The founder of Christianity was . He was a born on 25th December 4 B.C.E. at Bethlehem in Judea. Joseph and **** Mary were his parents. The birth of and the simultaneous appearance of the Easter star made the priests to believe that was a divine Entity.
He led a simple life and was associated with the poor. At the age of 12, he went to a ** synagogue and expounded the meaning of the difficult ** religious texts. was profoundly influenced by John the ** who baptized him at the age of 30. ***** became a wandering preacher.
His simple teachings and messages in the form of parables attracted people who flocked around him. He travelled in and around Judea with his 12 disciples, who recognized him as the Messiah. ** called himself as the Son of , which enraged the orthodox Jews.
His crucification took place on the 3rd April 30 C.E., at Mount Calvary at Golgotha, a hill near Jerusalem. His resurrection took place 3 days later, after which he remained with his disciples for 40 days and then ascended into heaven. The teachings of are found in the holy book of Christians, namely the .
** preached the existence of one . We are his sons. *** is omnipotent, the King of Heaven. He is all-merciful.
** preached the fatherhood of and brotherhood of men. Men should live like brothers and be devoted to ***.
***** believed in forgiveness and love towards mankind. He insisted on justice, humility and duty. He said, “Love your neighbours, love your enemies, bless them who curse you and do good to those who hate you and pray for them”.
According to *****, humility, purity of heart, sincerity, and fulfillment of duty were the gateway to heaven.
** said, “Service to people is service to ”. Such a service is a tool for spiritual attainments.
Forgiveness is a great virtue and persons blessed with that are close to ***.
Thus ***** preached simple principles which are helpful to mankind, to achieve salvation.
Spread of Christianity
1. Personality of **: The simplicity of ** attracted common people. His appeal towards the poor, sinners and sufferers and his spiritual power helped in the spread of religion.
2. Simple principles: ’ principles like fraternity, compassion, forgiveness, and in the Kingdom of Heaven – all these made ***** popular among the poor and the slaves.
3. Role of Apostles: The 12 Apostles played a dominant role in spreading Christianity by popularizing the principles of . Among them St. Peter and St. Paul are important. St. Peter founded a at Rome and became the first Pope to spread Christianity in Rome and Asia Minor. St. Peter was *** by Nero-the Emperor of Rome which made him a martyr. St. Paul became the second Pope.
Role of **. The ** became the chief institute for the preservation and propagation of the . People believed in as a way to Heaven and Pope as the representative of **. Despite persecutions, Christianity gained popularity.
5. Role of Constantine: The persecution of the Christians stopped when Constantine became the Emperor of Rome. He built a new city called Constantinople and dedicated it to ** Maty. He issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire and gave permission to the ***** missionaries to spread Christianity in the East. Under Emperor Theodisius in the 4th century C.E., Christianity became the state religion.
