The religion of Christianity, its foundations and essence. Religion Christianity, its foundations and essence Message about religion summary

Instructions

Christianity originated in the first century AD (modern chronology is based precisely on the Nativity of Christ, that is, the birthday of Jesus Christ). Modern historians, religious scholars and representatives of other religions do not deny the fact that in Palestinian Nazareth, more than two thousand years ago, a great preacher was born. Jesus is one of the prophets of Allah, a reformer rabbi who decided to rethink the religion of his ancestors and make it simpler and more accessible to the people. Christians, that is, followers of Christ, honor Jesus as God's anointed on earth and adhere to the version of the immaculate virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, from the Holy Spirit who descended to earth in the form of. This is the basis of religion.

Initially, Christianity was spread by Jesus (and after his death by his followers, that is, the apostles) among the Jews. The new religion was based on Old Testament truths, but more simplified. Thus, the 666 commandments of Judaism in Christianity turned into the main ten. The ban on eating pork and separating meat and dairy dishes was lifted, and the principle “man is not for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man” was proclaimed. But the main thing is that, unlike Judaism, Christianity has become an open religion. Thanks to the activities of missionaries, the first of whom was the Apostle Paul, the Christian faith penetrated far beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, from Jews to pagans.

Christianity is based on the New Testament, which together with the Old Testament makes up the Bible. The New Testament is based on the Gospels - the biography of Christ, starting from the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and ending with the Last Supper, at which one of the apostles Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, after which he was declared a thief and crucified on the cross along with other offenders. Particular attention is paid to the miracles that Christ performed during his life, and his miraculous resurrection on the third day after death. Easter, or the Resurrection of Christ, along with Christmas, is one of the most revered Christian holidays.

Modern Christianity is considered the most popular religion in the world, has about two billion followers and branches into many movements. The basis of all Christian teachings is the idea of ​​the trinity (God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit). The human soul is considered immortal, depending on the number of lifetime sins and virtues, after death it goes either to hell or to heaven. An important part of Christianity are the Sacraments of God, such as baptism, communion and others. Discrepancies in the list of sacraments, the importance of rituals and methods of prayer are observed among the main Christian branches - Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Catholics, along with Christ, revere the Mother of God, Protestants oppose excessive ritualism, and Orthodox (orthodox) Christians believe in the unity and holiness of the church.

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Christianity is the largest (by number of adherents) world religion. The number of people who consider themselves Christians and more or less strictly adhere to religious canons today exceeds two billion people. Why did Christianity arise in the first place?

Of course, for people who hold materialistic views, there is not and cannot be an absolutely accurate answer to this question.

But there is another, very serious reason. Christianity originated during the heyday of the Roman Empire. She achieved such strength and influence that it seemed that her unshakable power in the conquered provinces was established forever. Any attempts to resist Roman power were useless, were mercilessly suppressed and only led to even greater troubles, humiliation and oppression. The people of Judea also learned this truth from their own experience. Many people who sincerely did not understand how this could be happening and why their god Yahweh turned away from his people, this led to despair. Therefore, it is not surprising that the basic postulates of Christianity, which state that those who unjustly suffer in earthly life, endure torment and humiliation, will subsequently receive a reward in the afterlife, and his oppressors and offenders will be doomed to eternal torment, found a gracious response in the hearts many people.

For the same reason, Christianity quickly gained many adherents among the population of other provinces under the yoke of Rome. And subsequently - among the Roman slaves, the number of which was simply enormous. There is nothing more natural than that people who were in complete subordination to their masters (often rude, cruel, even inhuman), enduring beatings and humiliation, were consoled by the thought: now we feel bad, it’s unbearably hard, but after death everyone will be rewarded according to their deserts, we will end up in heaven, and our tormentors go to hell. gave them hope and strength to endure the bitterness of their situation.

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Christianity arose about two thousand years ago and during this time it has become one of the most powerful world religions. Historians disagree about the origins of Christianity. Some believe that this was Palestine, others are convinced that the first Christian communities appeared in Greece and Rome.

Instructions

Judaism became the ideological basis of Christianity. At the same time, the provisions of the Old Testament did not lose their meaning, but received a new interpretation in the light of the events described in the Gospels and associated with the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Adherents of the emerging religion introduced new ideas into the doctrine of monotheism, messianism and the end of the world. The idea arose about the second coming of the Savior, after which his thousand-year kingdom would be established on earth.

