Christianity began about 2000 years ago among a group of Jews who believed that a charismatic Jewish teacher named Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah or “Christ.” Jesus preached around the Sea of Galilee, healing the sick, helping the poor, and working toward a Kingdom of God on earth. This angered some leaders in the Ramon government, and they had Jesus killed by nailing him to a wooden cross (crucifixion). The Christian New Testament says Jesus rose from the dead and asked his followers (disciples) to take to the world his message of love, forgiveness and everlasting life after death. The Christian church rests its faith on Jesus’ resurrection. Four of the “messages of Good News,” or Gospels, became sacred texts of the Christian church. Today Christians live throughout the world and there are several dozen major branches of the Christian faith, the largest being the Roman Catholic Church.
Excerpt from the book, "Families of Abraham" by Eleanor Brawley
