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(cathedral bell tolling)

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♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

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(upbeat pulsing music)

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Christmas,

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Easter,

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two of humanity's largest celebrations.

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Traditions that trace back 2,000 years to one man.

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Today there are over 2 billion Christians across the globe

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who consider him their Savior and Messiah.

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The world's largest religious group

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and its Church is a powerful institution,

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but that hasn't always been the case.

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Christianity from its inception has always been a religion

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that has called people from the margins.

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And its followers

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have not always been accepted.

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Christians, in periods of time,

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become targeted as enemies of the state.

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And while the seeds of this powerhouse religion

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took root 2,000 years ago,

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the New Testament's tale of the virgin birth,

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sanctioned by God, is just the beginning of its story.

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(air whooshes)

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(dramatic enchanted music)

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(somber music)

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The story of Christianity's humble origins

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is told in the Gospels,

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still the best source on the life and times of Jesus.

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These are the first four books of

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the New Testament of the Christian Bible,

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written by Jesus's followers after his death.

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It is in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke,

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written between 50 and 110 Common Era,

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that we first hear of the virgin birth

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in the land of Judea, in modern Israel.

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A miracle that, to his future followers,

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signals the coming of the Son of God.

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Was Christ man or was he divine?

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Or was he both?

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And how do you reconcile being human as well as divine?

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So we've got a theological debate

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that it shapes his whole story of his life,

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and it comes back to Mary.

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So the idea that Mary was a virgin,

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in a way, made it all the more obvious that he was divine.

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Because how could a virgin conceive of a child?

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That's simply not possible.

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His human features and qualities

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became a big object of devotion

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that allowed people to connect with God

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in a way that may have been less easy to do

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as an abstract, unseen, historical all-powerful entity.

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But this provided a way of knowing God

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through the form that God takes, the divine takes,

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in Jesus Christ.

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(relaxing music)

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The Judea of Jesus's youth

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was one full of political and religious turmoil.

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(somber dramatic music)

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(footsteps marching)

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The Romans were occupying that land,

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and so you feel the heavy presence of

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not just an occupying force, but a brutally occupying force.

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The Romans brought peace, but it was peace at a price,

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and they clamped down heavily on anything

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that fell out of what they consider to be law and order.

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(soldiers hollering)
(swords clanging)

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After years of harsh foreign occupation,

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the Jewish people were calling out for a Savior

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that would be known as the Messiah.

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We have in Jewish thought

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that there's going to be a Savior, in this case the Messiah,

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who's going to come and lead one final battle

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that will free all the Jews.

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So that's very important to Jewish thought.

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In Christian thought, that is absorbed.

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This strange sort of hotbed of different responses

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to the way Judea was being led,

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and then along comes Jesus,

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and he wasn't trying to bring down Rome violently,

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but somehow he believed that what he was doing

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would not just bring down Rome,

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but fix the entire world

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without a sword or a shield in sight.

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According to his followers,

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Jesus was this Messiah.

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But aside from his birth,

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we know little about Jesus's early life.

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Historians agree that he was a real person

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and that, as recorded in the Gospels,

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he grew up in the town of Nazareth,

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in the region of Galilee.

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He was raised by his mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph.

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Jesus was born into poverty, most likely.

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It's said that his father was a craftsperson.

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Likely he would've followed in that tradition,

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probably making enough to survive on a daily basis.

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Oh, Christ himself is such a radical figure.

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And by radical I mean that he is not what you would expect

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in a religious leader emerging out of the Roman Empire.

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So when we think about Roman society at the time,

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what did it value?

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Well, it valued status.

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Power came with wealth.

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This humble beginning would be

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the foundation of his future ministry.

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The earliest people it appealed to was women, slaves,

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servants, a kind of underclass.

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And the message basically was that

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you are just as welcome in the House of the Lord

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as anyone else.

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You do not need to be Jewish, you do not need to be Greek.

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It does not matter who you are.

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If you have faith,

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you can come to the Lord and the Lord will receive.

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So this openness, this universality,

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is the most appealing feature of Christianity.

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(relaxing enchanted music)

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The Gospels pick up Jesus's story again,

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as an adult,

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when he embarks on his Messianic mission.

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His first big step is a visit to an important preacher,

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John the Baptist.

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John the Baptist is an important figure historically

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and within the Christian tradition.

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He's made a commitment to bring other people

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into a right relationship with God.

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Part of that is regularly confessing and being cleansed,

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ritually cleansed, to represent that restoration.

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And so Jesus goes to John the Baptist.

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John baptizes him and when he comes out of the water,

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God says, "This is my Son."

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John was performing his own version of an older

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Jewish purification ritual known as Tevilah.

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Baptism was clearly understood as

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a transformative experience.

