world religion

Origins of Christianity

• Reform Movement within Judaism: Christianity began as a reform movement within Judaism, not as a completely separate religion initially.

• First-Century Jewish Groups:

  • In the first century BCE and CE, Jewish society had three main parties or philosophical/theological approaches, as noted by the Jewish historian Josephus:

    • Sadducees: Frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Supported by the Temple structure and priesthood. They ceased to exist after the Temple's destruction in $70$ CE because their power base and sacrificial system were gone.

    • Pharisees: Frequently mentioned in the New Testament. They were the only group among the original three to survive beyond $70$ CE, evolving into Rabbinic Judaism, which is the continuation and development of Pharisaic thought.

    • Essenes: Not directly named in the New Testament, but active in the first century. They were wiped out during the First Jewish War.

  • A fourth group, the earliest Christians (who were Jews), emerged alongside these three.

Life of Jesus: Birth and Early Details

• Birth Date Ambiguity: The exact birth year of Jesus is unknown.

  • Gospel of Matthew's Account: Suggests a birth around $6$ BCE, based on the correlation with the death of Herod the Great. Matthew mentions the Magi (Zoroastrian priests from the East) who followed a celestial sign, leading them to Jesus. Herod's reaction (ordering the killing of male children under two in the area) led Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt until Herod's death (which occurred in April, placing Jesus' birth potentially two years prior).

  • Gospel of Luke's Account: Mentions a census during the reign of Caesar Augustus when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Quirinius began his governorship approximately $12$ years later than the events in Matthew, implying a later birth for Jesus according to this account.

  • Conclusion: Most likely born between $6$ and $4$ BCE.

• Canonical Gospels: Christians accept four gospels as sacred texts:

  • Matthew

  • Mark

  • Luke

  • John

  • Only Matthew and Luke narrate Jesus' birth.

• Early Life Stories: Little is known about Jesus' childhood.

  • Luke Chapter 2: The only canonical story describes Jesus at about $12$ years old, traveling with his parents to Jerusalem for Passover. He becomes separated from them and is later found in the Temple precincts, discussing law, philosophy, and scripture with Jewish scholars.

  • Non-Canonical Gospels (Infancy Gospels): Later texts, like the Infancy Gospel of James (focusing on Mary's early life) and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, were written by early Christians to fill the gap in Jesus' childhood narrative. These portray Jesus as a mischievous boy with strange powers (e.g., cursing those who mocked him, making clay pigeons on the Sabbath and bringing them to life).

Contemporary Christian Groups

• Three Major Divisions:

  • Roman Catholics: The largest and most structured group, with a defined hierarchy.

  • Eastern Orthodox: Separated from Roman Catholicism in the Great Schism of $1054$ CE. Comprises various autonomous churches (e.g., Russian, Greek, Armenian, Serbian, Ukrainian Orthodox) with a distinct structure.

  • **Protest