History of Christianity (Full Series)
UsefulCharts・133 minutes read
Matt Baker created a video series on the history of Christian denominations, exploring the evolution of various sects from ancient Israelite religion to modern-day branches like the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. The video delves into key events like the Council of Nicaea and the Great Schism, highlighting the diverse beliefs and practices within Christianity worldwide.
Insights
- Matt Baker created a comprehensive video series titled "History of Christianity" on usefulcharts.com, delving into the family tree of Christian denominations.
- The development of various Christian sects, such as Jewish Christians, Pauline Christians, and Gnosticism, stemmed from the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
- The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE solidified mainstream Nicene Christianity's beliefs, establishing the co-eternal nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
- The split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054 was primarily due to disagreements over the pope's authority and the Nicene Creed.
- The Protestant Reformation, initiated by Martin Luther in 1517, gave rise to Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed branches, challenging Catholic doctrines and leading to significant religious shifts.
- Various denominations, such as the Seventh-day Adventists, Unitarians, and Pentecostals, emerged from unique theological perspectives and historical contexts, contributing to the diverse landscape of Christian denominations today.
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Recent questions
What is the history of Christianity?
The history of Christianity traces back to ancient Israelite religion, evolving through Second Temple Judaism, the split after the destruction of the Second Temple, and the establishment of mainstream Nicene Christianity. Various denominations emerged, such as the Assyrian Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation led to Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Reformed branches, while the Methodist movement, Latter-day Saints, and Adventists formed in later centuries. Unitarians, Pentecostals, and Unitarian Universalists also contributed to the diverse landscape of Christian denominations.
What are the main denominations of Christianity?
The main denominations of Christianity include Nicene Christianity, Assyrian Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Roman Catholic Church, Protestant denominations like Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Reformed branches, as well as Methodist denominations, Latter-day Saints, Adventists, Unitarians, Pentecostals, and Unitarian Universalists. Each denomination has unique beliefs, practices, and historical backgrounds that contribute to the rich tapestry of Christianity worldwide.
How did the Protestant Reformation impact Christianity?
The Protestant Reformation, initiated by Martin Luther in 1517, challenged Catholic doctrines like indulgences and papal authority, leading to the creation of Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed branches of Protestantism. This movement emphasized the authority of scripture, salvation by faith alone, and the priesthood of all believers. The Reformation sparked theological debates, religious wars, and the formation of new denominations, shaping the diverse landscape of Christianity we see today.
What are the key differences between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches?
The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church differ in their views on the pope's authority, the Nicene Creed, and theological interpretations. The Eastern Orthodox Church is divided into autocephalous churches, with the Patriarch of Constantinople considered first among equals, while the Roman Catholic Church recognizes the pope as the supreme authority. The Great Schism in 1054 marked the split between the two churches, highlighting theological, liturgical, and organizational distinctions that continue to shape their practices and beliefs.
How did the Pentecostal movement impact Christianity?
The Pentecostal movement, sparked by the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, emphasized speaking in tongues as a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This movement led to the formation of Pentecostal denominations like the Assemblies of God and the Apostolic Church, making Pentecostals the second largest Christian group after Roman Catholics. Pentecostalism's emphasis on spiritual gifts, personal experiences of God, and evangelism has influenced global Christianity, contributing to the vibrant diversity of denominations within the faith.
Related videos
Summary
00:00
"History of Christianity: Evolution and Diversity"
- Matt Baker created an eight-part series on the family tree of Christian denominations earlier this year.
- The series is now released as a single video titled "History of Christianity" on usefulcharts.com.
- The chart in the video evolves as Matt goes through it, reflecting the systematic study of church history.
- The ancient Israelite religion, dating back to 1000 BCE to 600 BCE, is discussed with two contrasting views.
- Second Temple Judaism, influenced by Zoroastrianism and Hellenism, evolved into a diverse religion with sects like Pharisees and Sadducees.
- After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Christianity split into Jewish Christians, Pauline Christians, and Gnosticism.