In the 1st century AD, Christianity was just beginning to differentiate itself from Judaism. The mood in the religious environment was determined by faith in Jesus Christ, who came into the world to atone for the sins of mankind, as well as the conviction of his divine origin. The first Christians awaited the reappearance of the Savior from day to day, anticipating his just reprisal against those who oppressed the people of Palestine.

Where the position of Christianity turned out to be strong, religious communities arose that initially did not have centralization and special priests. The associations of the first Christians were headed by the most authoritative believers, whom the rest considered capable of receiving God's grace. Leaders of Christian communities often had charisma and exerted a strong influence on the Christian community.

Gradually, special people began to emerge from among the religious Christian communities who were involved in the interpretation of the provisions of the Holy Scriptures. There were also those who performed technical duties. Over time, bishops began to occupy a dominant position in the communities, performing the functions of overseers and observers. The organizational structure of Christianity began to take shape around the 2nd century AD.

At the next stage of the formation of Christianity, somewhat different sentiments spread in society. The intense anticipation of the next coming of the Savior was replaced by an attitude towards adapting to life with new social orders. At this time, the idea of ​​the other world, the immortality of the human soul, began to be developed in more detail.

Over time, the social composition of Christian communities began to change. Among the adherents of this religion, there are fewer and fewer poor and disadvantaged people; educated and wealthy citizens are actively beginning to accept Christianity. The community becomes more tolerant of wealth and political power. The complete separation of the new creed from Judaism occurred towards the end of the 2nd century, after which Christianity became an independent religion.

Christianity is one of the world religions based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is one of many religions. There are about three billion followers of Christianity.

The history of the emergence of religion.

Christianity originated in Palestine in the first century AD. The creator and spreader of religion is Jesus Christ. He carried out preaching activities: he walked around the world and told the truth of God. How it was? (from the Bible)

Birth of Christ. The Mother of God (or holy virgin Mary) gave birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God. The Virgin Mary was a pious woman. One day, God came to her in a dream and gave her a son. She named her born son Jesus Christ. Jesus was half-god, half-man. They say he could heal people and many other miracles beyond the power of an ordinary person. When the boy grew up, he began to preach a new religious teaching - Christianity. Obviously the religion is named after Christ.

Religion is based on several commandments. Jesus called to love your neighbor, help the sick and disadvantaged, and spoke about other moral principles. He also spoke about heaven and hell, about evil spirits and angels, about the immortality of the soul.

He himself went around the world in search of students and followers. On the road, he helped everyone in need and never refused help. The twelve apostles became his disciples. They were closest to Jesus than all the other followers. These apostles received the gift of healing people. As you know, one of the twelve apostles turned out to be a traitor. Jesus had detractors who wanted the demigod dead. Judas the traitor agreed to hand over his teacher to his ill-wishers for 30 silver coins. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.

Attributes of the Christian religion– cross, temple (church), icons, prayers, Bible, Gospel.

The religion of Christianity has found many followers. But there was a split of the single religion into three movements: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. In fact, there are many more movements in Christianity, for example, Lutheranism, Calvinism and others. But these three trends are the largest and most significant in the modern world. The schism occurred due to different views on religion of several churches.

Orthodoxy.

Orthodoxy was formed in the Eastern Roman Empire. The founder of the movement is considered to be Jesus Christ. Typically, an Orthodox church is a temple with domes, usually gold in color, decorated with icons inside, and it is customary to stand in the temple throughout the entire service. Church ministers are called priests.

Catholicism.

Catholicism appeared on the territory of the Roman Empire. It is considered a continuation of the early Christian religion. The Vatican is considered the center of government for all Catholic churches. The main pope is the Pope. Catholic cathedrals are buildings with blue or white domes; it is customary to sit in them throughout the entire service.

Protestantism.

Protestantism is a relatively young movement. It came about because many people in Europe were unhappy with the Catholic Church. Martin Luther sparked the emergence of the Protestant Church. The Protestant Church is very different from the above churches.

Christianity is one of many religions with different movements. Whatever movement or religion you choose, remember, God is one.

Option 2

One of the world's largest religions, and indeed the most widespread, is Christianity. This religion, which dates back more than 2 thousand years, is represented in all countries of the world.

What is the essence of Christianity

Christianity is a humane religion. According to its canons, a person must lead a righteous life in accordance with the 10 commandments, which are aimed at kindness and love for God and neighbors.

The book of the Bible, especially the New Testament, is sacred to Christians. Christians believe in one God and his son Jesus Christ, who gave his life and was crucified on the cross for the salvation of mankind.

