ABSTRACT
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker by the name of Jesus who was born in Palestine in about 6 before Common Era (BCE). Detailed information about his adult life is recorded in the Christian scriptures in a literary genre called gospel, which means “good news.” The following information is found in the gospel writings. The new faith tradition began in Jerusalem following Jesus’ resurrection, according to the author of another document in the scriptures, the “Acts of the Apostles,” which chronicles a theological history. In the following few centuries, Christianity became increasingly identified with the Roman government and concerned with codifying its organizational structure and doctrine, as a reaction to “heretical” teachings. Anabaptism began as a sixteenth-century Christian reform movement in Europe which attempted to restore the New Testament church.
