 7. This difference is due to the different type of calendar according to which Russia and the rest of the Christian world live. There are 2 types - Julian and Gregorian. In fact, these are almost identical calendars with a difference of 13 days. In old books and records you can find the phrase “according to the old style.” This means counting time according to the Julian calendar. The Russian Orthodox Church still counts according to this type, and the Gregorian calendar has been introduced in Russia.
Who was Jesus?
There are still ongoing debates about who Jesus was, whether he really existed or not. Most historians believe that. Most of what scientists know about him comes from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. According to the text, Jesus was born into a Jewish family, Mary and Joseph, a carpenter, in the city of Bethlehem. Christians believe that the conception was virginal, that is, supernatural, when God impregnated Mary through the Holy Spirit. Very little is known about Jesus' childhood. The scriptures tell us that he grew up in Nazareth, he and his family fled the persecution of King Herod and moved to Egypt.
When he was about 30 years old, Jesus began his preaching after being baptized in the Jordan River by the Prophet known as John the Baptist. For about three years, Jesus traveled with 12 followers (who would later be called apostles), teaching large groups of people and performing what witnesses described as miracles. Some of the most famous miraculous events included raising a dead man named Lazarus from the grave, walking on water, and healing the blind.
Some of the major themes that Jesus taught people were later adopted by Christians into their lives:
Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Forgive those who have offended you. Love your enemies. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins. Jesus is the messiah and has the power to forgive others. Repentance for sins is mandatory. There is no place for hypocrisy in life. Don't judge other people. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is not the rich and powerful, but the weak and poor who will inherit this kingdom. In one of Jesus' most famous speeches, which became known as the Sermon on the Mount, he summarized many of his moral instructions for his followers.
Death and Resurrection of Jesus
Many scholars believe that Jesus died between the ages of 30 and 33, although the exact date is debated among theologians. According to the Bible, Jesus was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate issued the order to kill Jesus under pressure from Jewish leaders who claimed that Christ was guilty of various crimes, including blasphemy. Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem and his body was placed in a tomb. According to Scripture, three days after the crucifixion, Jesus' body disappeared. In the days after Jesus' death, some people reported sightings and encounters with him. The Bible states that the resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven.
Christian Bible
When talking about Christianity, one cannot fail to mention the Bible. It is a collection of 66 books written by various authors.
It is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament, which is also accepted by followers of Judaism, describes the history of the Jewish people, lays out specific laws to be followed, details the lives of many prophets, and predicts the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament was written after the death of Jesus.
The first four books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are known as the “Gospels,” which means “good news.” These texts, composed sometime between 70 AD. e. and 100 AD e., provide information about the life and death of Jesus.
The Acts of the Apostles is a book in the New Testament that tells the story of the ministry of the apostles after the death of Jesus. The last book in the New Testament, revelation, describes visions and prophecies that will occur at the end of the world.
The Early Church and the Apostle Paul
According to the Bible, the first church began 50 days after the death of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was said to descend from heaven to earth to appear to the followers of Christ. Most of the early Christians were Jewish converts, and the church was centered in Jerusalem. Soon after the establishment of the church, many pagans converted to Christianity. The early Christians felt it was their calling to spread and teach the gospel. One of the most famous missionaries was the Apostle Paul, a former persecutor of Christians. Paul's conversion to Christianity after a supernatural encounter with Jesus is described in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul preached the gospel and founded churches throughout Europe and Africa.
Christianity in art
Christianity is the most frequently depicted religion in art. Thousands of books, films, sculptures, paintings are dedicated to her. The most famous piece in art are Orthodox icons. Catholicism depicts apostles and saints in the form of statues and paintings. In many temples around the world you can see frescoes painted in all colors. St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is the most widespread example of Catholicism - it contains many masterpieces of Christian culture and art created by eminent masters. In Russia, icons created by the hand of icon painters, for example, Andrei Rublev, are revered.
