ENGL 484A, The Bible as Literature (Sabbath): Christianity

Review essay from the Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity

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Part one of this program presents the life of Jesus against the backdrop of first-century Judea, inhabited by the Jews and occupied by the forces of the Roman Empire. Was Jesus the long-awaited Messiah? After the Resurrection, Saul of Tarsus, later Paul, became a champion of a budding new religion based on Jesus' teachings: Christianity. Part two traces the spread of the faith and its inevitable clash with Rome. Despite persecution, Christianity thrived, setting down roots and creating the New Testament (48 min).

Despite its humble beginnings and initial suppression, Christianity is now the largest religion in the world. This program explores Christianity, from the life and teachings of Jesus according to the New Testament to the religion’s evolution into three major denominations. Church doctrine, including the Resurrection and Sacraments, is explained as viewers travel to some of Christianity’s holiest sites. The video also examines the impact of the ministries of Peter and Paul. Filmed on location in Israel, Greece, Germany, and Italy. A part of the series Let’s Look at World Religions. (24 minutes)

This program tells the story of how Christianity became the world's largest religion. Christianity in Mexico includes ancient indigenous concepts that have been adapted in what is now a genuinely Mexican faith. In Africa, the pattern was the same: missionary efforts came to little, wrecked by European social and cultural arrogance. And we learn that today's fast-growing African Christianity is far older than the missionary movement. In Ethiopia Christian traditions go back to the century of Christ. The pattern is the same across the former colonial world, in Asia, Africa and Latin America. No longer does Europe have a stranglehold on Christianity. A new indigenous Christendom has emerged in the developing world (49 min.)

The video highlights the significance of the Syriac Orthodox Church and discusses differences between Eastern and Roman imperial Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the impact of Islam in Syria. It covers the rule and the rivalries of Constantine, Nestorius, Cyril, and Timothy I; the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon; and a stronghold of the faith even further east of Rome: the powerful Baghdad-based Nestorian Church, whose dominion by the 8th century included parts of India and China. Produced by the Open University. Part of the series A History of Christianity. (59 minutes)

2011 executive summary