| Christianity is one of the most widespread religions in the world. The religion originated as a messianic movement. Christianity has the largest number of believers of any religion in the world. It is based on the figure of Jesus Christ, whose word was spread during the first century CE by twelve emissaries, the chosen disciples of Jesus.
Christianity in its different sects sees God as threefold- the Father (God), the Son (Jesus, considered to be the son of God), and the Holy Ghost (a kind of inspiration of sanctity) - that is one. This concept is called the Holy Trinity.
The figure of Jesus in Christianity
The central figure in all branches of Christianity is the figure of Jesus Christ. According to Christian sources, especially the books of the New Testament, Jesus was a Jew living in the first century CE, a religious preacher and a miracle worker. His disciples viewed him as the Messiah.
There are a number of principles (dogmas) that are central to the Christian religion, which must be accepted in full by the believer:
Principles accepted by most streams of Christianity:
· Acceptance of the Holy Trinity
· Belief that Jesus is both God and man
· Belief that Jesus was crucified as a man to atone for the sins of mankind
· Belief that Jesus rose from his grave on the third day after his crucifixion
· Belief that Mary (Miriam), the mother of Jesus, was a virgin before his birth and remained a virgin after his birth
· Belief in immortality of the spirit
· Belief in the Day of Judgment, on which the dead will rise and Jesus will return to judge them
Holy sites
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is a holy place for Christians. According to Christian legend, the hill of Golgotha is so called because the skull (gulgolet in Hebrew) of the first man is buried there, and when Jesus was crucified on Golgotha a drop of his blood fell on this skull. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a large church built on the site of Jesus` crucifixion and burial.
Christian festivals
Easter - marks the occasion of Jesus are rising from the dead after his crucifixion
Christmas - marks the occasion of Jesus` birth
Ascension Day - marks Jesus` ascension to heaven
Epiphany - marks the revelation of God in the form of man
Annunciation
Pentecost - (Greek for 50 days - seven weeks) - marks the holy spirit descending on the apostles (the emissaries)
Some streams of Christianity have other popular festivals, such as All Saints Night and Valentine’s Day.
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