Christianity as a religious worldview
Today over 2.2 billion people worldwide belong to Christianity. Most profess to catholic faith, many are Christians Protestant or orthodox. About every third person professes Christianity, numerically it is the strongest of the world religions. Religious founder is Jesus of Nazareth, on whose life and work Christianity is based. Jesus Christ was sent into the world as the Son of God to redeem mankind from sins through his death on the cross. Christianity is thus considered to be one Religion of salvation. It is also considered to be Revelation religionbecause God, through Christ, revealed to people how to attain eternal life. According to the Christian self-understanding, Jesus is the Son of the One God and he gave his disciples the command to baptize all peoples. So Christianity is one monotheistic and proselytizing Religion.
The ethics of the Judaism is based on the 10 commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai. Over time, the Jewish religion developed into a complex structure of 613 commandments and prohibitions that were difficult to understand for ordinary people. From the simple principle An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth a precisely graduated regulation developed, which instead of revenge demanded a differentiated approach. The Jews also knew the commandment to love one's neighbor (Lev 19,18 ). However, Jesus put this commandment first (Mk 12,29–32 ). With his view that man is to be measured by his behavior towards fellow men and that love takes precedence over violence, that all people are equal before God, he gave new hope, especially to the socially oppressed.
Even if numerous currents and divisions have developed from the one early church over the centuries, they all have in common the belief in one Creator God, who created the world out of nothing, who appears in the form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He sent his Son into the world out of love for people, to redeem them from sins and to enable them to enjoy eternal life.
background
The life of jesus
According to today's knowledge, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the year 4 B.C., whereby the date of birth at Christmas time around December 25th is not guaranteed with certainty. He grew up with his mother Maria and his father Josef in Nazareth in Galilee. From his childhood and adolescence there are almost no surviving reports. At the age of about thirty he appeared as a preacher, he healed the sick, discussed the Holy Scriptures in synagogues, and was himself referred to as a rabbi. In the historical situation, many Jews expected that Roman rule would be shaken off, so Jesus got the call to strive for royal power. He went to shortly before the feast of Passover in the year 30 Jerusalem, was arrested there, charged with high treason and sentenced to death on the cross by the then Roman governor Pontius Pilate. On the third day after his death he showed himself to some of his disciples, and according to tradition, he ascended to heaven on the 40th day.
Beginning of the early church
With belief in the resurrection, Christianity could no longer be considered a current of the Judaism be valid. When in AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, some early Christian communities had already formed. But there were also initial disputes within the new doctrine, for example the question of whether or not a gentile must first accept the Jewish faith before baptism. Important people in those early days are the apostles Peterwhom Jesus designated as his successor and who is regarded as the first Pope and Paulwho, as a Roman, was a zealous persecutor of the young church and, after his conversion, became an ardent advocate of the new doctrine.
In the first few years the symbol of the new religion was a fish, the Greek name was used as an abbreviation for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. A cross was the symbol for the execution of a felon and would probably have been misunderstood in the Roman world. Until 313, times of persecution of Christians alternated with those of critical tolerance, then Emperor Constantine guaranteed religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire.
First divisions
The first was already in 325 under Emperor Constantine Council convened in Nicaea to avert a threatening split in the young church. The reason was the different view of the deity of Jesus Christ. The date for Easter was set in the council. But one also wrote in the creed that God was in the Trinity exists, that is, in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the councils that followed, some branches of the Church split off, so the ancient oriental churches of the East Syrian, Coptic, Armenian and Ethiopian Christians.
Separations in the Middle Ages
The political development of Europe did not stop at the Church either. The Western Roman Empire had fallen apart. There were differences of faith between the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople, probably also for political reasons. In the year 1054 the final break occurred, the oriental schism. The Eastern Churches have referred to themselves as orthodox, so orthodox. Also within the Latin Western Church there was once again a brief separation, that occidental schism with popes both in Rome as well as in Avignon.
reformation
In the beginning of the modern era there were repeated splits from the church. Struck in 1517 Martin Luther his theses on the church door in Wittenberg and started the Reformation. Other reformers were Calvin and Zwingli in the Switzerland, in France there was the Huguenot movement. The secession of the Anglican Church, on the other hand, had other reasons. In 1529 their bishops rejected the primacy of the Pope.
Fonts
Christianity is one Book religion. His writings are summarized in a binding canon. However, there are differences between the various faiths.
The Bible (Holy Scriptures)
Written by people and venerated as God's Word, the Bible is a collection of scriptures that were written in different eras and in different languages. The creation of the individual scriptures lasted until about 130 AD.
Old testament
The Old Testament corresponds to that Tanakh of Judaism, but the volume and order of the books is not identical. However, it is a valid word of God, in particular the Ten Commandments.
New Testament
The New Testament includes the four Gospels. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke were written from the year 50 AD, the Gospel of John was written around 70 AD. composed. That is also part of the New Testament Acts of the Apostles and the Revelating of the Johannes. Other fonts are the Letters of the Apostles as well as the Paul.