In his life, Jesus did only good deeds: he treated the sick, helped the poor. At the same time, he lived very modestly and did not set his sights on wealth and power. The main thing for him was to save humanity and their souls. For this salvation, he sacrificed himself and Christians should take this kindness and love for others as an example, and also believe in his teaching.

When and where did Christianity originate?

Christianity began in the 1st century AD. in the homeland of Jesus Christ, in Palestine, which was under the yoke of the Roman Empire. Rome, conquering new lands, imposed unbearable oppression on the peoples of these lands, and the struggle against Roman lawlessness was suppressed. And with the birth of Jesus Christ, a new movement appeared in the struggle for justice, in which everyone, rich and poor, was considered equal before one God. This movement in the name of Christ was called Christianity, and its followers were called Christians.

Christians were persecuted by the rulers and dealt with very cruelly. Gathering in communities secretly, mostly in caves, they were true to their ideals and refused to believe in the Roman gods or make sacrifices to them.

The sermons of Jesus Christ and his followers had a beneficial effect on the spread of this religion, and his martyrdom and miraculous resurrection further strengthened people's faith in one God. And not only the poor, but also rich people took the side of Christianity, because they were satisfied with the ideas of humility and patience. So in 325, Emperor Constantine recognized this religion as the state religion in Rome. As the years passed, the religion spread throughout the world and began to dominate other religions.

Currents in Christianity

Although the ideas of Christianity are united, there are differences in the essence of the doctrine. Christianity is divided into three branches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Within each branch there is also divergence in the teachings of the faith. But the essence of religion is the same.

Report about Christianity

There are three major religious movements in the world, one of which is Christianity. Founded in Palestine in the 1st century AD, it preaches faith in the Son of God - Jesus Christ, who accepted a painful death on the cross to atone for human sins.

Christianity is professed by three church movements: Protestantism, Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

Historians have not come to a consensus about the real existence of Jesus. A more plausible version is that the Son of God really existed as a historical figure. This is proven by the chronicle of Josephus Flavius ​​“Antiquities” and many other historical sources. The New Testament describes events that are confirmed in archaeological remains.

On Mount Sinai, the 10 commandments, the foundations of Christian life, were revealed to the prophet Moses by God:

1. God is one and for people there should be no other Gods.

2. You cannot create an idol for yourself.

4. One day a week (the seventh) must be dedicated to God.

5. Respect your parents.

6. You cannot take the life of other people.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. You can’t take someone else’s.

9. You cannot falsely accuse another person.

10. You cannot desire what another person has.

The main holy book for people of the Christian faith is the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. She is the bearer of the truth of the life of a believer, tells about the life of the Savior, tells the kingdom of the living and the spring of life after death.

The New Testament consists of four narratives of the prophets (Matthew, John, Mark and Luke), as well as the Apocalypse of John the Evangelist and the Acts of the Apostles.

There are seven rituals in Christianity, they are called sacraments. A person is accepted by the church through baptism, the bond of marriage is sealed through a wedding, when a believer commits a sin, he can bring repentance before God to forgive his offense, to get rid of an illness there is a ritual of blessing of oil, and to establish a spiritual connection with God, a person takes communion.

In memory of the terrible torment and death of the son of God, Christians venerate the cross. The domes of churches are decorated with it, and after baptism the believer wears it on his body.

Armenia adopted Christianity as its main religion before other states. This event dates back to 301, then in 313, Emperor Constantine I proclaimed Christianity as the state religion in the Roman Empire; at the end of the 4th century, the Byzantine Empire also began to recognize Christianity as the main faith in the state.

In Rus', the spread of faith about Christ began in the 8th century, and Prince Vladimir baptized Rus' in 988.

The place of worship is a church, which is dedicated either to a specific church holiday, or to a particularly revered saint, the day of celebration of whose memory is the patronal day for a particular church.

Faith in Christ is the most widespread in the world. According to UNESCO, it has more than 1.3 billion people. In almost every part of the planet there are people who believe in Christianity.

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The most powerful, influential and numerous of all the main ones existing today, ahead of Buddhism and Islam, is Christianity. The essence of religion, which breaks down into so-called churches (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and others), as well as many sects, lies in the veneration and worship of one divine being, in other words, the God-man, whose name is Jesus Christ. Christians believe that he is the true son of God, that he is the Messiah, that he was sent to Earth for the salvation of the world and all humanity.

