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In Austria, between 1971 and 2021 Christianity declined from 93.8% to 68.2% (Catholism from 87.4% to 55.2% and Protestantism from 6% to 3.8%) while people with no religion rose from 4.3% to 22.4%. [39] Currently, Christianity is adhered to by 68.2% of the country's population, according to the 2021 national survey conducted by Statistics Austria.
The largest and oldest Christian church in Egypt, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, credits its founding to Mark the Evangelist, c. AD 42. [11] A considerable number of Jews resided in Egypt, [ 12 ] and Alexandria specifically, with their residence in the country predating the first Christians by perhaps as long as 600 years. [ 13 ]
The history of Christianity begins with the ministry of Jesus, a Jewish teacher and healer, who was crucified and died c. AD 30–33 in Jerusalem in the Roman province of Judea. Afterwards, his followers, a set of apocalyptic Jews, proclaimed him risen from the dead .
Claudia Setzer asserts that, "Jews did not see Christians as clearly separate from their own community until at least the middle of the second century" but most scholars place the "parting of the ways" much earlier, with theological separation occurring immediately. [17] Second Temple Judaism had allowed more than one way to be Jewish.
Bart D. Ehrman attributes the rapid spread of Christianity to five factors: (1) the promise of salvation and eternal life for everyone was an attractive alternative to Roman religions; (2) stories of miracles and healings purportedly showed that the one Christian God was more powerful than the many Roman gods; (3) Christianity began as a ...
[25]: 7 Constantine and his contemporary Christians did not treat paganism as a living religion; it was defined as a superstitio – an 'outmoded illusion.' [34] Constantine made many derogatory and contemptuous comments relating to the old religion; writing of the "true obstinacy" of the pagans, of their "misguided rites and ceremonial", and ...
A. N. Sherwin-White records that serious discussion of the reasons for Roman persecution of Christians began in 1890 when it produced "20 years of controversy" and three main opinions: first, there was the theory held by most French and Belgian scholars that "there was a general enactment, precisely formulated and valid for the whole empire, which forbade the practice of the Christian religion.
Christians were obstinate in their non-compliance. Church leaders, like Fabian, bishop of Rome, and Babylas, bishop of Antioch, were arrested, tried and executed, [30] as were certain members of the Christian laity, like Pionius of Smyrna. [31] [notes 3] Origen was tortured during the persecution and died about a year after from the resulting ...