Chapter I. Spread of Christianity
The main positive reason for the rapid spread and final victory of Christianity lies in its own inherent value as a universal religion of salvation, in the perfect teaching and example of its God-human Founder, who is to the heart of every believer the Savior from sin and the Giver of eternal life. Christianity is adaptable to the situation of any class, to any condition, to any relationship between men, to all peoples and races, to people of every level of culture, to every soul that longs for holiness of life and redemption from sin. The value of Christianity lies in the truth and power of its teachings, which testify for themselves; in the purity and sublimity of his precepts; in a regenerating and sanctifying influence on the heart and life; in the exaltation of woman and the life of the house over which she rules; in improving the situation of the poor and suffering; in faith, brotherly love, charity and the triumphant death of those who professed it.
To this internal moral and spiritual testimony was added a powerful external proof of the divine origin of Christianity - the prophecies and omens of the Old Testament, so amazingly fulfilled in the New, and finally, the evidence of miracles, which, according to the unequivocal statements of Square, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen and others , were sometimes accompanied during that period by the sermons of missionaries trying to convert pagans.
Particularly favorable external circumstances were the extent, orderliness and unity of the Roman Empire, as well as the predominance of the Greek language and culture.
Besides these positive reasons, a significant negative advantage of Christianity was the hopeless situation of Judaism and the pagan world. After the terrible punishment - the destruction of Jerusalem, the persecuted Jews wandered, finding no peace and no longer existing as a nation. Paganism was outwardly widespread, but internally rotten and heading towards inevitable decline. Popular faith and public morality were undermined by skepticism and materialistic philosophy; Greek science and art lost their creative power; The Roman Empire rested only on the strength of the sword and immediate interests; the moral bonds that unite society have been shaken; unbridled greed and vices of every kind, even in the opinion of such men as Seneca and Tacitus, reigned in Rome and in the provinces, extending from palaces to hovels. Virtuous emperors like Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius were the exception, not the rule, and could not stop moral degradation.
Nothing created by classical ancient culture in the days of its heyday was able to heal the mortal wounds of the era or even bring temporary relief. The only star of hope in the approaching night was the young, fresh, fearless religion of Jesus, not afraid of death, strong in faith, spreading love; it was destined to attract all thinking people to itself as the only living religion of the present and future. While the world was constantly shaken by wars and revolutions, and dynasties rose and fell, the new religion, despite terrifying opposition from without and internal dangers, quietly but steadily strengthened its position, relying on the indestructible power of truth, and gradually penetrated into the very flesh and blood humanity.
The great Augustine says: “Christ appeared to the people of a decaying, declining world, so that through Him they could receive a new life, full of youth, while everything around them was withering away.”
NOTES
Gibbon, in his famous fifteenth chapter, attributes the rapid spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire to five causes: the zeal of the early Christians, the belief in future reward and punishment, the power of miracles, the severity (purity) of Christian morality and the compact church organization. But these reasons are themselves consequences of a reason to which Gibbon does not pay attention, namely: the divine truth of Christianity, the perfection of the teaching of Christ and the example of Christ. See the criticism of Dr. John Henry Newman, Grammar of Assent,
445 sq.) and Dr. George II.
Fisher (George P. Fisher, The Beginnings of Christianity,
p. 543 sqq.). “This zeal [of the early Christians],” says Fisher, “was a zealous love for the Person and for His service; faith in the future life flowed from faith in the One who died and rose again and ascended into heaven; the miraculous abilities of the first disciples were consciously associated with the same source; the moral purity and fraternal unity which underlie the ecclesiastical ties among the early Christians were also the fruit of their relationship with Christ and their common love for Him. The victory of Christianity in the Roman world was the victory of Christ, who ascended to draw all people to Himself.”