Other fonts
In the time of the early Church, in addition to the writings of the New Testament, other works were created that were not taken into account when determining the canon, either out of ignorance or because their content differed too much. These include the Apocrypha. The New Testament was written in Greek, so not everyone could read it. It has been translated and commented on by the Church fathers. Belong to them Jerome, the pope Leo the Great or Thomas Aquinas. Your writings have had a decisive influence on the development of Christianity, but are not part of the Bible.
For the Protestant churches only the Holy Scriptures are valid, for other faiths such as the Roman Catholic Church are also still valid Dogmas binding.
Buildings
Churches
The designation church means belonging to the Lord, so house of God. They have different names depending on the design or their meaning.
In canon law, a building is a church as soon as it is consecrated (church consecration = consecration), and Serves the regular gathering of the members of a Christian community. That means: a church usually has parish rights with a fixed parish and an assigned pastor (= parish). In special cases, which are no longer so rare, there are vacant pastor posts due to a shortage of priests.
- The Parish church (Parochialkirche) is the mother church of a parish (Parochie).
- cathedral refers to the word cathedra (Greek for chair), means a bishopric. The use of the term "ecclesia cathedralis" was first documented at the Council of Tarragona in 516. Famous cathedrals are Notre Dame in Paris, the Cathedral of Chartres, the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso, the St Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin and the Cathedral Ss. Trinity in Dresden
- Dom: the term originated from Domus Dei and means that House of god. The term cathedral for a church building is only used in the German-speaking area, otherwise one speaks of the cathedral. In Catholic canon law, a cathedral is always the main place of worship in a bishopric. Important cathedral churches are in Cologne, in Mainz, in Speyer, Wurzburg and Aachen. In the non-German language area, the word is also used for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the cathedral in Florence and the cathedral in Pisa used.
- basilica: the name means King's Hall. In Catholic canon law, the name basilica is an honorary title given to the building by the Pope:
- The title Basilica maior lead the four patriarchal basilicas of the Vatican (San Pietro / St. Peter's Basilica, San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore and San Paulo fuori le Mure), as well as the Roman churches San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.
- The title Minor basilica is also awarded to important churches outside Rome, e.g. to the St. Anne's Basilica in Altoetting, the Bamberg Cathedral, the Worms Cathedral and to the Speyer Cathedral.
- Well-known basilicas outside of Germany are the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre in Paris and the Nueva Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico City and San Zeno in Verona.
- Muenster: The name is derived from the Latin word monastery, as a monastery. As collegiate churches, ministers often belong to monasteries, but they can also simply be large parish churches. That is to be named Ulm Minster in Ulm, the Freiburg Minster in Freiburg in Breisgau, but also the Westminster Abbey in London.
The first churches initially resembled large manorial houses, the type of basilica emerged, later supplemented by cross vaults. They were mostly oriented from west to east, the main entrance in the west, the sanctuary in the east. Often there is a gallery above the main entrance with an organ, the music of which is used to accompany liturgical chants. In the middle of the interior there is a raised pulpit from which preaching is held during the service. Indispensable is a baptismal font, sometimes a baptistery, which is also called Baptistery can stand outside the church. Christian churches usually also have at least one bell tower, which can also be used as a Campanile stand separately.
The design often allows conclusions to be drawn about the time of origin or the denomination. Churches with lavish decorations were common in the Baroque and Rococo, more so in the Catholic Church than in the Protestant Church, which often seem quite sober. Kneeling benches and vessels for holy water are also references to a Catholic place of worship.
Orthodox church buildings often stand out because of their numerous domes. The sanctuary is through a with Icons decorated wall severed. Also, there are usually neither seats nor kneeling benches. The organ is also missing in Orthodox churches, liturgical chants are generally without instrumental accompaniment. Well-known Orthodox churches are those St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.
Monasteries
People live in a monastery to focus on their religious life. Accordingly, a Christian monastery usually includes a whole series of buildings that can be differentiated according to their function as residential buildings, farm buildings and sacred buildings. A cloister is attached to the monastery church. In the middle of the courtyard there is usually a fountain. From the cloister you can get to the residential buildings, also called Convention designated. The important space is Chapter House, a meeting room. These are other rooms refectory or dining room and that Dormitory, the dormitory. Individual monastery cells were not common in all monasteries. You can still find that in various places Necessarium, translates as a need room, next to the dormitory. The monastery complexes of Eberbach Monastery, Maulbronn Monastery and Ettal Abbey in Germany, that Mosteiro de Alcobaça in Portugal and the Catherine Monastery in Egypt.
This is a special form of the monastery pen, in which canons lived. The members of this monastic community used to come mostly from noble houses. Today it is often clergy who are in one monastic community Life. A well-known pen is in Melk on the Danube, another is Neustift Monastery at Brixen.
Chapels
Chapels are small Christian buildings that are mostly free-standing, but can also be present in other forms in Christian and numerous secular buildings. Depending on the type of chapel, they can be used for church services or ceremonies, e.g. for baptisms or memorials. Images of grace or Christian sculptures are often kept in the chapels. Probably the most famous chapel is that Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
According to canon law, chapels are prayer rooms in which Holy Mass is not regularly celebrated, i.e. de facto without their own parish and without their own pastor.
