Christianity

Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic faith centered on the Bible and the life and teachings of Jesus. With over 2.3 billion followers—roughly 28.8% of the global population—it is the largest and most geographically widespread religion in the world. Its adherents, called Christians, form the majority in an estimated 120 countries and territories.

The religion holds that Jesus is the Son of God, who was crucified and rose from the dead, and that his coming as the messiah (Christ) was foretold in the Old Testament and recorded in the New Testament. Most Christian denominations share core beliefs: that Jesus is God the Son, the Logos made flesh, who taught, suffered, died on a cross, and rose again for humanity’s salvation—a message known as the gospel, or “good news.” The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) recount Jesus’ life and teachings as preserved by early Christian tradition, with the Old Testament serving as their respected backdrop.

Christianity began in the 1st century as a Jewish sect with Hellenistic influences in the Roman province of Judaea, following Jesus’ death. His disciples spread the faith across the Eastern Mediterranean despite significant persecution. The inclusion of Gentile converts gradually led to a separation from Judaism in the 2nd century. Emperor Constantine I decriminalized Christianity in the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in 313, and in 325 he convened the Council of Nicaea, which produced the Nicene Creed and helped consolidate early Christianity into what would become the state religion by around 380. The Church of the East and Oriental Orthodoxy split over Christological differences in the 5th century; the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches separated in the East–West Schism of 1054; and Protestantism broke from the Catholic Church during the 16th-century Reformation, splintering into numerous denominations. Following the Age of Discovery (15th–17th centuries), Christianity expanded globally through missionary work, evangelism, immigration, and trade, playing a prominent role in the development of Western civilization, especially in Europe from late antiquity through the Middle Ages.

The three main branches are Catholicism (1.3 billion adherents), Protestantism (800 million), and Eastern Orthodoxy (300 million), with other notable branches including Oriental Orthodoxy (60 million) and Restorationism (35 million). Thousands of smaller church communities also exist. Efforts toward unity, known as ecumenism, are ongoing. In the West, Christianity remains the dominant religion despite declining adherence, with about 70% of the population identifying as Christian. The faith is growing in Africa and Asia, the world’s most populous continents. Many Christians still face persecution in regions where they are a minority, such as the Middle East, North Africa, East Asia, and South Asia.

The term “Christian” (meaning “followers of Christ”) was first used by non-Jewish inhabitants of Antioch, according to Acts 11:26. Early Jewish Christians called themselves “The Way,” possibly from Isaiah 40:3. The earliest recorded use of “Christianity” (or “Christianism”) comes from Ignatius of Antioch around 100 AD. The name Jesus derives from the Greek Iēsous, likely from the Hebrew/Aramaic Yēšūaʿ.

Christianity originated as a Jewish movement in 1st-century Judaea, within late Second Temple Judaism. Jesus’ earliest followers were Jews who interpreted his life, death, and expected return through Jewish apocalyptic and messianic frameworks. They remained part of Jewish religious life and did not initially see themselves as founding a new faith. Convinced that Jesus had been raised from the dead, they formed a community in Jerusalem awaiting his return and eschatological renewal, spreading this message throughout Israel and the Jewish diaspora. Early Jewish Christianity maintained a high Christology alongside monotheism. This community was led by the three Pillars of the Church: James the Just, Peter, and John. What became of this earliest Christ-following group is unclear; they may have been displaced, relocated, or killed when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.

As the message spread beyond Judea and Galilee into the Greco-Roman world, it attracted Gentile adherents, especially “God-fearers”—non-Jews drawn to Judaism who attended synagogues without fully converting. This challenged the movement’s Jewish religious outlook, which emphasized close observance of Jewish commandments. Paul the Apostle, a Pharisee who initially persecuted the Jesus movement, became one of its most influential missionaries after his conversion, focusing on spreading the message to non-Jews in the Eastern Mediterranean. Paul argued that Gentiles could share in Israel’s promises through exclusive devotion to the God of Israel, faith in Christ, baptism, and participation in his death and resurrection, without fully adhering to the Torah (including circumcision). This had a formative impact on the religion’s development.