Christianity:

 Refers to the followers of Jesus Christ, and a monotheistic religion

 The biggest population about 2.4 billion or 33% in the world
 Began to be called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11: 25-26)
 Believes in the passion, death, and resurrection as well as the prophecy that God
will send His only Son to redeem mankind from sin and restore them to God (Isaiah
7:14, Hosea 11:1, Genesis 3:15, Psalm 78: 1-2, Psalm 40:6-8 (Hebrews 10:5-
10)…)
 Believes in the Judgement day as well as Heaven and hell ( 1 Corinthians 11:31,
2 Peter, 2:4)

History- Christianity began in Judea, Palestine in 100 C.E. headed by Christ and His Apostles.
The birth of the Church began in Pentecost (Greek Pentekostos “50” also the feast of the
harvest for Jews. 40 days after Christ’s resurrection + 10 days after asncension= 50 days), the
Holy Spirit descended as promised (John 15:26) towards the 120 present in a small room in
Bethlehem. 3000 people were converted in that day.
Apostle Peter preached in Rome and converted pagans to Christianity, and died through
upside down crucifixion on 64 AD. His successor is Linus and his successor Anacletus and
continuous successorship up till present, Pope Francis, and Christianity was legalized in 313 A.D.
by Emperor Constantine after seeing the Cross on the heavens and with the phrase “In hoc signo,
vinces” or “In this sign, you will conquer”. After having defeated his mortal enemy Maxentius,
promulgated the Edict of Milan that grants Christians freedom.
James the Great preached in Spain, and beheaded in Jerusalem 44 AD. John in Asia
Minor, and died in Ephesus, 100 AD. Andrew in Russia and was then Crucified upon an X-shaped
cross in Greece in 70 AD. Philip in Syria and was crucified in 54 AD. Bartholomew in Ethiopia and
was skinned alive and headed in Caspian Sea, 70 AD. Matthew to the Hebrews and was axed to
death in 60 Ad. Thomas in India and was killed by a spear in Madras in 72 AD. James the Less
in Egypt, who was then stoned and clubbed to death, 63 AD. Jude Thaddeus in Edessa and was
crucified in Syria in 64 AD. Simon the Zealot in Egypt and was crucified in Persia in 74 AD.
Matthias in Ethiopia then stoned and beheaded in Georgia in 80 AD.
And from the proceeds of time that it was preached in the whole world.
They are all persecuted as Christ said “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but
the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22)”.

Symbols:

 Cross- used by Christians to represent the victory of Christ over death and sin.
 Fish- Used by the early Christians to hide their identity to avoid persecution. Fish comes
from the Greek word ichtys which has hidden meaning for Christians: “Iseous Christos
Theou Yios Soter” meaning “Jesus, Son of God, Savior”.
Major Divisions:

 Roman Catholic
 Eastern Orthodox
 Protestantism

Religious Leaders:
The Catholic Church has a hierarchy in observance of the Canon Law as listed in order:

 Pope- Supervises the whole Church

 Cardinals- Represents the Pope in the whole world, advices the Pope, elects a new Pope
under conditions of resignation and sede vacante
 Bishops and Archbishops- Pastoral supervision of the dioceses or collective Church under
their jurisdiction, and teachers of faith. Has the power to confirm, excommunicate, and
ordain priests.
 Priests- Administers the Seven Sacraments in their parishes
 Transitional and Permanent Deacons- They are the priest’s assistant. Transitional
deacons can marry but cannot be priest but can administer the sacrament of baptism.
Permanent deacons are those that cannot marry and studies for priesthood.

DEITY/GOD
Christians believe in one, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, omnipresent, and holy
God which is the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Holy Trinity are three Divine and
distinct persons but one as God.
Nota bene: Not all members of Christian denominations believes in this concept such as the Mormons,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, Oneness Pentecostals, and especially in the Philippines, the Iglesia Ni
Cristo.

Some list of heresies concerning the Holy Trinity and the Divinity of Jesus:

 Modalism- proposing that God only masks or disguises as the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or the Father
in some occasion.
 Tritheism- Posing that these three persons of the Holy Trinity are three Gods
 Arianism- from Arius, priest, and was condemned by the whole Church as heretic proposed that
Christ is neither coeternal nor consubstantial with the Father since He is created.