The religion of Christianity originated in distant Palestine in the first century AD. e. Already in the first years of its existence it had many adherents. The main reason for the emergence of Christianity, according to clergy, was the preaching activity of a certain Jesus Christ, who, being essentially a half-god, half-man, came to us in human form in order to bring people the truth, and even scientists do not deny his existence. About the first coming of Christ (the second of the Christian world is just awaiting) four sacred books have been written, which are called the Gospels. The sacred writings written by his apostles (Matthew, John, as well as Mark and Luke, disciples of the other two and Peter) tell about the miraculous birth of the boy Jesus in the glorious city of Bethlehem, about how he grew up, how he began to preach.

The main ideas of his new religious teaching were the following: the belief that he, Jesus, really is the Messiah, that he is the son of God, that there will be his second coming, there will be the end of the world and the resurrection from the dead. With his sermons, he called for loving one's neighbors and helping those in need. His Divine origin was proven by the miracles with which he accompanied his teachings. Many sick people were healed by his word or touch, he raised the dead three times, walked on water, turned it into wine and fed about five thousand people with just two fish and five cakes.

He expelled all merchants from the Jerusalem Temple, thereby showing that dishonest people have no place in holy and noble deeds. Then there was the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, accusations of deliberate blasphemy and brazen encroachment on the royal throne and a death sentence. He died, being crucified on the cross, having taken upon himself torment for all human sins. Three days later, Jesus Christ was resurrected and then ascended to heaven. About the religion Christianity says the following: there are two places, two special spaces that are inaccessible to people during earthly life. and paradise. Hell is a place of terrible torment, located somewhere in the bowels of the earth, and heaven is a place of universal bliss, and only God himself will decide who is sent where.

The religion of Christianity is based on several dogmas. The first is that the Second is that he is trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The birth of Jesus occurred by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; God became incarnate in the Virgin Mary. Jesus was crucified and then died to atone for human sins, after which he was resurrected. At the end of time Christ will come to judge the world and the dead will rise. Divine and human natures are inextricably united in the image of Jesus Christ.

All religions of the world have certain canons and commandments, but Christianity preaches to love God with all your heart, and also to love your neighbor as yourself. Without loving your neighbor, you cannot love God.

The religion of Christianity has its adherents in almost every country, half of all Christians are concentrated in Europe, including Russia, one quarter in North America, one sixth in South America, and significantly fewer believers in Africa, Australia and

Most of the world's population believes in God, the Father and the Holy Spirit, prays in churches, reads the Holy Scriptures, listens to cardinals and patriarchs. This Christians . So what is Christianity? Christianity (from the Greek Χριστός - “anointed one”, “messiah”) is an Abrahamic world religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, described in the New Testament. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. Christians do not doubt the historicity of Jesus Christ.

What is Christianity

In short, it is a religion based on the belief that more than 2000 years ago God came to our world. He was born, received the name Jesus, lived in Judea, preached, suffered and died on the cross as a man. His death and subsequent resurrection from the dead changed the fate of all mankind. His preaching marked the beginning of a new European civilization. What year are we all living in? The students answer. This year, just like others, we count from the birth of Christ.

Christianity is the largest world religion, both in terms of the number of adherents, of which there are about 2.1 billion, and in terms of geographical distribution - almost every country in the world has at least one Christian community.

More than 2 billion Christians belong to various religious denominations. The largest movements in Christianity are Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. In 1054, the Christian Church split into Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox). The emergence of Protestantism was the result of the reformation movement in the Catholic Church in the 16th century.

Interesting facts about religion

Christianity originates from the beliefs of a group of Palestinian Jews who believed that Jesus was the messiah, or “anointed one” (from the Greek Χριστός - “anointed one”, “messiah”), who would free the Jews from Roman rule. The new teaching was spread by the Master's followers, especially by the Pharisee Paul, who converted to Christianity. Traveling through Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome, Paul preached that faith in Jesus freed his followers from observing the rituals required by the Law of Moses. This attracted numerous non-Jews to the Christian faith, searching for an alternative to Roman paganism, but at the same time unwilling to recognize the obligatory rites of Judaism. Despite the fact that the Roman authorities from time to time renewed the fight against Christianity, its popularity grew rapidly. This continued until the era of Emperor Decius, under whom (250) the systematic persecution of Christians began. However, instead of weakening the new faith, oppression only strengthened it, and in the 3rd century. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Before Rome, in 301, Christianity was adopted as the state religion by Armenia, then an independent kingdom. And soon the victorious march of the Christian faith across Roman lands began. From the very beginning, the Eastern Empire was built as a Christian state. Emperor Constantine, the founder of Constantinople, stopped the persecution of Christians and patronized them.Under Emperor Constantine I, starting with the edict of 313 on freedom of religion, Christianity began to acquire the status of a state religion in the Roman Empire, and on his deathbed in 337 he was baptized. He and his mother, Christian Elena, are revered by the Church as saints. Under Emperor Theodosius the Great at the end of the 4th century. Christianity in Byzantium established itself as the state religion. But only in the VI century. Justinian I, a zealous Christian, finally banned pagan rituals on the lands of the Byzantine Empire.

