Introduction:

"The next three chapters discuss Christianity, one of the religions of mankind. Religion can be a social cement and an impulse towards renewal; it can intimidate people and force them to reform, or it can help them to act independently. It is in the light of these functions of religion that we shall present Christianity in world history. Early in January 1964, Pope Paul IV visited Jerusalem for three days. What amazed the onlookers and those who followed that trip through radio and television was the wild enthusiasm, which greeted the Pope. People had come from all over the world and more from the Near East and the Mediterranean lands to join the pontiff in his historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Via Dolorosa was so crowded that His Holiness could not pause at the stations of the Cross but had to force his way to the place of the skull. We cannot adequately comprehend that narrow way along which Jesus fell seven times carrying his cross until he reached the site for crucification, without first talking about the world in which Christianity emerged and the social aspects of the community in which it sprang up. These are the concerns of this chapter. The chapter will look into: 1. The Jewish and Graeco-Roman worlds in which Christianity emerged; 2. The political climate in Palestine at the time; 240 3. The social and religious characteristic of the people among whom Jesus found his followers; 4. The reason why the founding of what turned out to be a major world religion was inevitable in Palestine at the time."

Readings:

Mugambi, J.N.K. (2010) A Comparative Study of Religions. (2nd Edition), Oxford, UK: African Books Collective, Chapter 32.

Video: 

The Rise of Christianity

Study Questions:

• Explain how Judaism and Greaco-Roman ideas influenced the development of Christianity.
• Describe in your own words the social aspects important in the development of Christianity.