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The history of
Christianity began with Jesus Christ. He was born in Bethlehem, a
small town in what is present day Israel. Israel was a tribe of
people who lived around the sea of Galilee, which was under the
control of the Roman Empire. Jesus was raised by a carpenter but
not much is known about his childhood. When He was about thirty
years old, He was baptized in the Jordan River by His cousin, John
the Baptist. He chose twelve people to be His apostles. They
believed that Jesus was the Messiah, or the one God sent to save
the people from their sins. He traveled from town to town in the
land of Galilee, teaching and healing people from all over. There
were many people who believed in Jesus, but there were also many
others who did not believe in Him. They thought that he was some
type of magician. Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples and
was crucified on the cross. Three days after His death, three women
went to anoint Jesus’ body, and they ran back saying that the
body was gone and an angel had told them that Jesus had risen from
the dead. Jesus later appeared to His disciples and eventually
ascended into heaven to be with God. |
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Jesus' followers
became known as Christians. One important man in the history of
Christianity was named Paul. Before Paul became a Christian, his
name was Saul, and he later changed his name to Paul. At first Saul
traveled around torturing and killing Christians because of their
beliefs. According to the Bible, in the book of Acts, on his way to
Damascus, Paul was blinded by a bright light and heard a voice that
said, "Saul, Saul, why have you done this to me?" He was told what
to do in Damascus, and when he accepted Jesus as his savior for his
sins, scales fell off of his eyes and he was able to see again.
There was a time of peace between the Romans and Israel, so Paul
took advantage of the Roman roads and traveled to many places and
started churches there. Paul would soon write letters back to the
churches providing encouragement. Later, these letters would become
the main part of the New Testament of the Bible. |
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