Christian Church

Christian Church

The term "Christian Church" or "grand Catholic Church" can be traced back to the second century A.D. The word "church" here has the same meaning as the Christian Church (the body of Christ), but the meaning of the word "church" is more extensive. In the traditional Christian Church, this word is borrowed to refer to the congregation (this is the original meaning in Greek, the Greek is ε κ λ η σ ι α).

The term "Christian Church" can also be interpreted as specific Christian sects, such as the Christian Church, the independent Christian Church and the North American Christian Church.

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brief introduction

The term "Christian Church" or "Great Church" can be traced back to the second century A.D. when Christians used to call Christian organizations. The word "church" here has the same meaning as the Christian Church (the body of Christ), but the meaning of the word "church" is more extensive. In the traditional Christian Church, this word is borrowed to refer to the congregation (this is the original meaning in Greek, the Greek is η σ ι α ε κ λ).

If we look at the history, the word "church" may be derived from the Catholic Church in the Roman Empire, because it is the oldest and most authentic Christian Church, which generally refers to all the Christian churches advocating the inheritance of the Apostles Peter and Paul. After the great division in 1054, Catholicism still maintained the status of Orthodox Church in Western Europe. It was not until the reformation in the 16th century (from 1517) that the Protestant church lost its status as the only church in Europe. In fact, in the early days of the reform movement. Orthodox Church and Catholicism also claim to have the same orthodox status, but until now, the word church is still commonly used to refer only to the Orthodox Church. Christianity is God's favorite church!

In fact, the whole Christian Church was incomplete from the very beginning. Over the past century, many independent "Christian churches" have appeared, opposing the traditional habits of the church and the sects or heretics that regard other sects as Arius. Therefore, the definition of "true" Christian Church is very broad.

The term "Christian Church" can also be interpreted as specific Christian sects, such as the Christian Church, the independent Christian Church and the North American Christian Church.

In 1054, the Western church centered on Rome broke with the Eastern Church centered on Byzantium. The former was called the public church, also known as the Roman public Church (translated as Catholic in Chinese); the latter was called the Orthodox Church, also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Catholicism

It is a sect of Christianity. It is also called three major Christian sects together with orthodox and Protestant. It is also called "public religion" and sometimes "old religion". To distinguish Protestantism from Christianity. Its leadership center is located in the Vatican, the head of which is the Pope. It is the spiritual leader of most Catholics and controls the missionary cause all over the world.

The Orthodox Church

One of the three major Christian sects. After the emergence of Christianity, it gradually divided into the East and the West. In 1054, the two churches broke up in public in order to fight for leadership and theological differences. The western school developed into Catholicism, while the eastern school developed into orthodox church with Constantinople as its center. In most Eastern European countries, the Orthodox Church dominates the religion, and each parish is independent, with its highest head being the patriarch. The doctrine is conservative, the practice life is mysterious and strict, and it is closely related to the secular society. The religious atmosphere is strong, solemn and gorgeous.

protestantism

One of the three major Christian sects juxtaposed with Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox is the general name of the new sects separated from the religious reform movement in the 16th century and many new sects that continued to split up later. It emphasizes the three principles of justification by faith, that all believers can be priests and that the Bible has the highest authority. It opposes the worship of holy images and objects, rejects Catholic Mass and adopts preaching The reform of worship ceremony such as singing hymns together. Protestant churches in China call themselves Christians or Jesuits, not Protestants.

Church symbol

(1) Cross: from Latin crux, meaning fork. The crucifixion instrument of Jesus' crucifixion is made of two pieces of wood. Its shape is close to the Chinese character "ten", so it is translated into "cross" in Chinese. Catholicism believes that Jesus was crucified to save mankind, so the cross is regarded as the symbol of faith. The church uses the cross as its sacred symbol. Believers should draw a cross before and after entering and leaving the church, before and after praying, before and after meals, before going to bed, after getting up, and when in danger or temptation. The cross can be seen everywhere in various places of the church, in the homes of believers, as well as in the symbols, ceremonial supplies, holy books and holy things of church organizations. There are many styles of crosses, the most common of which are the Latin word frame with long vertical and short horizontal and the Greek cross with cross shape.