Sacred Scriptures- The most important sacred book to all Christians as it contains the history
and teachings of the prophets and Jesus Christ. It is composed of the Old and New Testament.
Catholic has OT 46+NT 27= 73 books, Protestants have OT 39+ NT 27= 66 books. Septuagint
OT has 46, the Masoretic has 39 books. OT is divided into four parts, the Torah, Wisdom books,
Historical books, and the Prophets. NT into 4 Major parts, Gospels, Historical book, Letters, and
Apocalypse.
Beliefs and Doctrines-
Christians have moral guidelines, and instructions of faith to be observed in order to
receive God’s salvific grace i.e. keeping the Sabbath day, believing in Jesus Christ and doing
good works (Galatians 6: 9-10, John 3:16, Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:24).

Ten Commandments- Given by God to the people of Israel in Mt. Sinai through Moses (Exodus
20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:24).
The Ten Commandments:
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me.

2.You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow
down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing
steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless who takes his name in vain.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work;
but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or
your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner
who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord
your God gives you.

6. You shall not kill.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or
his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Seven Sacraments- the Catholic Church have Seven Sacraments to enrich the spiritual life of
every Christians and receive God’s grace to become holy and receive the grace of salvation.
Note bene: What is a sacrament? According to Augustine of Hippo, priest, it is an outward sign of an inward
grace that has been instituted by Jesus Christ.

The Seven Sacraments are:

1. Baptism- John 3:5 “Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” It is the beginning of the
Christian life. It is done either by water immersion or pouring water three times with
water on the head with this formula: I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and
of the Holy Spirit.
2. Confirmation- It is the rite conferred by Bishops as a sign of testifying the truth in the
Spirit. See Acts 2:38. It is also an anointing of every Christian that means that they
receive the Spirit and has the responsibility to defend the truth.
3. Holy Eucharist- It started from the last supper of Jesus Christ. It is the highest and
perfect form of prayer which Christians partake the true Body and blood of Christ. See
Luke 22:19-20
4. Confession- Jesus gave power to His apostles to forgive sins in His name. Thus for a
Christian to receive pardon, he/she must submit to the legitimate authority in line with
the apostles; from them to receive pardon in Christ’s name. See John 20:21-23
5. Anointing of the Sick- The seriously ill person are administered this sacrament in the
hope of curing them even in despair. See Mark 6:7, 12-13
6. Holy Orders- This Sacrament is for becoming priests and having the authority to
administer the sacraments, and as a witness to Christ. See Mt. 16:18-19, Luke 22:19
, 1 Cor. 11:15, Acts 20:28, Romans 10:14-15
7. Holy Matrimony- It is the sacrament in which a man and a women are bound together
as one, and no one can separate them. They then have the duty to procreate, and
educate their offspring, and populate the earth. See Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:25,
32-33

Eight Beatitudes- This is also known from the Sermon if Jesus on the Mount, describing those
who are blessed. Matthew 5:3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.

Apostle’s Creed/Credo- developed in the Council of Milan 390 CE to define the fundamental
faith of Christians, and as a seal of orthodoxy.

1.I believe in God,

the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
2.and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
3.who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
4.suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
5.He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
6.He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
7.from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9.the Holy Catholic Church,
10.the communion of Saints,
11.the forgiveness of sins,
12.the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Story of Creation and Big Bang Theory- The story of creations starts from Genesis 1. The Big
Bang theory which was now called the Hubble-Lemaitre Law founded by, Fr. Georges Lemaitre,
a Catholic priest and physicist, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, located in
Vatican which is of the Pope’s. This means that Science and religion aren’t contrary but are
complementary such that they are both truth authored by God. In similarity, the first part in
Genesis stated that God said “Let there be Light”, and in the Big Bang, a primordial atom that
explodes and creates light or photons.

Worship and Observances- the Catholic Church has particular Worships and Observances,
divided into three parts. Advent, lent, and Pentecost.