In 380, under Emperor Theodosius, Christianity was proclaimed the official religion of the empire. By that time, the Christian faith had come to Egypt, Persia and, possibly, to the southern regions of India.

Around 200, church leaders began selecting the most authoritative Christian writings, which later compiled the books of the New Testament that were included in the Bible. This work continued until 382. The Christian Creed was adopted at the Council of Nicaea in 325, but as the church's influence expanded, disagreements regarding doctrine and organizational issues increased.

Beginning with cultural and linguistic differences, the confrontation between the Eastern Church (with its center in Constantinople) and the Western Roman Church gradually acquired a dogmatic character and led to a schism in the Christian Church in 1054. After the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, the division of churches was finally established.

Political, social and scientific revolutions of the 19th century. brought new challenges to Christian doctrine and weakened ties between church and state. Advances in scientific thought posed a challenge to biblical beliefs, especially the creation story, which had been challenged by Charles DARWIN's theory of evolution. However, it was a time of intense missionary activity, especially on the part of the Protestant churches. The stimulus for it was the emerging social consciousness. Christian faith often became an important factor in the organization of many social movements: for the abolition of slavery, for the passage of legislation to protect workers, for the introduction of education and social security.

In the 20th century, in most countries the church was almost completely separated from the state, and in some it was forcibly banned. In Western Europe, the number of believers is steadily declining, while in many developing countries, on the contrary, it continues to grow. Recognition of the need for church unity found expression in the creation of the World Council of Churches (1948).

Spread of Christianity in Rus'

The spread of Christianity in Rus' began around the 8th century, when the first communities were founded in Slavic territories. They were approved by Western preachers, and the influence of the latter was small. For the first time, the pagan prince Vladimir decided to truly convert Rus', who was looking for a reliable ideological bond for disunited tribes, whose native paganism did not satisfy his needs.

However, it is possible that he himself sincerely converted to the new faith. But there were no missionaries. He had to besiege Constantinople and ask the hand of a Greek princess to be baptized. Only after this were preachers sent to Russian cities, who baptized the population, built churches and translated books. For some time after this, there was pagan resistance, uprisings of the Magi, and so on. But after a couple of hundred years, Christianity, the spread of which had already covered all of Rus', won, and pagan traditions sank into oblivion.

Christian symbols

For Christians, the whole world, which is the creation of God, is full of beauty and meaning, filled with symbols. It is no coincidence that the holy fathers of the Church argued that the Lord created two books - the Bible, which glorifies the love of the Savior, and the world, which glorifies the wisdom of the Creator. All Christian art in general is deeply symbolic.

The symbol connects the two halves of the split world - the visible and the invisible, and reveals the meaning of complex concepts and phenomena. The most important symbol of Christianity is the cross.

The cross can be drawn in different ways - it depends on the directions of Christianity. Sometimes one glance at the image of a cross depicted on a church or cathedral is enough to tell which Christian movement the building belongs to. Crosses can be eight-pointed, four-pointed, or with two bars, and in general there are dozens of variants of crosses. A lot can be written about the existing variants of the image of the cross, but the image itself is not so important; the meaning of the cross itself plays a more important role.

Cross- This is more a symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus made to atone for human sins. In connection with this event, the cross became a sacred symbol and very dear to every Christian believer.

The symbolic image of a fish is a symbol of the Christian religion. Pisces, namely its Greek description, can be seen in the abbreviation Son of God the Savior Jesus Christ. The symbolism of Christianity includes a large number of Old Testament symbols: a dove and an olive branch from the chapters that were dedicated to the WorldFlood. Entire legends and parables were formed not only about the Holy Grail, entire troops were sent in search of it. The Holy Grail was the cup from which Jesus and his disciples drank at the Last Supper. The cup had miraculous properties, but traces of it were long lost. New Testament symbols include grape ash, which symbolizes Christ - the grape bunches and vines symbolize the bread and wine of the sacrament, the blood and body of Jesus.

