Christianity

Christianity is the largest religion in the world today; however it began as a sect of Judaism in the first century C.E. when the Roman Empire was at its peak. Christianity started as a small group of Jews who believed that Jesus was the messiah. Although it started, as a small group of followers, Christianity soon became a religion for the majority; a theology better suited for the people who were oppressed. Jesus was a teacher and was known as a worker of miracles. He healed the sick, the blind and fed the hungry. He was a man who taught all, regardless of social status. He emphasized that people should be judged by their actions rather than their status. He told all oppressed that they would be forgiven for their sins and would be rewarded if they repented. This made the religion of Christianity appeal to the oppressed outsiders that were contained within the Roman Empire.

Paul, the best-known early Christian, began as a strong minded Pharisee actively persecuting Christians. Realizing that Jesus was in fact real, he became a spokesperson for the Christians. Paul is a helpful reason that Christianity stayed alive. He helped to make the religion more appealing for the majority by traveling across the Roman Empire preaching to gentile audiences. Circumcision and the conversion to the Jewish faith seemed to be the biggest challenge in his missionary work. This is when Paul led the movement to allow gentiles to convert without first becoming Jews and following the laws of Judaism. This allowed converts to come very easily into the church. The theology that was well matched for the oppressed soon became a religion that also was a good fit for the majority, including the dominant, in the centuries to come.