Christianity

Source

The “good news” that Christianity proclaims is salvation by the person and the work of Jesus Christ as attested in the scriptures. The New Testament provides basic accounts of the advent of Jesus and his subsequent reception. Because Jesus announced that his advent was the fulfillment of the promise of salvation foreshadowed in the writings of the Israelites, the Old Testament is also included in the authentic canon of Christianity. The terms Old Testament and New Testament therefore suggest a Christian perspective. In Christian tradition, the Old Testament is read in anticipation of the coming Christ and the New Testament in remembrance of the crucified and risen Christ.

The Old Testament contains the same books that Judaism views as scripture, though different in sequence and importance. It has three parts, roughly reflecting the Hebrew distinction of law, prophets, and other writings. The New Testament may be divided into two parts. The first part has four narratives of Jesus from his birth to his death and resurrection and a record of the deeds of the apostles. The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written around the late 1st century, with different authorships, sources, and viewpoints, projecting a polyphonic but coherent figure of Jesus. The second part is composed of letters, written by the Apostle Paul and other early disciples, addressed to the scattered churches and believers of the 1st and 2nd centuries. Taken together, the Bible gives a view of the world and its history, beginning from creation to its apocalyptic consummation.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share not only part of their scriptural texts but also the concept of canon. The word is derived from the Greek word meaning rule and refers to a collection of writings exclusively demarcated as authoritative to their faith. The concept is missing in Eastern religious traditions, notably Buddhism, and its absence results in ever-increasing bodies of scriptures. The canon and the creeds it produces mutually authenticate each other and serve as the ultimate guarantor of “orthodoxy,” a concept unique to the Abrahamic traditions. The process of editing and defining the canon took a number of politically charged stages through several centuries, and its different interpretations have often lent themselves to controversy.

Founding

Historians agree that a Jew called Jesus of Nazareth became the source of a distinct religious movement that arose from within Judaism. He was born in line with the Old Testament prophecies, proclaimed the advent of the reign of God, and was crucified by [Page 233]Pontius Pilate sometime between CE 30 and 33. According to Christian doctrine, Jesus was resurrected from the dead and appeared before disbelieving disciples for a short period before his ascension into heaven. Christianity claims that this Jesus was God incarnate. Not merely was he the messenger, he was the message. Not merely did he give moral teachings and exemplify them by his life and death, he was God himself in utmost humiliation. His resurrection is understood as divine approbation and victory over death. The incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection thus constitute the fundamental basis of Christian doctrine—that God came into this world to save humanity from their sin and alienation and restored them to wholeness by the sacrificial death of the sinless Jesus and that those who believe in him shall be saved.

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