Christianity: the territory of distribution in Russia. The emergence and spread of Christianity in the world

Christianity is one of the three world religions, which today is the leader in the number of adherents. His influence is colossal. The territory of the spread of Christianity encompasses the whole world: it has not left any corner on the globe unattended. But how did it come about and what made it so successful? We will try to answer these questions in this article.

The Messianic Aspirations of the Ancient World

To begin with, let us turn to the religious atmosphere of the world at the turn of our era. This, of course, is about the Oecumene - Greco-Roman civilization, which has become the cradle of modern Europe and humanity as a whole. At that time there was intense tension and intense religious search. The official religion of Rome suited little for people who wanted depth and mystery. Therefore, they turned their attention to the east, looking for some special revelations. On the other hand, the Jews scattered all over the world carried everywhere the idea of the imminent arrival of the Messiah, who would change the face of the world and turn history around. He will become a new revelation of God and the savior of mankind. In the empire in all respects the crisis was ripe, and people just needed such a savior. Therefore the idea of messianism was in the air.

Stray Preachers

Of course, in response to the request of the era, many prophets and preachers appeared who claimed to be sons of God and offered salvation and eternal life to their followers. Some of them were outspoken crooks, others sincerely believed in their calling. Among the latter, there were indeed a lot of great people, of which Apollonius of Tiana can serve as a vivid example. But they all organized their local communities, schools, then died, and the memory of them was erased. Only one such wandering teacher was more fortunate than the other - the Jew Jesus.

The Appearance of Jesus

About where he was born and what way of life he led before his release for the sermon Jesus, later known as Christ, there is no reliable information. Biblical stories on this subject by Christians are accepted on faith, but the degree of their historical authenticity is not very high. It is only known that he was from Palestine, he belonged to a Jewish family and, possibly, to a kind of near-Judaic sect, like the Kumranites or Essenes. Then he led a wandering lifestyle, preached peace, love, the coming of the kingdom of God and, as stated in the New Testament, considered himself the promised Jewish prophet messiah. However, whether he considered it himself, or this role was imposed on him by his followers, is a controversial issue. In the end, near Rome, Jesus was crucified by the Roman authorities at the insistence of the Jewish clergy. And then the most interesting began.

The emergence and spread of Christianity

Unlike his colleagues in the shop - the saviors of mankind, Jesus was not forgotten. The disciples of Christ proclaimed the thesis that he was resurrected and ascended to heaven. With this news, they bypassed Palestine first, and then focused their attention on other cities of the empire. It was this teaching about the posthumous resurrection of Jesus that became the subject of a sermon that later ensured such a stable position in the empire that Christianity had. The territory of its distribution stretched from the British Isles to India. And this is only in the first century of his existence.

The Apostle Paul

But the apostle Paul especially worked in the field of preaching . It was he, as they say, doctrinally "made" Christianity. The territory of the spread of its influence covered most of the empire. Starting with Antioch, he later came to Spain and Rome, where he was killed on the orders of Nero. Everywhere he founded communities that grew like mushrooms after rain, multiplied and established in all provinces and the capital.

Official religion

The spread of Christianity in the world took place in stages. If in the first period of its existence Christians were persecuted and the preaching work was based on the bare enthusiasm and deep religious zeal of its adherents, then after 314, when the emperor made Christianity the state religion and ideology, the scope of proselytism acquired unprecedented proportions. Christianity, the territory of the spread of which embraced the whole empire, as a sponge, absorbed the bulk of the inhabitants - for the sake of career, tax benefits, etc. People baptized tens of thousands. Then, together with the traders, it began to spread beyond the empire - to Persia and beyond.

Patriarch Nestorius

Convicted as heretic and Patriarch Nestorius, expelled from Constantinople, led a new formation in the church, known as the Nestorian church. In fact, they were his followers, who, being expelled from the empire, joined the Syrian believers and further developed a grandiose mission, having passed virtually all of the East with their teaching, preaching Christianity. The territory of spreading their influence covers all eastern countries, including China, up to the border areas of Tibet.

Further dissemination

Over time missionary centers have covered all of Africa, and after the discovery of America and Australia - and them. Then, from America, Christian preachers went to conquer Asia and the territories of Hindustan, as well as other corners of the world lost in the distance from civilization. Today, active missionary work is still carried out in these places. However, after the appearance of Islam, significant Christian territories were lost to the church and deeply Arabized and Islamized. This applies to the vast territories of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, Syria, and others.

Russia and Christianity

The spread of Christianity in Russia began around the 8th century, when the first communities were founded in the Slavic territories. They were claimed by Western preachers, and the influence of the latter was small. To convert Russia truly was first decided by the pagan prince Vladimir, who was looking for a reliable ideological tie for the disunited tribes, whose native paganism did not satisfy his needs. However, it is possible that he himself sincerely turned to a new faith. But there were no missionaries. He had to besiege Constantinople and ask the hands of the Greek princess to be baptized. Only then were preachers sent to Russian cities who baptized the population, built temples and translated books. Some time after this, there was pagan resistance, insurrection of the Magi and so on. But after a couple of hundred years, Christianity, the territory of which spread throughout Rus, won, and pagan traditions have sunk into oblivion.