- Jewish Christians followed Jewish practices, while Pauline Christians, led by Apostle Paul, focused on a New Covenant.
- Gnosticism emphasized the spiritual world over the physical, with groups like Valentinians and Sethians.
- The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE established the Nicene Creed, distinguishing mainstream Christianity from Arian Christianity.
- Nicene Christianity, with beliefs in the co-eternal nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, became the dominant form of Christianity.
17:42
"Oriental Orthodox Churches and their divisions"
- The Assyrian Church of the East, led by Patriarch AWA III, is based in Northern Iraq and has around 400,000 members.
- The Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE caused a split, leading to the Oriental Orthodox Churches separating from mainstream churches, known as non-Chalcedonian.
- Oriental Orthodox Churches believe in Jesus having one nature, a mix of divinity and humanity, while Chalcedonian churches believe in Jesus having two natures.
- The concept of the Pentarchy emerged, with five important Christian centers: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, each led by a patriarch.
- The Coptic Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church support Miaphysitism, breaking away from the mainstream.
- The Ethiopian Church became independent from the Coptic Church in 1959, followed by the Eritrean Church in 1991, both using the term "Tewahedo," meaning unified.
- The Ethiopian Church, with around 40 million members, is the largest Oriental Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Matthias.
- The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India became independent from the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1912.
- The Great Schism in 1054 led to the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church over the pope's authority and the Nicene Creed.
- The Eastern Orthodox Church is divided into 15 autocephalous churches, with the Patriarch of Constantinople considered first among equals, currently held by Bartholomew I.
36:13
"Christian Denominations: Unity and Disunity"
- The new Orthodox Church of Ukraine is now the main Eastern Orthodox Church in Ukraine, despite some remaining disunity.
- A growing rift exists between the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the Patriarch of Moscow, with Moscow historically viewing itself as the Third Rome.
- Moscow broke communion with Constantinople after the recognition of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, leading to strained relations.
- The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination, with over a billion members, primarily belonging to the Latin church among the 24 churches within the Roman Catholic Church.
- The Roman Catholic Church organizes its members into provinces, dioceses, and parishes, with each diocese led by a bishop and one being an archdiocese led by an archbishop.
- The Pope, currently Pope Francis, is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, overseeing all bishops and archbishops.
- There are 23 Eastern Catholic churches, operating independently but under the Pope's jurisdiction, with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church being the largest.
- Various Eastern Catholic churches, like the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church, broke away from their respective Orthodox counterparts.
- Independent branches of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches exist, such as the Old Catholic Church and the Set of a Contest churches.
- The Protestant Reformation, initiated by Martin Luther in 1517, led to the creation of Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed branches of Protestantism, challenging Catholic doctrines like indulgences and papal authority.
54:25
Lutheran and Anglican Denominations: A Brief Overview
- In the U.S., Lutheran denominations initially varied by nationality, but by the 1960s, they merged into three major denominations: American Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church in America, and Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
- A controversy in the 1970s within the Missouri Synod led to the creation of Seminex and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC).
- In the 1980s, the AELC merged with the ALC and LCA to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), leaving two main Lutheran denominations in the U.S: the conservative Missouri Synod and the liberal ELCA.
- The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is a smaller, more conservative Lutheran denomination in the U.S.
- During World War II, Prussian Lutheran churches supported the Nazis, utilizing Martin Luther's anti-Semitic writings, but some Lutherans, led by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, formed the Confessing Church to oppose Hitler.
- Post-war, the Prussian church was purged of Nazi supporters, and in 1948, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) was formed, uniting several German state churches.
- The EKD, comprising Lutherans and Calvinists, is the largest Protestant denomination in Continental Europe.
- The Makane Jesus Church in Ethiopia, founded by Swedish missionaries, is the second largest Lutheran denomination worldwide.
- Anglicans, considered a middle ground between Catholicism and Protestantism, split from Rome in 1534, forming the Church of England, with the monarch as its head.
- Anglicanism spread globally through colonies, leading to the formation of 42 autonomous churches within the Anglican Communion, with the Church of Nigeria and Church of Uganda being the largest.