This religion is most widespread in European countries. Over time, it has undergone changes, but the essence has remained the same - worship of God, the Mother of God, and the Holy Spirit. In some countries, the influence of the Catholic Church is still quite strong - these include Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In others, it lost its significance and gave way to Protestantism and other branches - these are the Scandinavian countries (how can one not remember the king, who, having not received a divorce from the Pope, broke off relations with the Vatican and established a new religion - Anglicanism), the Netherlands, Germany. Orthodoxy is also quite widespread - in Russia, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania. Once upon a time, fierce battles took place on the territory of Europe for the supremacy of one church or another; now everyone can adhere to the religion that he likes and corresponds to his spirit.
Many different opinions have been expressed about the essence of Christianity. But no one has ever been able to define this essence the way the Orthodox Church defines it.First of all, it should be noted that we are completely powerless to resolve this issue only through rationalism. For rationalism, Christianity will forever remain an insoluble mystery, of course, provided that there is a private approach to this greatest world phenomenon.
Among the rationalistic attempts to clarify the essence of Christianity, two main directions should be noted: 1) the desire to reduce the entire essence of Christianity only to its moral principles; 2) present Christianity as a system of abstract ideas.
The most striking example of the first aspiration is the view of Christianity of the greatest German philosopher Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, Christianity differs from all other religions only in its moral superiority over them. Christ, according to this reasoning, is the ideal type of moral perfection. His precepts are the complete and best expression of the morally ideal requirements of human nature. His Church is a society where moral goodness is realized. The whole being of a Christian is in his ideal system of morality. The dogmatic teaching of Christianity is not particularly important. The universal objective meaning of the Christian religion - the redemption of the human race for the salvation of man and for his eternal bliss - is denied by the Kantian system as transcendental and not essential for human life on earth. Such reasoning is deeply flawed. If you pay close attention to Christianity, it becomes absolutely clear that it is not a morality without dogma (like Buddhism), for the moral teaching of Christ is not only in external, formal connection with the doctrine. Christianity is not limited, like some moral systems, only to the desire to justify its moral demands with religious sanction and to base the moral duties of man on the will of the Supreme Being. All Christian ethics is based on dogma and without it loses its full meaning.
The dogmatic teaching about the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, about the incarnation of the Son of God, about the redemption of the human race and its salvation is not of secondary, but primary importance in Christianity. It does not appear in Christianity only to give the highest authority to its moral teaching. On the contrary, it is the center of the entire Christian religion and the morality that flows from it.
Christian morality, deprived of its dogmatic root, undoubtedly still represents such a charming, attractive and charming phenomenon that it cannot be compared with any other system of morality, surpassing them all in its completeness, simplicity and persuasiveness. And this circumstance alone suggests the Divine origin of such ethical teaching. With in-depth penetration into the roots of this moral system, that is, with penetration into the dogmatic meaning, which illuminates, like the sun, the entire harmony of the whole and the infinite variety of parts, the moral teaching of Christianity completely transforms the human soul and opens up for it the opportunity here on earth to see the beginnings of that blessed eternal state that God has prepared for man in another, better, eternal world.
Only with this eternal dogmatic root is it possible to explain the undying attractiveness of the Christian ideal of morality, which has passed the test of time, acquiring new beauty and strength with each success of the spiritual culture of mankind, introducing its beneficial influence into all areas of life, without any assistance from external coercion. Only Christianity is capable of kindling a love for truth for the sake of truth itself, without which no truly spiritual progress of a person is possible.
The undoubted moral and beneficial influence of the moral Christian ideal on all humanity is one of the most convincing proofs of its Divine dignity.
From the Gnostics of the first centuries of Christianity to Hegelianism in its modern movements, the essence of Christianity is interpreted as an abstract system of higher knowledge, as an abstract philosophy that theoretically solves the problems of cosmogony and theogony. But the most important aspect of Christianity is the fact of the incarnation of the Son of God and His redemption of sinful humanity, that is, that extraordinary miraculous phenomenon in history, endlessly going beyond the series of ordinary historical phenomena - this most essential aspect of Christianity, without which it is nothing, rationalistic schools from antiquity to the present day they have been classified as myths.