Ancient Christians recognized each other by certain symbols, while other groups of Christians wore symbols with honor on their chests, and some were the cause of wars, and some symbols will be of interest even to those who are far from the Christian religion. The symbols of Christianity and their meanings can be described endlessly. Nowadays, information about symbols is open, so everyone can independently find information about the symbols of Christianity, read their history and become familiar with the reasons for their occurrence, but we decided to tell you about some of them.

Stork symbolizes prudence, vigilance, piety and chastity. The stork heralds the coming of spring, which is why it is called the Annunciation to Mary with the good news of the coming of Christ. There is a Northern European belief that a stork brings children to mothers. They began to say this because of the connection between the bird and the Annunciation.

The stork in Christianity symbolizes piety, purity and resurrection. But the Bible lists stilted birds as unclean, but the stork is seen as a symbol of happiness, largely due to the fact that it eats snakes. By this he points to Christ and his disciples who were engaged in the destruction of satanic creatures.

Angel with a fiery sword is a symbol of Divine justice and wrath.

Angel with trumpet symbolizes the Last Judgment and resurrection.

A staff topped with a lily or a white lily itself considered symbols of innocence and purity. The constant and traditional attribute of Gabriel, who with a white lily, appeared in the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. The lily flower itself symbolizes the virgin purity of the Virgin Mary.

Butterfly is a symbol of new life. This is one of the most beautiful symbols of resurrection, as well as eternal life. A butterfly has a short life, which can be divided into three stages.

• The stage without beauty is the larva (caterpillar).
• The stage of transformation into a cocoon (pupa). The larva begins to envelop itself, sealing itself in an envelope.
• The stage of breaking the silk shell and coming out. Here a mature butterfly appears with a renewed and beautiful body with wings painted in bright colors. Very quickly the wings get stronger and she takes off into the air.

Surprisingly, these three life stages of the butterfly are similar to life in humiliation, burial and death, and then the resurrection of Christ. He was born in a human body as a servant. The Lord was buried in the grave and on the third day, already in the Orthodox body, Jesus was resurrected and after forty days he ascended into heaven.

People who believe in Christ also experience these three stages. By nature, mortal and sinful beings live in humiliation. Then death comes, and lifeless bodies are buried. When Christ returns in glory, on the Last Day Christians will follow Him in renewed bodies that are created in the image of the Body of Christ.

Squirrel is a Christian symbol of greed and avarice. The squirrel is associated with the devil, embodied in an elusive, swift and reddish animal.

Crown made of thorny thorns. Christ suffered not only moral suffering, there was also physical torment that he experienced at trial. He was bullied several times: one of the servants hit him at Anna’s during his first interrogation; he was also beaten and spat on; whipped; he was crowned with a crown made of thorns. The governor's soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium, called the whole regiment, stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him; when they wove a crown from thorns, they put it on His head and gave him a reed in his hands; they knelt before Him and mocked Him, beat Him on the head with a cane and spat on Him.

Crow in Christianity it is a symbol of hermit life and solitude.

Bunch of grapes is a symbol of the fertility of the promised land. Grapes were grown everywhere in the Holy Land, most often in the hills of Judea.

the Virgin Mary also has a symbolic meaning. The Virgin Mary is the personification of the church.

Woodpecker is a symbol in Christianity of the devil and heresy, which destroy human nature and lead him to damnation.

Crane symbolizes fidelity, good life and asceticism.

Font is a symbol of the virgin's immaculate womb. It is from this that the initiate is born again.

Apple is a symbol of evil.

Traditionally Christian churches in the plan they have a cross - a symbol of the cross of Christ as the basis of eternal salvation, a circle (rotunda type of temple) - a symbol of eternity, a square (quadrangle) - a symbol of the earth, where peoples converge in the temple from the four corners of the world, or an octagon (octagon on a quadrangle) - a symbol the guiding star of Bethlehem.
Each temple is dedicated to some Christian holiday or saint, whose memorial day is called a temple (throne) holiday. Sometimes several altars (chapels) are arranged in the temple. Then each of them is dedicated to its own saint or event.

According to tradition, the temple is usually built with the altar facing east. However, there are exceptions when the liturgical east may not correspond to the geographical one (for example, the Church of the Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Pushkin (the altar is facing south), the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Tver region (the village of Nikolo-Rozhok) (the altar is facing north)). Orthodox churches were not built with the altar facing west. In other cases, orientation to the cardinal points could be explained by territorial conditions.
The roof of the temple is crowned with a dome with a cross. According to widespread tradition, Orthodox churches can have:
* Chapter 1 - symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ;
* 2 chapters - the two natures of Christ (divine and human);
* 3 chapters - Holy Trinity;

* 4 chapters of the Four Gospels, four cardinal directions.
* 5 chapters - Christ and the four evangelists;
* 7 chapters - seven Ecumenical Councils, seven Christian sacraments,seven virtues;

* 9 chapters - nine ranks of angels;
* 13 chapters - Christ and 12 apostles.

