Christianity and The Roman Empire

Christian Beliefs

Jesus and the Beginning of Christianity:
Jesus of Nazareth is the main deity of Christianity, and the founder of it. His alternate titles are “Messiah” or “Anointed One”. His title, Christ, comes from a Greek word that means “Anointed One” (christos). Jesus is the son of God, and is considered equal in power to God by faithful believers. However, his story is apocryphal and absurd to those who don’t believe in Christianity.
Jesus was the Jewish son of Mary and Joseph. He studied carpentry under Joseph and was originally a carpenter before he became a teacher and preacher. He had a few brother and sisters. Jesus had two fathers: a heavenly one, God, and an Earthly one, Joseph.
Jesus eventually began preaching and performing remarkable acts in Israel such as turning water into wine, walking on water, healing people, multiplying food to feed the needy and resurrecting others. He recruited twelve disciples to help him spread the word of Christianity- these twelve disciples were called the apostles. However, Jesus was unpopular with the Romans, who saw him as a danger to the government’s power, especially after he proclaimed himself King of the Jews. He also damaged the wealth of the high priests under Roman control by disrupting their trading, believing that the corrupt high priests were being bribed by the Roman authorities to control the Jews. The authorities began hunting Jesus, who went into hiding. However, one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, sold Jesus out (for the price of 30 silvers, as believed by some). The Romans arrested Jesus and had him executed by nailing him to a cross, or crucifixion. Unexpectedly, Jesus’s tomb was discovered to have been empty after 3 days. His disciples claimed that Jesus rose from the dead and met his disciples one last time in a vision before he went to heaven.

One of the reasons Jesus is so important to the Christians is that he sacrificed himself for the betterment of humanity. All humans are inherently sinful, because they are all descended from Adam and Eve, the first humans who sinned because the devil tempted them. Hebrew 9:22, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Redeeming a human requires a sacrifice, which humans used animals for, as allowed by God. However, animal sacrifices are only temporary, as humans continued to sin, and a permanent solution was needed- a human sacrifice. However, no human on Earth was without sin, meaning there were no suitable sacrifices available. This is why Jesus was born- he would be the son of God, the one without sin to be sacrificed. Those who accepted Jesus’s sacrifice for other humans are redeemed. Jesus’s sacrifice opened the door between man and God, and humans could get into heaven again.
As the Messiah, or the prophet of God and the person who would free mankind from sin, Jesus was responsible for protecting humans from sin, and for elucidating the path to heaven. Jesus is both human and god- he became human so he could relate to them and know their suffering. Jesus is so important to the Christians that he is mentioned over a thousand times in the New Testament. They believe that only through loving Jesus can they gain access to God and heaven. Thus, they worship him.

Above: The Last Supper of Christ, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Jesus is the figure in the middle.
Below: A portrait of the Lord and Saviour.

God and the Holy Trinity:
Christians believe that the highest divine deity is represented in three ways- the Father, the Son (who is Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Though there are three, they are all representative of one holy deity. Though this may be strange to process for humans, God is far more complex than beings like us, and is not restricted by the laws of a 3D universe. The Holy Trinity is interpreted and spoke about differently in different denominations of Christianity; For example, some may think Jesus is not equivalent to God while others may differ.

Creeds and the Bible:
Christians show their faith and beliefs by citing creeds and other important religious Christian texts, like the Westminster Confession of Faith (used by the Church of England and various other Presbyterian churches) or the Apostle’s Creed (a text reaffirming the faith of the apostles in the Holy Trinity and used by various Western Christian faiths like Catholicism). A creed is a statement or a set of ideas that represent the beliefs of the people backing the creed.
The Old and New Testaments were two sets of texts written in Hebrew, the language of Palestine (where Christianity originated), and Greek, the commonly-spoken language in the Mediterranean (when the New Testament was being written) respectively. The Old Testament was heavily inspired by the teachings of the Jewish (or Hebrew) Bible, and was known Tanak. It focused more on the history of Judaism and the Jews. The New Testament, on the other hand, focuses on Jesus and his disciples, along with the spread of Christianity. The two texts are combined to form the Christian Bible, a central collection of scriptures all Christians revere and follow, with the Old Testament forming the first half and the New Testament forming the second. In the Testaments, there are many stories about Judaism and Christianity. The Old Testament contains the stories of Abraham, the ancestor of all Jews who was told to sacrifice his son in a sign of faith to God (though the order was rescinded), Moses, the Hebrew prophet that led the Israelites out of Egypt and scribe of the Ten Commandments, and stories pertaining to the creation of the universe. The New Testament features the Gospels, or teachings, of Matthew, Mark, Luke