Lecky, Hist, of Europ. Morals,
I. 412) looks deeper than Gibbon, and attributes the success of early Christianity to its internal superiority and excellent adaptation to the needs of the period of the ancient Roman Empire. “In the midst of this movement,” he writes, “Christianity rose, and it will not be difficult for us to discover the reasons for its success. No other religion under such circumstances has ever combined in itself so many powerful and attractive aspects. Unlike the Jewish religion, it was not associated with any locality and was equally suitable for representatives of any people and any class. Unlike Stoicism, it was powerfully appealing to the senses and had all the charm of compassionate worship. Unlike the Egyptian religion, it added to its unique teaching a pure and noble ethical system and proved itself capable of putting it into practice. At the moment of the process of social and national fusion unfolding everywhere, she proclaimed the universal brotherhood of people. Amidst the corrupting influence of philosophy and civilization, she taught the supreme holiness of love. For a slave who never played much of a role in the religious life of Rome, it was the religion of the suffering and oppressed. For the philosopher, this was both an echo of the higher ethics of the late Stoics and the development of the best teachings of Plato’s school. For a world hungry for miracles, it offered a history full of miracles no less extraordinary than those performed by Apollonius of Tyana; Jews and Chaldeans could hardly compete with Christian exorcists, and legends about the constant performance of miracles spread among the followers of this faith. To a world deeply conscious of political disintegration, and eagerly and eagerly looking forward to the future, it proclaimed with thrilling force the imminent destruction of the globe—the glory of all its friends and the condemnation of all its enemies. For a world that had become tired of the cold and dispassionate greatness conceptualized by Cato and sung by Lucan, she proposed an ideal of compassion and love - an ideal called upon throughout the centuries to attract to itself all that is greatest and noblest on earth - a Teacher Who was touched by the sight of our infirmities and Who could cry over the grave of His friend. In short, to a world tormented by contradictory beliefs and conflicting philosophical systems, Christianity offered its teachings not as a human invention, but as a divine revelation, confirmed not so much by reason as by faith. “For with the heart they believe unto righteousness”7; “Whoever wants to do His will will find out about this teaching, whether it is from God”8; “if you don’t believe, you won’t understand”; “truly Christian heart”; “one becomes theologian from the heart” - these expressions best convey the essence of the original impact of Christianity on the world. Like all great religions, Christianity was more concerned with the way of feeling than with the way of thinking. The main reason for the success of Christianity was the conformity of its teachings with the spiritual nature of humanity. Christianity was so deeply rooted in the hearts of people precisely because it exactly corresponded to the moral experiences of the age, because ideally it represented that highest type of perfection to which all people aspired, because it coincided with their religious needs, goals and feelings, and because under his influence the whole spiritual essence of man could freely spread and develop.”
Merivale, Convers. of the Rom. Emp.,
Preface) explains the conversion of the Roman Empire primarily by four reasons: 1) external evidence of the truth of Christianity, expressed in the obvious fulfillment of recorded prophecies and miracles;
2) internal testimony, expressed in the satisfaction of the recognized need for a redeemer and sanctifier; 3) the goodness and holiness of the life and death of the first believers; 4) the temporary success of Christianity under Constantine, “
which through a comprehensive revolution directed the human masses towards the rising sun of truth revealed in Christ Jesus.”
Renan discusses the reasons for the victory of Christianity in the thirty-first chapter of his Marcus Aurelius (Renan, Marc-Aurele,
Paris 1882, pp.
561–588). He explains it primarily as a “new discipline of life” and “moral reform”, which the world needed and which neither philosophy nor any existing religion could give it. The Jews truly rose high above the wickedness of that era. “Gloire éternelle et unique, qui doit faire oublier bien des folies et des violence! Les Juifs sont les révolutionnaires de 1 er
et du 2e siècle de notre ère»9.
They gave the world Christianity. “Les populations se précipitèrent, par une sorte du mouvement instinctif, dans une secte qui satisfaisait leur aspirations les plus intimes et ouvrait des espérances infinies”
10
.
Renan emphasizes the belief in the sinfulness of people and the forgiveness offered to every sinner as attractive features of Christianity;
like Gibbon, he is oblivious to the real power of Christianity as a religion of salvation.
And it is this force that explains the success of Christianity not only in the Roman Empire, but also in all other countries and peoples where it spread.
Distinctive features of Orthodoxy
In all Orthodox countries, the main tenets of this branch of Christianity are observed. These include the following: the trinity of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), salvation from the Last Judgment through confession of faith, atonement for sins, incarnation, resurrection and ascension of God the Son - Jesus Christ.
All these rules and dogmas were approved in 325 and 382 at the first two Ecumenical Councils. The Orthodox Church proclaimed them eternal, indisputable and communicated to humanity by the Lord God himself.
Traveling Preachers
Of course, in response to the demand of the era, many prophets and preachers appeared who declared themselves the sons of God and offered salvation and eternal life to their followers. Some of them were outright scammers, others sincerely believed in their calling. Among the latter there were indeed many great people, a striking example of which is Apollonius of Tyana. But they all organized their own local communities, schools, then died, and the memory of them was erased. Only one such traveling teacher was luckier than the others - the Jew Jesus.
The birthplace of Protestantism is Western Europe
Protestantism arose in Western Europe in the 16th century. It is the third largest Christian denomination on the European continent. Today there are several thousand Protestant denominations.
This makes it difficult to count the number of Protestants in Europe. The number of some Protestant communities does not exceed 1 thousand people.
Among the largest are such religious associations as: the Church of England, which unites followers of the Anglican Church, Puritans, supporters of the teachings of Luther, who are united by the Lutheran Church.
