Christianity all doctrines and religious groups based on the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is held by Christians to be the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, and the Savior of humanity. This teaching is embodied in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. Rooted in Judaism, Christianity was founded in the 1st cent. in Palestine by disciples of Jesus. It was spread, despite sporadic persecution, through the Roman Empire by missionaries, notably St. Paul, and was recognized (313) by Constantine I.

The early church was plagued by heresies concerning the nature of Jesus, which were condemned at councils such as the First Council of Nicaea (325). Monasticism arose in Egypt in the 3d and 4th cent. and was organized in the East by St. Basil the Great and in the West by St. Benedict. Christian writers, notably Origen, St. Athanasuis, St. Jerome, and St. Augstine helped to determine and preserve the text of the Bible. In the East the church became centered in Constantinople and was largely subordinate to the emperor; in the West the Papacy at Rome remained an independent force.

From both centers Christianity grew to embrace all Europe, but in the 7th and 8th cent. lost Asia Minor and N Africa to Islam. Gradually, a break developed between East and West, and became more or less permanent after 1054. In the West the growing power and corruption of the church contributed to the Protestant Reformation, which splintered Christianity into numerous sects. In the 20th cent. the Ecumental Movement was begun to promote Christian unity.

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