and John, four of Jesus’s apostles. The Gospels tell of the actions, deeds and wisdom of Jesus, along with his story. However, some parts of the four Gospels contradict each other, leading to debate between the scholars studying Jesus. Besides the Gospels, the New Testament also contains the Acts of the Apostles (also known simply as the Acts), a book that explains the actions of the 12 Apostles and the rise and spread of Christianity. Finally, the New Testament contains information concerning the start of the new Earth and Heaven by God on Judgement Day (in the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, also known as Apocalypse). The Christian Bible also contains many rules that are laid down by God, called commandments. There are the Ten Commandments originally recorded by Moses that appear the Hebrew text Exodus regulating faith, worship, sabbath (more on this later), filial piety, murderer, theft, adultery, jealousy, sacrilege and dishonesty. However, these ten are only the tip of the ice-berg. There are 603 other commandments that can be seen in the Old Testament, though only 297 are pertinent in modern contexts. The Bible serves as the basic dogma for every Christian faith, with every single Christian believing in its validity. Studying the Bible is tantamount to being a good Christian, and many Christians study the scriptures extensively. Parts of a section of the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms, are still sung today as hymns and prayers. Besides being useful for lore and regulations, the Bible also contains good advice, and is frequently quoted (the Bible is quoted in the Book, Chapter:Verse format) The exact meaning at some parts of the Bible, however, are interpreted differently by different sects of Christianity. For example, some believe Jesus only appeared to his disciples in visions, but others say he appeared to them in person (Acts 1:2-4).

Due to its ubiquity and widespread use around the globe, the Christian Bible has been translated to many languages. Here is one in Chinese.

Values:
Christians value the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that one should:
-Love your peers, be it your neighbor or your family, and God (Matthew 22:36-40, New Testament)
-Be pious in your marriages. Adultery was frowned upon, as shown in this quote from Chapter 19, Verse 6 of the Gospel of Matthew: “Whom God has joined together let no man put asunder.” Devotion to your marriage means you should avoid divorce as well.
-Abstain from retribution. “If a man strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.” This quote from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6, Verse 29 states that when one is wronged, one should give way (another version of the quote can be found in Matthew 5:39). Pacifism was practiced by Jesus- he took no revenge on the Romans who wronged him.
-Forgive those who have wronged you, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins [sic], you Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
-Love unconditionally. This means you must love even your enemies and your opposition, as shown in the quote from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6, Verse 27-28, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
There countless more virtues for Christianity, like compassion, friendship, trust and peace.

The New Testament, the second half of the Christian Bible and where many of Jesus's teachings come from.

The Cross:
One of the most recognizable symbols of Christianity in the world, the cross represents redemption and the cross of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Its significance stems from the significance of the execution of Christ- the crucifixion was a turning point in history where humans could finally redeem themselves again and ascend to heaven as a result of Jesus’s sacrifice. In Christian processions, crosses are usually carried by a clergy to represent the cross being carried by Jesus (and Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried the cross after Jesus collapsed the first time) as he marched to Calvary for his crucifixion. Crosses are also found in many Christian establishments, like churches and altars. As well as in structures and ceremonies, the Crusaders, the soldiers who went to reclaim the Holy Land from the saracens, wore the cross on their armour and their shields as a sign of devotion of faith to god and the Crusades.

Far Left: Different versions of the Christian cross found in different places and denominations.
Left: St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world and an important Catholic religious site located in Vatican City, has a cross on its dome.
Above: Crusaders rallying around a cross.

Christian Practices

Prayers, Hymns and Psalms:
Prayers (requests to the Lord), hymns and psalms (songs praising the Lord) are verbal forms of worship that all denominations of Christianity practice. The use of these chants is ubiquitous- they can be spoken to show gratitude, they can be chanted to request assistance, and they can be spoken to show one’s faith to the Lord. Prayers, hymns and psalms are sung and recited everywhere from the dinner table during meals to the pew of a church during services. The contents of these songs and chants include gratitude to the Lord, celebration of martyrs and Christian canon. Some very famous prayers are even spoken by non-Christians, such as the Lord’s Prayer being chanted by sports teams before and following a match to show gratefulness. Most prayers, hymns and psalms come from the Bible, with many hymns and psalms from the Book of Psalms (Old Testament). The Book of Psalms, sometimes known as the Psalter, is attributed to the Israelite musician David, though the evidence supporting this is weak. The 150 poems within the Psalter still serve the Christians of today.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Left: The Book of Psalms, or the Psalter.
Above: A recording of the Lord's Prayer, a very well known and venerated Christian prayer.