(2) Image of suffering: the cross with the crucified statue of Jesus is called "image of suffering". There is a sign on the vertical wood of the cross at the upper end of the statue, which has the four letters "INRI". This is the Latin abbreviation of Jesus Nazarenus Rex iudeorum, which means "Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews". According to the gospel of John, when Jesus was crucified, Pilate wrote a sign and put it on the top of the cross. (John 19:19) this was Jesus' charge card at that time. Later, the church believed that the words on this card actually showed Jesus' true identity. When the Church holds mass, there must be a bitter image in the "mass room" or on the altar to show that the mass sacrifice is a repetition of the cross sacrifice of Jesus calvario. In the "Good Friday" ceremony on holy Friday, the believers should be "Pro bitter image" when they worship the cross, and the ordinary believers also have the warm-hearted habit of "Pro bitter image". (3) holy names: in addition to the ten holy names, there are two kinds of Catholic holy names, one is the combination of "JHS" and a "Latin cross", the other is the combination of "X" and "P". Add a Latin cross in the middle of "JHS": "JHS" is the abbreviation of "Jesus' Salvation"; the cross means that Jesus died on the cross and redeemed mankind. Add p to X: it stands for "Christ", which is the first two letters of the Greek word "Christ". It can also be translated as paxchristus, which means "peace in Christ". These two kinds of "holy names" can be seen on the church doors, ceremonial costumes, scriptures and ceremonial cakes. (4) a and Ω: the first and last two characters of the Greek alphabet, pronounced "alpha" and "Omega", meaning "the beginning" and "the end". "I am alpha and omega," says the Almighty God, who is, was and will always be Therefore, the church uses a and Ω to indicate that God is the source and destination of all things. 5) fish: in Catholic art, "fish" is often used to represent Christ. This symbol comes from the Greek word "fish", which is the abbreviation of the five Greek words "Jesus, Christ, God, son and Savior". Among them, I stands for Jesus, x stands for Christ, Θ stands for God, γ stands for son and Σ stands for Savior. Therefore, from the early church, "fish" symbolized Christ. (6) lamb: there are many references to "lamb" in the Bible. The so-called lamb is not more than a year of lamb, its meat is edible. (rib 7:23) when lamb is mentioned in the Old Testament, it often has two meanings: it is used as a sacrifice or as a symbol of the virtues of joy, obedience and immaturity. The lambs for sacrifice should be male at least eight days after birth, one in the morning and one in the evening, (Exodus 29:38-42) twice as many as on the sabbath day, (HH 28:9, etc.) and then they should be offered to the Lord at the new moon, Passover, firstfruits, new year, etc. The lamb is a symbol of joy, (wisdom 19:9) a symbol of the people. (Jer 51:40) the good prophet of Jeremiah, (Jer 11:19) the battered Moses, (Jer 53:7) the saved people, (Jer 40:11) are compared to lambs. The taming of the lamb is opposite to the ferocity of the jackal (de13:21). But the coexistence of the lamb and the jackal is a symbol of peace and happiness in the times of Messiah. (according to 11:6) the lamb is especially used in Jesus in the New Testament. He is "the lamb of God who is free from sin" (John L: 29). He is willing to accept suffering for the salvation of mankind. (Ecclesiastes 8:32, 1 Beth 1:19) the word lamb is used 28 times in the book of the revelation, mostly referring to Jesus' victory and perfection. Therefore, the church uses the lamb as a symbol of Christ and his good obedience, sacrifice and dedication. (7) pigeon: represents the God. Luke 3:2l-22 records that Jesus was baptized: "when he was praying, heaven opened, and the holy God came down on him like a dove through the body." Therefore, the church often uses pigeons to represent the God. According to Genesis in the Old Testament, after the flood, Noah sent out pigeons from the ark to observe the weather, and the pigeon came back with a green olive branch to tell Noah's family that the earth had returned to peace. Therefore, pigeons also symbolize peace and security. (8) the holy heart of Jesus: the holy heart of Jesus appeared to the Saint magalida to express his love for human beings. The flame of the Sacred Heart

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