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Religion Research: Christianity

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How to Find Resources in the Catalog

Christianity

Christians

Church history

By major division:

  • Catholic Church
  • Protestant Church
  • Orthodox Eastern Church

By  Denomination

  • Calvinists
  • Presbyterians
  • Quakers

By place

  • Christianity -- <place name>
  • Christianity--United States

Christianity and <topic>

  • Christianity and art
  • Christianity and justice
  • Christianity and other religions

Topics which are inherently Christian

  • Lord's supper
  • Holy water
  • Jesus Christ

This is a small sampling of subject headings in our catalog. As always, the OCC librarians are ready to help you find the best resources for your specific needs.

Where to Find Books on the Shelf.

Works on Christianity will be spread among the BR, BT, BV, BX, and BS sections

Christianity: BR 1-1725

Early Church writings: BR 60-67

History: BR140-1520

Doctrinal Theology: BT 10-1480

God: BT 98-180

Practical Theology: BV 1-5099

Worship: BV 5-530

Church and state: BV 629-631

Christian Denominations: BX 1-9999

Bible: BS 1-2970

Old Testament: BS 701-1830

New Testament: BS 1901-2970

Christianity

picture of Jesus, the almighty one from Church of the Holy SepulchreChristianity is the largest of the world's religions with about 2.38 billion adherents who make up just under 1/3 of the world's population.* It began in the first century CE as a Jewish sect, where some people saw Jesus as the Christ, i.e. Messiah, which was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. As more and more gentiles joined the group, the group separated itself from the Jewish community.

 

 

 

 

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

image from Church of the Holy Sepulchre, downloaded from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Pantocrator,_Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre.png

Major Divisions

An overview of the development of Christianity and its denominations.

1st Century (c. 30 AD) – The Birth of Christianity

  • Jesus of Nazareth's ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.

  • Early Christian communities form under the apostles’ leadership.

  • Christianity begins as a sect within Judaism.

313 AD – Edict of Milan

  • Emperor Constantine legalizes Christianity in the Roman Empire.

  • Christianity transitions from persecuted religion to state-favored.

325 AD – First Council of Nicaea

  • Establishes foundational Christian doctrines (e.g., Nicene Creed).

  • Begins shaping unified orthodox Christian theology.

1054 AD – The Great Schism

  • Split between:

    • Roman Catholic Church (West)

    • Eastern Orthodox Church (East)

  • Main causes: theological, political, cultural differences.

1517 AD – Protestant Reformation

  • Initiated by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

  • Challenges Catholic practices (like indulgences).

  • Leads to formation of Protestant denominations.

  • Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonites) start around the 1520s.

Major Protestant Denominations:

  • Lutheranism – founded by Martin Luther.

  • Reformed Tradition – led by figures like John Calvin.

  • Anglicanism – English Reformation under Henry VIII.

1600s–1700s – Rise of New Protestant Movements

  • Baptists

  • Methodists (founded by John Wesley)

  • Quakers (Religious Society of Friends)

1800s–1900s – Global Missions and Modern Movements

  • Growth of Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism.

  • Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism (LDS Church) emerge.

Today – A Global and Diverse Christianity

  • Major branches:

    • Catholic

    • Orthodox

    • Protestant (with hundreds of sub-denominations)

  • Growing diversity in Africa, Asia, Latin America.

 

List created by OpenAI (2025) ChatGPT. [Large language model]. 

Sample Books in our Collection