The Synoptic Gospels describe the life and ministry of Jesus, especially what he taught. At the centre of his message was the Kingdom of God, the divine rule that the people of Israel had long awaited with hope.
Through Jesus’ actions and teaching, his disciples came to believe that he was the Messiah they were expecting. However, when Jesus was crucified, that belief collapsed. His death appeared to bring the messianic hope to an end.
After this, a decisive shift occurred. When many claimed to have seen Jesus alive after his death, the conviction that Jesus truly was the Messiah arose again with renewed force. This resurrection faith became the foundation of a new movement.
As the movement grew, the beliefs associated with it also developed and transformed. Paul interpreted Jesus’ death as a sacrificial act of salvation. The Gospel of John presented Jesus as the divine Word (Logos) who existed with God from the beginning. In later Christian belief, Jesus came to be understood as the second person of the Trinity.
These developing beliefs increasingly separated Christianity from Judaism. For the same reasons, Islam—which views Jesus as a prophet rather than divine—also stands clearly apart from Christian faith.
Within Christianity itself, differences in belief led to the formation of numerous denominations and sects. Jesus had hoped that his disciples would remain united and that they would teach the world what he himself had taught. Yet what actually happened was different. Instead of primarily teaching what Jesus taught, Christians increasingly taught what they believed about Jesus.
This diversity of beliefs gradually fragmented Christianity into many pieces, replacing unity with division.
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