Basel Cathedral. Europe is the birthplace of Protestantism. Photo: freecity.lv
Separately, it is worth noting such a religious association as the Evangelical Church in Germany. It unites the Reformed Church and Lutheran communities in Germany. In addition, Seventh-day Adventists, representatives of the Free Church and the Salvation Army, the Church of Scotland, etc. also operate in Europe.
The majority of Protestant believers are adherents of Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Calvinism, while in Europe there are also small religious groups calling themselves Protestants. The number of their followers in different countries does not exceed 2 thousand people.
34 million
so many Protestants live in the UK, this is the largest number of Protestants in Europe
The most populous Protestant countries in Europe at the moment are Great Britain, where Anglicanism is practiced, the head of which is the English monarch (34 million), and Germany, where Protestant denominations are the most diverse (23 million).
A third of the Swiss, a fifth of the Dutch, and more than 80% of the population of the Scandinavian countries and Finland consider themselves Protestants. More than a million Protestants live in France, Hungary and Romania. In historically Lutheran Estonia and Latvia, only every fifth person considers themselves a Lutheran, while in Estonia 40%, and in Latvia just over 50% of the country's population, consider themselves to be a Lutheran.
Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism as world religions are also represented in Europe
All world religions are represented in Europe, including Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Judaism has always been quite widespread across the European continent.
As a result of the persecution of Jews and especially the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany during World War II, the Jewish population of Europe declined significantly. Today, the largest Jewish community lives in France.
Its population represents 1% of the total population (between 483,000 and 500,000 Jews). Other countries with large Jewish populations are Great Britain and Russia with 291,000 and 194,000 people respectively.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany. As a result of the Holocaust, the size of the Jewish community in Europe decreased significantly. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
As for Buddhism, it has recently begun to spread throughout Europe. Today there are 3 million supporters of this religion. Most of them live in Kalmykia.
Hinduism is widespread mainly among Indian immigrants. His following has also grown rapidly in recent years, especially in the UK, France and the Netherlands. In 1998 there were approximately 1.4 million Hindu supporters in Europe.
As a result of the Holocaust, the Jewish community in Europe was significantly reduced.
Indian emigrants also brought Hindu religions such as Jainism and Sikhism to the European continent. Jainism is common in Belgium and Britain. The number of supporters of this religion does not exceed 3 thousand people.
As for Sikhism, about 1,000,000 people live in Europe. Most of the community lives in the United Kingdom (750,000) and Italy (70,000). Approximately 10,000 in Belgium and France.
The Netherlands and Germany have Sikh populations of 12,000. In all other European countries, no more than 5 thousand Sikhs live.
Orthodoxy in the Russian Federation
As noted above, the country of Russia is Orthodox, the number of believers is the largest in the world and extends over its entire large territory.
Orthodox Russia is famous for its multinationality; this country is home to a large number of peoples with different cultural and traditional heritage. But most of these people are united by their belief in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Such Orthodox peoples of the Russian Federation include the Nenets, Yakuts, Chukchi, Chuvash, Ossetians, Udmurts, Mari, Nenets, Mordovians, Karelians, Koryaks, Vepsians, the peoples of the Komi Republic and Chuvashia.
The Appearance of Jesus
There is no reliable information about where Jesus, later known as Christ, was born and what kind of life he led before his preaching. Biblical stories on this subject are taken on faith by Christians, but the degree of their historical reliability is not very high. It is only known that he was from Palestine, belonged to a Jewish family and, possibly, to some kind of near-Jewish sect, like the Qumranites or Essenes. Then he led a wandering lifestyle, preached peace, love, the imminent coming of the kingdom of God and, as stated in the New Testament, considered himself the messiah promised by the Jewish prophets. However, whether he considered himself such or whether this role was imposed on him by his followers is a moot point. In the end, near Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified by the Roman authorities at the insistence of the Jewish clergy. And then the fun began.
Orthodoxy in North America
It is believed that Orthodoxy is a faith that is widespread in the Eastern part of Europe and a small part of Asia, but this religion is also present in North America, thanks to the huge diasporas of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Greeks and other peoples resettled from Orthodox countries .
Most North Americans are Christians, but they belong to the Catholic branch of this religion.
In Canada and the USA, attitudes towards religion are slightly different.
Many Canadians consider themselves Christians, but rarely attend church. Of course, there is a slight difference depending on the region of the country and urban or rural areas. It is known that city residents are less religious than country people. The religion of Canada is mainly Christian, the majority of believers are Catholics, followed by other Christians, and a significant portion are Mormons.
The concentration of the latter two religious movements is very different from region to region of the country. For example, many Lutherans live in the maritime provinces, once settled there by the British.
And in Manitoba and Saskatchewan there are many Ukrainians who profess Orthodoxy and are adherents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In the United States, Christians are less devout, but, compared to Europeans, they attend church more often and perform religious rituals.
Mormons are mainly concentrated in Alberta due to the migration of Americans who are representatives of this religious movement.