Pastor, Professor Arthur Drews ended up writing the book “The Myth of Christ.” The left Hegelian Feuerbach wrote a great study, “On the Essence of Christianity.” Contrasting the essence of Christianity with the essence of paganism, Feuerbach came to the conclusion that in Christianity subjectivity prevails over objectivity, the heart and imagination prevail over the mind. He sees in Christianity a system of worldview for which the external world with all the laws of nature has no meaning. As a result, Feuerbach finds in Christianity hostility to reason, to knowledge, to science, to social life and all progress: social, scientific, political, economic and so on. Feuerbach's teachings penetrated into Marxism, and through it into Bolshevik communism, becoming the state religion in Soviet Russia.
For honest critical thought, Feuerbach's gross mistakes are completely clear. Firstly, Christianity, as we pointed out at the beginning of our course, has never been hostile to honest reason, honest knowledge and honest science. But Christianity, of course, never overestimated the human mind in comparison with general spiritual development. Without humiliating reason, it only put it in a harmonious relationship with other forces of the human spirit. Christianity does not idolize the human mind, but looks at it as a talent given from God, which must be applied to life, and encourages knowledge that serves as a weapon for seeking and serving truth, goodness and beauty.
Christianity does not at all sever the connection between man and the world and does not oppose the progress of honest science, but only points to the infinite superiority of the Creator over the world He created, to the immortal purpose of man and to the transitory significance of the material world, and to temporary life as only a preparatory step to eternal life. With this teaching, Christianity only contributes to the spiritual development of man and his moral growth in the present temporary life. History shows how much Christianity contributed to the progress of natural science, that is, that science that was specifically concerned with the study of nature.
Of all the existing religions, Christianity alone does not contain in its fundamental truths anything hostile to true progress. And it treats nature warmly and joyfully, as if it were God’s creation. In contrast to pagan culture, which idolized the sun, moon and stars, the Christian religion places them at the feet of the Creator. It was Christianity that freed humanity from humiliating slavery to the elements of the world and taught man to dominate nature to a much greater extent than rationalistic science dreams of (walking on water and resurrecting the dead).
The idea of unity and solidarity of peoples is a purely Christian idea. The great edifice of international law rests on this Christian idea. Socially, the beneficial influence of Christianity is undeniable. It created Christian marriage and the Christian family. It extremely raised the moral dignity of women: virgins, mothers, spouses. Christianity contrasted the pagan neglect of children with the precepts of Christ, who doomed every seducer and corrupter of children's innocence to the bitter fate of drowning with a millstone around the neck.
Paganism, even in the person of its best representatives, justified and supported slavery; Christianity, systematically destroying piece by piece the foundations by which it was justified in ancient times, finally led to its destruction. Christianity softened cruelty towards criminals.
Let us recall that the Lord Himself chose on earth the degraded title of artisan and thereby removed the stigma of contempt from all honest work. “Work and pray” has become the motto of the Christian life. All monasticism spent its time in work and prayer.
In order to correctly understand and define the essence of Christianity, it is necessary to keep in mind that it owes its origin entirely to the Divine Person of its Founder and bears the living imprint of this Person in everything.
The Christian religion, like its Founder, is, firstly, holistic, harmonious and comprehensive. It has no flaws and cannot be improved. She's perfect. Only a Christian is subject to improvement, and unlimited improvement at that. The ideal of his perfection is infinite. “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
Only the Christian religion has every right to be called a religion in the proper sense of the word, that is, a union with God. Christianity embraces our entire existence – spiritual and physical. It sanctifies all our family, social and political relationships. It satisfies all the needs of a person’s spiritual, mental and physical life.
To understand the essence of Christianity, one should consider the basic truths of the Christian religion. Christianity, first of all, is not so much a new system of belief and moral teaching as a new beginning of human life and activity.
Although not everything in the New Testament Christian religion is new in comparison with the Old Testament religion, nevertheless, even what Christianity adopted from the religion of Israel shines with a new light of deepened and perfected meaning.
Although both the Old and New Testaments contain dogmatic truths common to both Testaments about the unity of the Divine Being, about the properties of God, about the origin of man, about his original state, about the fall and others, nevertheless, these truths are presented more clearly in the New Testament, purer, deeper, more spiritual, freer from elements of anthropomorphism, which in the Old Testament obscures the idea of the spirituality of the Divine Being.
The word of Christ that “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) would be impossible to find in the Old Testament.
