关于基督教来历的英语短文

Christianity(fromtheAncientGreek:ΧριστιανόςChristianos[1]andtheLatinsuffix-itas)isamonotheisticandAbrahamicreligion[2]basedonthelifeandteachingsofJesusaspresentedincanonicalgospelsandotherNewTestamentwritings.[3]ItalsoconsiderstheHebrewBible,whichisknownastheOldTestament,tobecanonical.AdherentsoftheChristianfaithareknownasChristians.[4]

ThemainstreamChristianbeliefisthatJesusistheSonofGod,fullydivineandfullyhumanandthesaviourofhumanity.Becauseofthis,ChristianscommonlyrefertoJesusasChristorMessiah.[5]Jesus'ministry,sacrificialdeath,andsubsequentresurrection,areoftenreferredtoastheGospelmessage(goodnews).Inshort,theGospelisnewsofGodtheFather'seternalvictoryoverevil,[6]andthepromiseofsalvationandeternallifeforallpeople,throughdivinegrace.[7]Jesusstatedthatloveisthegreatestcommandment:ThoushaltlovetheLordthyGodwithallthyheart,andwithallthysoul,andwithallthymind[and]thoushaltlovethyneighbourasthyself.[8]

WorldwidethethreelargestgroupsofChristianityaretheRomanCatholicChurch,theEasternOrthodoxchurches,andthevariousdenominationsofProtestantism.TheRomanCatholicandEasternOrthodoxpatriarchatessplitfromoneanotherintheEast–WestSchismof1054AD,andProtestantismcameintoexistenceduringtheProtestantReformationofthe16thcentury,splittingfromtheRomanCatholicChurch.[9]

ChristianitybeganasaJewishsectinthemid-1stcentury.[10][11]OriginatingintheLevantregionoftheMiddleEast(modernIsraelandPalestine),itquicklyspreadtoSyria,Mesopotamia,AsiaMinorandEgypt.Itgrewinsizeandinfluenceoverafewdecades,andbythe4thcenturyreplacedpaganismasthedominantreligionwithintheRomanEmpire.[12]DuringtheMiddleAges,mostoftheremainderofEuropewasChristianized,withChristiansalsobeingasometimeslargereligiousminorityintheMiddleEast,NorthAfrica,Ethiopia[13]andpartsofIndia.[14]FollowingtheAgeofDiscovery,throughmissionaryworkandcolonization,ChristianityspreadtotheAmericas,Australasia,sub-SaharanAfrica,andtherestoftheworld.[15][16][17]

ChristiansbelievethatJesusistheMessiahprophesiedintheHebrewBible,referredtoastheOldTestamentinChristianity.ThefoundationofChristiantheologyisexpressedintheearlyChristianecumenicalcreedswhichcontainclaimspredominantlyacceptedbyfollowersoftheChristianfaith.[18]TheseprofessionsstatethatJesussuffered,died,wasburied,andwasresurrectedfromthedeadinordertogranteternallifetothosewhobelieveinhimandtrusthimfortheremissionoftheirsins(salvation).[19]TheyfurthermaintainthatJesusbodilyascendedintoheavenwhereherulesandreignswithGodtheFather.MostdenominationsteachthatJesuswillreturntojudgeallhumans,livinganddead,andgranteternallifetohisfollowers.[20]Heisconsideredthemodelofavirtuouslife,andboththerevealerandphysicalincarnationofGod.[21]ChristianscallthemessageofJesusChristtheGospel(goodnews)andgenerallyadheretotheTenCommandments.

Asoftheearly21stcentury,Christianityhasapproximately2.2billionadherents.[22][23][24][25]Christianityrepresentsaboutathirdoftheworld'spopulationandistheworld'slargestreligion.[26][27]Christianityisthestatereligionofseveralcountries.[28]AmongallChristians,37.5%liveintheAmericas,25.7%liveinEurope,22.5%liveinAfrica,13.1%liveinAsia,1.2%liveinOceaniaand0.9%liveintheMiddleEast.ChristianityhasplayedaroleinshapingofWesterncivilization