01:11:21
Church History: From Scotland to America
- During the 1500s and 1600s, uncertainty surrounded whether the Scottish Episcopal Church or the Church of Scotland would become the state Church of Scotland, with Presbyterianism ultimately prevailing.
- The American colonies, upon breaking away from Great Britain, consecrated their Bishops through the Scottish Episcopal Church due to the inability to do so through the Church of England without pledging allegiance to the king.
- The Reformed Church in America, originating as a branch of the Dutch Reformed Church, merged with a Lutheran Synod in 1934 to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church, later becoming part of the United Church of Christ.
- The Christian Reformed Church separated from the Reformed Church in America in 1857, forming its distinct entity.
- The two largest Presbyterian churches in Korea, initially a single church, split in 1959, with the original church established by American Presbyterians.
- Anabaptists and Quakers, unlike Lutherans, Anglicans, and Reformed groups, emerged as entirely new groups distinct from the Catholic Church in both theology and practice.
- Anabaptists, rejecting infant baptism, believed in baptizing individuals only once they were capable of understanding and committing to their faith, with early leaders like Menno Simons and subsequent divisions leading to the formation of Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites.
- Anabaptist groups, known for simple living and traditional attire, exhibit varying degrees of technology acceptance, with the Amish being the most traditional.
- Pietists, emerging later than Anabaptists, focused on personal religious devotion, with groups like the Schwarzenau Brethren and Church of the Brethren stemming from this movement.
- Quakers, originating in England as pacifists, emphasized the inner light and individual connection to God, with their religious meetings characterized by silence and reflection.
01:27:31
Global Christian Communion Rankings and Origins
- Several people requested an "others" section in the chart, leading to the addition of various other sections, such as other Lutherans and other Pentecostals, to provide a comprehensive view.
- Pentecostals, if united, would form the second largest Christian communion globally, surpassing the Eastern Orthodox Church, highlighting the significant number of Pentecostals worldwide.
- Other Baptists were included, as only about half of the global Baptist population belongs to the Baptist World Alliance, indicating the potential for a higher ranking if all Baptists united.
- Methodists and Reformed sections were omitted as the majority belong to specific councils, leaving no significant "other" groups to mention.
- Lebanon, Germany, and Australia were highlighted for their religious demographics, with Lebanon being predominantly Christian and Germany and Australia evenly split between Catholics and Protestants.
- Shakers were added to the family tree section, branching off before major Quaker groups, in response to viewer requests.
- Baptists, Quakers, and Congregationalists were among English separatist groups in the 1600s, with Baptists emerging as the modern-day descendants due to the decline of other groups.
- Baptists originated from John Smith and Thomas Helwys, former Anglicans influenced by Anabaptists, emphasizing adult baptism over infant baptism.
- Landmark Baptists propose an alternative origin theory tracing Baptist roots to the first century, illustrated in "The Trail of Blood," although this hypothesis is not widely accepted.
- The first Great Awakening marked the rise of Evangelical Christianity, leading to the growth of Baptists and Methodist movements, particularly among black Americans, with missionary Baptists emerging as a unifying force.
01:44:53
Methodism: Origins, Growth, and Divisions
- The Seventh-Day Baptists originated in the UK.
- The Methodists were formed due to the first Great Awakening.
- John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitfield were key figures in founding Methodism.
- The Holy Club at Oxford led to the term "Methodists" for the group.
- John Wesley emphasized salvation for everyone and the second work of Grace.
- The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in the U.S after missionary work.
- The United Methodist Church is the main Methodist denomination in the U.S.
- The split in the United Methodist Church over the ordination of gay clergy led to the formation of the Global Methodist Church.
- Black American Methodists formed separate denominations early on.
- The Wesleyan Church and Free Methodist Church aligned with the Holiness movement.