The shape and color of the dome also have a symbolic meaning. The helmet shape symbolizes the spiritual warfare (struggle) that the Church wages against the forces of evil.

The shape of the onion symbolizes the candle flame.

The unusual shape and bright colors of the domes, such as that of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, speaks of the beauty of heavenly Jerusalem - Paradise.

The domes of churches dedicated to Christ and the Twelve Feasts are gilded/

The blue domes with stars indicate that the temple is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Temples with green or silver domes are dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

In the Byzantine tradition, the dome was covered directly over the vault; in the Russian tradition, due to the “stretching” of the dome’s shape, a space arose between the vault and the dome.
An Orthodox church has three parts: porch, the main volume of the temple is catholicon(middle part) and altar.
In the narthex there used to be those who were preparing for baptism and penitents who were temporarily excommunicated from communion. The porches in monastery churches were often also used as refectory areas.

The main parts of an Orthodox church (schematic representation).

Altar- the place of the mysterious residence of the Lord God, is the main part of the temple.
The most important place in the altar is throne in the shape of a quadrangular table, has two clothes: the lower one is made of white linen (srachitsa) and the upper one is brocade (inditiya). The symbolic meaning of the throne is as a place where the Lord invisibly dwells. On the throne is antimens- the main sacred object of the temple. This is a silk cloth consecrated by the bishop with the image of the position of Christ in the tomb and with a sewn-in particle of the relics of a saint. This is due to the fact that in the first centuries of Christianity, the service (liturgy) was performed at the tombs of the martyrs over their relics. Antimins is stored in a case (iliton).

Near the eastern wall in the altar there is “ high place" - an elevated seat intended for the bishop and a sintron - an arched bench for the clergy, adjacent from the inside to the eastern wall of the altar, symmetrically to its longitudinal axis. By the XIV-XV centuries. the stationary syntron disappears completely. Instead, during bishop's services, a portable chair without backs and arms is installed.

The altar part is separated from the catholicon by an altar barrier - iconostasis. In Rus', multi-tiered iconostases appeared in the beginning. XV century (Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir). In the classic version, the iconostasis has 5 tiers (rows):

• local(locally revered icons, royal doors and deacon’s doors are located in it);
• festive(with small icons of the twelve holidays) and Deesis rank (the main row of the iconostasis, from which its formation began) - these two rows can change places;
• prophetic(icons of Old Testament prophets with scrolls in their hands);
• ancestral(icons of Old Testament saints).

However, in widespread use there may be 2 or more rows. The sixth tier may include icons with scenes of the passion or saints not included in the apostolic rank. The composition of the icons in the iconostasis can be different. The most traditionally established images:

• On the double-leaf royal doors, located in the middle of the local row, they most often have 6 marks - an image of the Annunciation and the four evangelists.
• To the left of the royal doors is an icon of the Mother of God, to the right is of Christ.
• The second icon to the right of the Royal Doors corresponds to the throne (temple icon).
• On the deacon's doors there are usually archangels or saints associated with law enforcement agencies.
• Above the royal doors is the “Last Supper”, above (on the same vertical) is the “Savior in Power” or “Savior on the Throne” of the Deesis rank, to the right of Him is John the Baptist, to the left is the Mother of God. The peculiarity of the icons from the Deesis is that the figures are slightly turned, facing the central image of Christ.

The iconostasis ends with a cross with the figure of Christ (sometimes without it).
There are iconostases pavilion type (Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow), tyablovye(were common in the XV-XVII centuries) and frame(appear with the beginning of the construction of Baroque churches). The iconostasis is a symbol of the heavenly Church coming with the earthly one.
The curtain separating the throne from the royal gates is called catapetasma. The color of the catapetasma can be different - dark on tragic days, for festive services - gold, blue, scarlet.
The space between the catapetasma and the throne should not be crossed by anyone except the clergy.
Along the iconostasis from the side of the main space of the temple there is a small extended elevation - salty(outer throne). The general level of the floor of the altar and the solea coincide and are raised above the level of the temple, the number of steps is 1, 3 or 5. The symbolic meaning of the solea is the approach to God of all sacred rites taking place on it. It's arranged there pulpit(the protrusion of the solea in front of the royal doors), from which the priest pronounces the words of the Holy Scriptures and sermons. Its significance is great - in particular, the pulpit represents the mountain from which Christ preached. Cloud pulpit It is a raised platform in the middle of the church, on which the bishop’s ceremonial vestment takes place and he stands before entering the altar.
Places for singers during worship are called choirs and are located on the sole, in front of the flanks of the iconostasis.
The eastern pair of pillars of the katholikon may have royal place - at the southern wall for the ruler, at the northern - for the clergy.

