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What Was the Most Important Figure in the History of Christianity?
Introduction
One of the most influential personalities in the history of Christianity is Jesus Christ who developed the study and the major rules of this religion and became the symbol for the followers of this religion.
Did Jesus Christ Exist?
First of all, it is important to note that in the modern society there is a big question which is related to the personality of Jesus Christ as a lot of people still doubt the existence of this figure. Scientists claim that this person can’t be considered as the real person who lived and died, but it must be noted that there is a lot of proofs that Jesus Christ lived and developed the main teachings of Christianity which are still used as the guides for the followers of this religion. “The first Christian writings to talk about Jesus are the epistles of St Paul, and scholars agree that the earliest of these letters were written within 25 years of Jesus’s death at the very latest, while the detailed biographical accounts of Jesus in the New Testament gospels date from around 40 years after he died” (Gathercole). Jesus Christ can be considered as the mythological personality which was created by the followers of the religion in order to find the reason for the teachings, but in today’s world there are a lot of historical and archaeological proofs that Jesus Christ lived and made a contribution in the development of this religion, but the question is in the approach. Some people perceive Jesus Christ as a real historical person and as a human, and some people believe in the myth that Jesus Christ was the son of god.
Life, Death, and Resurrection
The impact of Jesus Christ should be considered in the historical perspective of the time when he lived. It must be noted that his life and death was the important point for Christianity as the development of this religion was restricted by the followers of the old religions, so Jesus was considered to be a rebel, and that he confused the people. Jesus Christ told people that the new religion would come and change the world for the better. People started to believe in one god who was fair and mercy and who would save them. The teachings of Jesus Christ cannot be considered as the ideas of only one person; he was just the individual who was influential enough to perceive people to follow him. The fact that he was discriminated by the Roman power made him the victim, and people sympathized him, and what is more important they believed him and continued to share his teachings and ideas.
It must be noted that followers of Christianity believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but this fact of his biography cannot be proved by the science. This is the myth which usually appears near the influential historical personalities. This is the metaphor which was perceived by the followers of the religion in a straight way. It must be noted that resurrection of Jesus Christ should be understood as the revival of the religion after his death because his followers continued to share his ideas and the religion exist until the nowadays. It must be noted that “about one-third of the world is considered “Christian” today. That’s a pretty staggering number – that’s a pretty influential life after nearly 2,000 years” (Niles). Jesus Christ made a great contribution to the development of Christianity which is one of the most influential religion not only today but in the history of the world.
The Role the Figure of Jesus Christ Played in History
Jesus Christ was charismatic personality which could lead the people and to perceive them to accept the new rules and the new dogmas. “The Gospels regularly speak of huge crowds following Jesus. Perhaps they gathered because of his reputation as a healer. Perhaps they gathered because of his ability as a teacher. Whatever the cause, it seems likely that the authorities’ fear of the crowd was a major factor leading to Jesus’ crucifixion” (“BBC – Religions – Christianity: Jesus”). It must be underlined that the approach of Jesus Christ to the teaching changed the attitude of the people to the education in general. He made the people search for the truth, and he stated the importance of the education and the knowledge for the poor people. The ignorance was considered to be a sin, so the people tried to seek the opportunity to get the knowledge not only about the god but the nature of the things. It must be noted that philosophy and Christianity in the middle ages had the strong connections, so it provoked the appearance of the great philosophical works about the order of the things and the questions about the existence and mind.
One of the core changes which was made by Jesus Christ for the world is related to the attitude of children. It must be noted that the children in the ancient times were treated in the taught way; they could be sold into slavery or killed because of the wrong gender. The teachings of Jesus Christ changed the attitude to the children and provoked people to treat the children in a more respectful way (Ortberg). The teachings of Jesus Christ can be considered as the attempt to the equality in the ancient times. Proceeding from this it can be stated that Christianity in the times of Jesus Christ was empathized mostly by the poor people as Christ stated that people who abdicate the material goods and money could find the salvation. So this religion and the teachings were the first attempt to state the equality and to eliminate the importance of social status for the religious life.
Jesus Christ was the founder of Christianity which became the starting point of the church. The role of the church for the society can be considered as the mediator between the people and the god, but from the sociological and historical perspective it must be noted that later the church became to be the important part of the society and had an impact on the processes which were related to the governance, science, and culture (Haight). So, the impact of Jesus Christ continues even nowadays by the influence of the modern church.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it must be said that Jesus Christ can be considered as a historical person who had a great influence on the development of Christianity and his teachings are the core point in this religion. These teachings changed the attitude to the education and to the way in which people perceived the religion and made a contribution to the development of philosophy.
Works Cited
“BBC – Religions – Christianity: Jesus.” Bbc.co.uk. N.p., 2017. Web. 21 Dec. 2017.
Haight, Roger. Christian Community In History, Volumes 1-2. A&C Black, 2004. Print.
Gathercole, Simon. “What Is The Historical Evidence That Jesus Christ Lived And Died?.” The Guardian. N.p., 2017. Web. 22 Dec. 2017.
Niles, Randall. “Historical Influence Of Jesus.” Drive Thru History. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Dec. 2017.
Ortberg, John. “Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed The World.” HuffPost. N.p., 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2017.