Sabbath:
Sabbath is a weekly Christian day of rest. The tradition is observed by Christians and Jews on the seventh day of the week. Jews believe Sabbath to take place from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, while Christians believe it to take place on Sunday, due to Sunday being the day Jesus allegedly came back to life. Sabbath is mandatory, as stated by the 4th commandment of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11). Sabbath day exists because Yahweh (God the Father) rested on Sunday during the creation week, and he wished for humans to recognize the day he rested during creation. On Sabbath, many forgo work and instead worship, pray and make offerings more. Sabbath was one of the religious traditions that combined with other religious weekly rest days and eventually culminated in modern weekends.

Church Attendance:
Perhaps the most well-known practice of Christians is church attendance. Religious services typically happen on the weekend, most commonly on Sunday. Depending on which denomination the service is being held by, the service can be headed by a clergy or even by a normal churchgoer. Services can be held for many things, like a funeral, a wedding, Mass (main form of worship for many Western Christian denominations), communion (a religious practice that involves the consumption of bread and wine, sometimes called the “Lord’s Supper, since it was requested by Jesus that they “do this in remembrance of me.” Communions are for remembering Christ and for Christians to celebrate their beliefs together), baptism (a rite that involves the cleaning of the person being baptized with water to symbolize the purification of the soul. Baptization is tantamount to joining the Christian faith), prayers and ordination (of new clergy).

Top Left: A priest baptizing an infant by sprinkling water on the infant's head.
Bottom Left: Catholic Mass (the religious service, not physics).
Right: A priest being ordained.

Festivals and Special Times:
Christians had many celebrations through the year. One of these was the Pentecost, a day of feasting in celebration of the day that the Holy Spirit began to interact with humans. It takes place on the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday.
Arguably the most significant Christian holiday is Holy Week. Holy Week symbolizes the last week of Jesus’s life, and is used by Christians to express their reverence to Jesus. The first day of Holy Week, Palm Sunday, represents the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, where the citizens showered his path with fabric and palm leaves. Christians commemorate this day by holding a procession with palm leaves laid on the path. Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday are celebrated by reading the scriptures and reciting hymns, though some denominations refrain from celebrating at all. Holy Wednesday is alternatively called Spy

Wednesday occasionally, since some believe this was the day Judas Iscariot, the traitor, began colluding with the authorities to arrest Jesus. Maundy Thursday is marked by a more solemn attitude, with private celebration of Mass being banned. Churches hold special communions to celebrate this day, as Thursday was the day of the Last Supper that Jesus spent with his disciples. Feet-washing is a notable event on Maundy Thursday. It takes place because Jesus humbly washed the feet of his disciples after the Last supper to remind his disciples that Christians should be kind and humble. Though it may seem strange that the day Jesus was whipped and crucified would be called “good”, Good Friday has its name because Jesus’s crucifixion marked his sacrifice that allowed humanity to access God and heaven. Christians celebrate this day by reciting hymns that show gratitude to their lord and savior. Holy Saturday is the day that Jesus stopped his work of human salvation, for he was dead. Christians celebrate this somber day with a solemn reflection of what the world would be like had Jesus Christ not sacrificed himself. Finally, we arrive at Easter Sunday, the day that comes after the Holy Week. Easter Sunday is the day that Jesus rose from the dead, which is a great cause for celebration. Easter Sunday for Christians is marked by special worshipping at church, music, candles, the ringing of church bells, feasts and processions. The consumption of chocolate bunnies originally had nothing to do with Easter Sunday for Christians, but it appeared as a result of spring fertility rituals being combined with the important religious day. Today, even atheists celebrate Easter, though maybe not for the same reasons as Christians.
Besides the Holy Week, there are other special times of the year for Christians. For example, there is Lent, a 40-day period of commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert, where he was tempted by the Devil to sin. However, Jesus resisted temptation and set an example to humanity on how to resist temptation (Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke) Christians are to live humbly in this period of time, fasting and even giving up possessions. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance and discipline, and ends 40 days later. One final special period of time for Christians is Advent. We all know about advent calendars- the calendars that mark the

days till Christmas and give you little prizes every day. The period of time it represents is a time of reflection and repentance. Advent is also a time of celebration and preparation, for the day after the end of Advent is the day the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. Advent lasts from St. Andrew’s day on November 30th unto Christmas Eve on December 24th.

Top Left: Easter, the day after Holy Week, being celebrated in a church. The spring rituals now commonly associated with Easter are seen.
Bottom Left: The color purple. Purple is used to represent Lent for two reasons: Firstly, it represents the suffering Jesus will endure on the day of his crucifixion, as the day Jesus is crucified (Good Friday) is right after Lent. Secondly, purple is used to represent royalty and the celebrations that will take place on Easter, which is also not far off from Lent.
Above: An advent calendar.