It began as a small Jewish movement
JESUS was a Jewish teacher in Roman-ruled Judea in the first century, and his first followers were Jewish too. Christians believe he is the Son of God and the CHRIST — from the Greek for the anointed one, a translation of the Hebrew word messiah — and that his death and resurrection, celebrated at EASTER, bring SALVATION.
Within a few decades the movement had spread around the Mediterranean, carried along Roman roads by missionaries such as the APOSTLE Paul, whose letters make up a large part of the New Testament. It was a persecuted minority for nearly three centuries, until the emperor Constantine adopted it in the early 300s. Today around 2.4 billion people are Christian, making it the largest religion in the world.
The cross was not the first symbol
Early Christians often used a fish. The Greek word for fish, ichthys, spells out the initials of a phrase meaning Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, and a fish scratched on a wall could quietly mark a meeting place during persecution. The CROSS, and the CRUCIFIX showing the figure of Jesus on it, became the main symbol later, once being Christian no longer had to be hidden.
Christian teaching centres on the GOSPEL, meaning good news: the four accounts of the life of Jesus by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus often taught through the PARABLE, a short story with a meaning underneath — the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are two of the best known. Many Christians believe God is a TRINITY: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one.
One faith, many churches
The three largest branches are the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. The Catholic and Orthodox churches formally split in 1054, largely between the Latin-speaking west and the Greek-speaking east. The Protestant Reformation began in 1517, when Martin Luther challenged practices in the Catholic Church, and produced many new churches, including the Church of England after Henry the Eighth broke with Rome — our Tudors page covers that part.
Worship looks different across them, but much is shared: PRAYER, singing, readings from the BIBLE including the PSALM, a SERMON explaining a passage, and two practices most Christians keep. BAPTISM, with water, marks joining the faith. COMMUNION, sharing bread and wine, remembers the Last Supper. A small CHAPEL and a vast cathedral are both a CHURCH.
Where Christians live now
Christianity is often pictured as a European faith, and for centuries its heart was in Europe. That has changed. More Christians now live in sub-Saharan Africa than on any other continent, and Latin America comes next; Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines each have more Christians than most European countries.
The words in the grid — the DISCIPLE and the APOSTLE, GRACE, FAITH, HEAVEN, the SAVIOUR and WORSHIP — are shared across all these churches, whatever language the service is in. The BIBLE has been translated more than any other book: the complete text exists in over 700 languages and at least part of it in more than 3,000, and translation work is still going on for languages that have none.