Other structural parts of an Orthodox church are:

• The main space of the temple ( catholicon ) - the area of ​​​​earthly residence of people, a place of communication with God.
• Refectory (optional), as a second (warm) temple - a symbol of the room where the Easter Last Supper took place. The refectory was arranged along the width of the apse.
• Narthex (pre-temple) - a symbol of the sinful land.
• Extensions in the form of a gallery, additional temples dedicated to individual saints are a symbol of the city of heavenly Jerusalem.
• Bell tower in front of the entrance to the temple symbolizes a candle to the Lord God.

It is necessary to distinguish the bell tower from belfries- structures for hanging bells that do not have a tower-like appearance.

Temple, church - the most common type of religious building in Orthodoxy and, unlike chapels has an altar with a throne. The bell tower can stand either close to the temple or separately from it. Often the bell tower “grows” out of the refectory. In the second tier of the bell tower there can be a small temple (» dungeon»).
In later times, when “warm” churches were built, a stove was installed in the basement to heat the entire building.
The area around the temple was necessarily landscaped, the area was fencing, trees were planted (including fruit trees), for example, a circular planting formed a kind of gazebo. Such a garden also had the symbolic meaning of the Garden of Eden.

Christianity(from Greek - " anointed", "Messiah") is a doctrine based on faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, Messiah, God and Savior of man (Greek word Christ means the same as Hebrew Messiah).

Christianity is the largest faith in the world, in which there are three main directions: Catholicism, Orthodoxy And Protestantism.

The first Christians were Jews by nationality, and already in the second half of the 1st century Christianity became an international religion. The language of communication among the first Christians was Greek language. From the point of view of clergy, the main and only reason for the emergence of Christianity was the preaching activity of Jesus Christ, who was both God and man. Jesus Christ in the form of a man came to earth and brought people Truth. His coming (this past coming is called the first, in contrast to the second, future) is told in four books, Gospels, which are included in New Testament of the Bible.

Bible- a book inspired by God. She is also called Holy Scripture And By the Word of God. All books of the Bible are divided into two parts. The books of the first part, taken together, are called Old Testament, second part - New Testament. For man The Bible is more of a guide for daily practical life, in business, study, career, everyday life, and not a book about some restrictions, about the past and the future. You can read the Bible at any time in your life, in any mood, finding answers to literally all the questions and queries of your soul. Christianity does not deny material wealth and speaks of the harmony of spirit and matter.

Man, according to Christian teaching, was created in the image and likeness of God and endowed with free will, initially perfect, but by eating the fruit he sinned. Having repented and baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, a person gains hope for resurrection. Resurrection subject soul, but not body.

Christianity is a monotheistic belief in one God. God one in three forms: God the Father, God the Son And Holy Spirit. God gives to man grace And mercy. God is love, we read in the Bible. Jesus always talked to everyone about love. An entire chapter in Corinthians is devoted to love.

Jesus showed us what love is for people. Life in love is a different life. Everything Jesus did was to try to reach a person, and the responsibility for whether this love is revealed lies with the person himself. God gives life to man and then he himself chooses how to live. The desire to please someone is the beginning of love. Having touched the love of God, a person will fall and get up, he will demonstrate strength. The strength of a person's faith is determined by the strength of love. It is the love that the Bible speaks of that provides strength, faithfulness, and resourcefulness. Love and faith can make a person smile when there is no reason for it. If a person is driven by love, he is ready to do everything possible and impossible. Love is an abyss that cannot dry up and never ends.

Jesus Christ is considered saints, whole, undivided. Holy means unchangeable, it will remain when everything else has passed away. Holiness is permanence. The Bible talks about Kingdom of Heaven which a person builds within himself. And by the Kingdom of Heaven we mean a world that does not change.

The central concept of Christianity is faith. Faith is the work of man. Jesus spoke of practical faith, not ritual faith, faith that " idle, dead"Faith is strength and independence in human affairs.

People move towards faith, towards God, towards joy, towards happiness in different ways. Christians They believe that God is in man, and not outside, and each person has his own path to God.