Some revealed truths in the Old Testament were expressed so covertly that they made the most spiritually developed people of the Old Testament think. Such truths should include indications of the mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of the Word and Spirit of God and others. These secrets, hidden from the Old Testament prophets, were clearly revealed only by the Savior Himself.
New Jewish scholars unfairly claim that in the entire Old Testament there is no indication of the mystery of the trinity. But one cannot help but see in the Old Testament undisclosed concepts about the special powers of God: the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Also unrevealed in the Old Testament was the appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three Angels.
In all its completeness accessible to human understanding, the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed, of course, only in the New Testament. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the heart of Christian dogma. This secret has enormous, inexhaustible significance, both purely speculative and moral.
The speculative significance of the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity consists primarily in the purification, elevation and clarification of the idea of monotheism. The Christian teaching about the Holy Trinity is not trebism, thirdism, which is directly and decisively condemned by the Christian Church. The doctrine of the Trinity is a special type of monotheism, but such a deep, sublime and pure one that we do not encounter in any other monotheistic system.
The essential thing in the Christian teaching about the Trinity is that, while preserving in all its integrity the Old Testament teaching about the unity of the Divine, through the disclosure of the dogma about the Holy Trinity, it gives the teaching about the unity of God a special, new, extremely significant, highly moral character, which was not and could not be be in no other system of monotheism.
It is not for nothing that Origen, Blessed Augustine and St. Gregory of Nyssa, analyzing the mystery of the Holy Trinity, proved the truth and Divinity of Christianity.
Pure monotheism says very little about the height, purity and moral value of the religion that preaches it. For one can imagine the religion of one idol.
Some of the thinkers of pre-Christian antiquity reached the concept of the unity of the Supreme Being, but the idea of the internal nature of such a Being, outside of His relationship to the world (i.e., the life of God in Himself), was incomprehensible. As a result, monotheism turned either into pantheism, which recognizes the eternal revelation of Divine life and essence in the world, or into dry deism.
Only Christianity, through the revelation of the dogma of the Holy Trinity, gave a solution to the question of the nature of the one God in Himself. Only Christianity discovered through this dogma the truth that God, the one infinite Spirit in His essence, has certain images of His existence, outside of His relations to the world, in His Trinitarian Being, in Which the infinite fullness of inner life, unknown to us, is manifested.
Without explaining the very essence of the mystery of the Trinity, this dogma clarifies for our mind something about the Being of God, namely, that in the Being of God there is an independent life activity independent of the world and there are conditions for its manifestation. Although the concept of the trinity of God is extremely difficult, the concept of His naked unity is even more difficult. “The Christian God is one, but not alone” (Peter Chrysologus “60th Word”).
But in addition to its speculative significance, the dogma of the Holy Trinity also has moral significance [see. Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) “The moral idea of the dogma of the Church”].
Through the mystery of the Trinity, Christianity taught humanity not only to reverently honor God, but also to love Him. Through the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, a new idea was revealed that God is love, the highest, ideal love and an inexhaustible source of love. St. Augustine asserted with deep justification: “The mystery of the Christian trinity is the mystery of Divine love. You see the Trinity if you see love."
The mystery of the Trinity teaches us that God’s love was manifested not only in creation and providence for the world, but that it appears in its most perfect, boundless fullness in the very bosom of the Divine, where from eternity there was a life of love, an eternal communion of the holy love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Thus, it can be argued that the dry monotheism of ancient religions, not fertilized by the revealed truth of the Trinity, did not and could not have a true concept of Divine love.
The main difference between the strictly monotheistic New Jewish religion and the Christian religion lies in the latter’s understanding of the basic Divine essence. Only Christianity, through the revelation of Christ Himself, knows and understands the truth that God is love and what love is.
Christ, in the words of the Christian poet A. Tolstoy, “subordinated all the laws of Moses to the law of love.” It is impossible to understand this idea of God-Love with dry monotheism, for who could God love except Himself? After all, the world is temporary, and when it did not yet exist, who could God love except Himself? Only the mystery of the Holy Trinity, which does not initiate us into the full depth of the Divine Being, immeasurable for the human mind, allows us to understand that the love of God was never inactive, never remained without manifestation, was never selfish, pointing to the eternal Divine communion of the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
The whole depth of God's love for the human race will become clear to us to the end in the light of the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. This mystery is also the basis of the entire Christian doctrine of atonement.