02:02:44
"Religious Groups: Origins, Beliefs, and Divisions"
- Joseph Smith founded the Church of Christ, later renamed the Church of Latter-day Saints, and then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- After Joseph Smith's assassination in 1844, Brigham Young led the largest group of Latter-day Saints to Utah, founding Salt Lake City.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has around 17 million members globally.
- The RLDS, now known as The Community of Christ, was led by Joseph Smith III from 1860 to 1914.
- The FLDS, a fundamentalist group, continues to practice polygamy despite the main LDS church ending the practice in 1890.
- The Adventists, focused on the second coming of Jesus, originated from William Miller's teachings about Jesus' return in 1844.
- The Seventh-day Adventists, with 22 million members worldwide, believe in an investigative judgment starting in 1844.
- Ellen G. White, a prophet in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, wrote over 150 books and emphasized events in 1844.
- The United Church of God split from the Church of God Seventh Day due to disagreements with Ellen G. White's teachings.
- The Branch Davidians, a small group, had a tragic standoff in 1993 in Waco, Texas, with a connection to William Miller's teachings.
02:19:55
Holiness denominations and Pentecostal movements in Christianity.
- The Salvation Army is a Protestant denomination with ministers called officers and ranks similar to military ranks.
- The Holiness movement in the 1880s led to the formation of new denominations, including the Church of God Anderson Indiana.
- The Church of God Anderson is a Holiness denomination, while the Church of God Cleveland is Pentecostal, allowing speaking in tongues.
- The Church of the Nazarene, a Holiness denomination, did not become Pentecostal and merged with other Holiness denominations.
- The Wesleyan Church formed in 1968 from the merger of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church.
- The Higher Life movement led to the creation of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1897.
- Pentecostals believe in speaking in tongues as a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- The Azusa Street Revival in 1906 sparked the Pentecostal movement, attracting diverse crowds despite controversy.
- The Assemblies of God, formed in 1914, holds to a finished work Doctrine, reducing the three-stage teaching of other Pentecostals to two.
- The Apostolic Church, originating from the Welsh revivals, grew into a global movement, making Pentecostals the second largest Christian group after Roman Catholics.
02:36:28
"Unitarian Universalism: A Liberal Non-Trinitarian Religion"
- Unitarians reject the Trinity and Divinity of Jesus; Jews and Muslims are considered unitarians in this sense.
- Unitarians, distinct from general unitarians, belong to various movements stemming from Protestant Christianity.
- Unitarian movements originated in Eastern Europe, later spreading to the UK and the US.
- Universalism, the belief in universal salvation, emerged alongside Unitarianism, leading to the formation of the Universalist Church of America in 1793.
- Unitarians and Universalists merged in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association, becoming liberal denominations.
- The Unitarian Universalist Association is non-trinitarian and non-nicene, possibly considered a separate religion from Christianity.
- The Metropolitan Community Church, founded in 1968 by Troy Perry, focuses on inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.
- The Catholic Apostolic Church, also known as the Irvingian Church, has evolved into the New Apostolic Church, primarily based in Continental Europe.
- The Two by Twos, founded by William Irvine, are a secretive group rejecting the Trinity, often referred to as kuniites.
- The Christadelphians, founded by John Thomas, emphasize brotherhood in Christ, with roots in the Stone-Campbell movement.
02:54:48
Unconventional Religious Beliefs and Practices
- The Kimbanguist Church, founded in 1921 by Simon Kimbangu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stands out for its unique beliefs and practices, including Kimbangu being seen as the Incarnation of the Holy Spirit, contrary to Nicene theology, leading to his imprisonment by Belgian authorities for preaching about Black Liberation.
- The Rastafari religion, originating in Jamaica in the 1930s, views Haile Selassie as the Reincarnation of Jesus, evolving into its own distinct faith despite its Christian roots, symbolized by a black and white symbol to signify its independence from traditional Christianity.
- Messianic Jews, considered Jewish Christians, trace back to the early sects of Judaism and Christianity, with modern Messianic Jews fully embracing Nicene Christianity, leading to their classification as Christians rather than Jews by the broader Jewish community due to differing beliefs about Jesus.