Christian life
The church year
There are differences in holidays between the Christian denominations. In Germany they are also not available in every federal state treated equally.
The Christmas festival circle
One of the central festivals is Christmas. The festival has been celebrated on December 25th since the 4th century. December 24th is the Christmas Eve, December 26th is also a public holiday, in some denominations it is called St. Stephen's DayBefore that, there are the four Sundays in Advent in preparation for the birth of Christ. The 1st Sunday in Advent is always between November 27th and December 3rd. The new church year begins with the first Advent. The Christmas festival circle ends with the festival Epiphany on January 6, also known as Epiphany.
The Easter festival circle
In most churches it is the first Sunday after the spring full moon. There may be deviations in the Orthodox churches, as the Easter date cannot be before that of the Jewish Passover festival. In the week before Easter are the Palm Sunday, the Maundy Thursday and the Good Friday. The beginning of the Easter festival is Ash Wednesday. The 40-day fasting period begins with this date. Sundays through Easter do not count as fast days. There is no Ash Wednesday in the Eastern Churches; Lent there begins on the Sunday before. The Easter festival circle ends 50 days after Easter on Pentecost.
Trinity time
The Holy Trinity is on the Sunday after Pentecost (or, as in the Orthodox churches, on Pentecost) and ends with the beginning of Advent. In this Time in the annual cycle there are only a few church festivals. The Catholic Corpus Christi on the 2nd Thursday after Pentecost and the Protestant one Reformation Festival count as well All Saints Day On november 1st.
Christian faith
Baptism
With the sacrament of baptism a person becomes a member of a Christian community. A few drops of water are sufficient for most churches. But there is also immersion. A few denominations only baptize adults; the larger denominations tend to baptize children. However, children cannot make the promise of baptism on their own. This task has to be done by sponsors. As a rule, relatives take on this honorary position, they must be baptized themselves. When the children are old enough, the baptismal promise is made with the Confirmation or. confirmation renewed.
Lord's Supper
Eucharist, communion, memorial meal, breaking bread are some other names for the memory of the last common meal of Jesus with his apostles. As a sacrament, it is part of the worship of the major Christian denominations, but its meaning is very different.
Sin and repentance
People are supposed to lead a sin-free life, so that after their death, by the grace of God, they can achieve eternal life and dwell with God in heaven. Now all people are fallible, they commit Sins, Wrongdoing against God's commandments. These sins can be forgiven by God. Is to Buses It is necessary to recognize the mistakes and to rethink. The sinner must admit his wrongdoing, he must Repentance demonstrate. This is done in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches by the confessionin the course of which the sinner is absolved of his guilt (absolution). In order to seek forgiveness of sins from God, there is an outward sign that is atonement. It can take place through prayer, also through voluntarily imposed sacrifices such as abstinence from luxury foods or through fasting. Since Jesus died for us on the cross, the time before Easter is a 40-day fast during which no meat should be eaten. A typical fasting dish in southern Germany are the Maultaschen, because of their hidden meat content as God bastard designated. Beer was also a popular fasting drink. The principle applied Liquid does not break fasting. No wonder it says in an old song "The times are over, where there used to be a monastery, there is now a brewery.".
Prayers
The Our Father, Latin Father noster, is probably the most famous prayer. Jesus himself taught his disciples (Mt 6,9–13 ). Often a Creed prayed that Creed. It goes back to the first council, but is not the same for all denominations. This is particularly widespread in the Catholic Church Ave Maria or Greetings, Maria. In many denominations there is a cross sign common at the beginning of the prayer. Prayers are part of all Christian worship services. Even if it is not noticeable in public life, prayers are part of everyday life for many Christians, be it alone in the morning and in the evening or in the family as grace.
Adoration of saints and relics
The apostles, the martyrs who died for their faith and early church fathers were met with special respect even in early Christianity. There were days of remembrance after her death, statues and pictures were created to commemorate her, and places of worship were named after them. In this context came the worship of Relics on. These are objects with which a saint was in contact, sometimes also parts of the deceased's body such as bones or hair. As long as this has nothing to do with worship and miracles are not expected from the relics, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches allow it. The Protestant Church rejects the veneration of saints as unbiblical, and other denominations even see it as idolatry.
Denominations
Different opinions and traditions have developed over time. The largest denominational groups are
- the Catholicism
- the Protestantism
- the Orthodox churches
In addition, there have been numerous others Christian groups developed, are known
- the Mormon
- the Amish
- the Jehovah's Witnesses
- the Adventists
literature
- : World religions: origin, history, practice, belief, worldview. Parragon, 2008, ISBN 978-140755424-2 .
- : The seven world religions. Edition XXL, 2004, ISBN 978-389736322-9 .
- : World religions. Ullmann, 2005, ISBN 978-3833114069 .
Web links
- Safe Bible editions on-line
- The Bible portal of the German Bible Society
- The Bible Latin and German
- Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints - (German)