The highest example of love in the sacrifice of God the Father by His only begotten Son for the salvation of the human race, in the voluntary suffering on the cross of the Son of God for our redemption and in the descent of the Holy Spirit for our sanctification, shaking the human soul, gives rise to a reciprocal grateful, selfless love for God, whom a Christian begins to understand as the loving Father of all mankind.
If we also think deeply about the Christian teaching about the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, we will see that it has not only deep speculative, but also comprehensive moral significance. It raised man’s moral consciousness to such a height that it was impossible to rise to without God’s help.
Some of the ancient teachers of the Church formulated this truth as follows: “in the sacrament of the incarnation, God descended to man in order to raise man to God.”
The miracle of Christ's resurrection completes all other miracles and constitutes, in the vivid words of Professor N.P. Rozhdestvensky, “the main stone of Christian apologetics.” The proof of the truth of the resurrection of Christ is extremely simple and extremely convincing. This proof boils down to the fact that without the actual fact of the resurrection, neither the beginning of the apostolic preaching, nor the appearance in the world of historical Christianity with its martyrs, apologists, teachers of the Church and holy ascetics, nor the existence on earth to this day of millions of Christian believers, ready to give your life for Christ.
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25 / 08 / 2006
The most powerful, influential and numerous of all the main ones existing today, ahead of Buddhism and Islam, is Christianity. The essence of religion, which breaks down into so-called churches (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and others), as well as many sects, lies in the veneration and worship of one divine being, in other words, the God-man, whose name is Jesus Christ. Christians believe that he is the true son of God, that he is the Messiah, that he was sent to Earth for the salvation of the world and all humanity.
The religion of Christianity originated in distant Palestine in the first century AD. e. Already in the first years of its existence it had many adherents. The main reason for the emergence of Christianity, according to clergy, was the preaching activity of a certain Jesus Christ, who, being essentially a half-god, half-man, came to us in human form in order to bring people the truth, and even scientists do not deny his existence. About the first coming of Christ (the second of the Christian world is just awaiting) four sacred books have been written, which are called the Gospels. The sacred writings written by his apostles (Matthew, John, as well as Mark and Luke, disciples of the other two and Peter) tell about the miraculous birth of the boy Jesus in the glorious city of Bethlehem, about how he grew up, how he began to preach.
The main ideas of his new religious teaching were the following: the belief that he, Jesus, really is the Messiah, that he is the son of God, that there will be his second coming, there will be the end of the world and the resurrection from the dead. With his sermons, he called for loving one's neighbors and helping those in need. His Divine origin was proven by the miracles with which he accompanied his teachings. Many sick people were healed by his word or touch, he raised the dead three times, walked on water, turned it into wine and fed about five thousand people with just two fish and five cakes.
He expelled all merchants from the Jerusalem Temple, thereby showing that dishonest people have no place in holy and noble deeds. Then there was the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, accusations of deliberate blasphemy and brazen encroachment on the royal throne and a death sentence. He died, being crucified on the cross, having taken upon himself torment for all human sins. Three days later, Jesus Christ was resurrected and then ascended to heaven. About the religion Christianity says the following: there are two places, two special spaces that are inaccessible to people during earthly life. and paradise. Hell is a place of terrible torment, located somewhere in the bowels of the earth, and heaven is a place of universal bliss, and only God himself will decide who to send where.
The religion of Christianity is based on several dogmas. The first is that the Second is that he is trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The birth of Jesus occurred by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; God became incarnate in the Virgin Mary. Jesus was crucified and then died to atone for human sins, after which he was resurrected. At the end of time Christ will come to judge the world and the dead will rise. Divine and human natures are inextricably united in the image of Jesus Christ.
All religions of the world have certain canons and commandments, but Christianity preaches to love God with all your heart, and also to love your neighbor as yourself. Without loving your neighbor, you cannot love God.
The religion of Christianity has its adherents in almost every country, half of all Christians are concentrated in Europe, including Russia, one quarter in North America, one sixth in South America, and significantly fewer believers in Africa, Australia and