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It was meant to cleanse you of your previous sins

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and clothe you in new garments, as it were,

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through the cleansing capacities of the baptismal waters.

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It was a kind of rebirth of the soul.

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John's ministry was aimed at

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preparing the way for forgiveness and repentance to happen.

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Today,

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millions around the world perform the same rite.

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It is an act of obedience, repentance, and humility.

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Baptisms are often marked by rites,

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prayers and celebration.

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Baptism becomes a core part of

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Christian expression of worship, but it's the entry point.

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For some, it's an infant that is baptized.

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For others, it's an adult.

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But there's still, for most denominations,

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the requirement of baptism.

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The rite marks the beginning of

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a new life of faith in the life of a Christian.

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Sins are washed away by holy water,

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as infants and the newly faithful are sprinkled,

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washed, or fully immersed just as Christ himself was.

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I think so many people relish the idea of second chances,

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of starting again.

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And these ideas of starting again,

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of new creation, of repositioning,

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reconstituting, and rethinking your path in life

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are very central to the Christian tradition.

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For Jesus,

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the experience of baptism was also transformative.

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(relaxing music)

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John the Baptist baptized Jesus

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and then this commanding voice from the heavens that says,

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"This is my Son with whom I'm well pleased."

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It seems to be an announcement that,

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"This is the chosen one."

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(somber relaxing music)

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According to the Gospel of Matthew:

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And Jesus, when he was baptized,

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went up straightaway out of the water,

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and lo, the heavens were opened to him

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and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove

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and lighting upon him.

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The dove is an important symbol in Christianity.

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It denotes peace, love, and the Holy Spirit.

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Christians believe that God is Father, Son,

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and Holy Spirit at the same time.

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This idea they call, "The Trinity."

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By Father they mean

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the Creator of all living beings and things.

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The Son is Jesus Christ who became human.

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The Holy Spirit offers wisdom, faith and love

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between God and humans.

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So God has three different states, yet always remains God.

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Though Jesus is the Son of God,

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an incarnation of the holy on Earth,

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he'll now tread a path

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all Christians will be compelled to take,

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one that is fallible, subject to temptation, lured by sin.

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According to the Gospels, after Jesus's baptism,

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he is thrust into the Judean desert

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to contemplate his calling from God.

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And now here he is in this desert place.

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The desert is often a place of intense communion with God,

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but in another sense, intense struggle.

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(somber pulsing music)

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For 40 days and 40 nights,

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Jesus survives in the wilderness,

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in spiritual combat with

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the most dreaded entity of the Christian imagination: Satan.

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The Lord of the Underworld, Beelzebub, a fallen angel,

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the Prince of Darkness.

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In film, on television,

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in books, and in the cultural imagination,

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Satan is the ultimate incarnation of evil.

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He's in the wilderness and he's fasting,

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so he must have been absolutely starving,

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and then you have this deeply accusatory voice asking Jesus,

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"If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread."

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And what Jesus said is very interesting.

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He quotes from Deuteronomy 8 and he says that,

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"Man does not live by bread alone."

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As if to say part of the Messianic vocation

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is to absolutely trust God in everything.

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That even if you're starving,

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you have to trust that, as Messiah, that God will provide.

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Then the accusatory voice tests him.

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He takes him to this high point,

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shows him all the kingdoms of the world and says,

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"I'll give you all of this if you'll just worship me."

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And again, quoting from the Law, Jesus says that,

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"You must worship God alone."

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It becomes another moment in the story

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where Jesus is modeling

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the good Christian response to good and evil,

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that it is an ongoing battle.

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(somber pulsing music)

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Christians commemorate this time in the desert

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with the observance of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday,

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46 days before Easter Sunday.

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Lent is 40 days of reflection, repentance,

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and sacrifice during which time Christians around the world

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fast, pray, and give up certain luxuries like alcohol,

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chocolate, technology or bad habits.

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As Christians around the world give up vices for Lent,

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they pay homage to Christ's resilience in the desert.

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After defeating Satan, Jesus returns from the wilderness

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and begins his ministry traveling through Galilee,

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preaching to common people about the Kingdom of God,

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performing miracles and growing a following of disciples.

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The culmination of this period is when

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Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount.

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The Sermon on the Mount is quite possibly

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the most important piece of literature that we have

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as conveyed in the New Testament.

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It is basically Jesus's program, as it were, his values.

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What Christianity is all about is kind of laid out

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in the Sermon on the Mount,

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and it clarifies what the Kingdom of Heaven could look like.

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It tells people who could get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

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So it's basically a program of how to be a good Christian.

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It is during the Sermon on the Mount,

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dictated somewhere near the Sea of Galilee,

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that Jesus uses many key motifs and metaphors

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that would become the cornerstones of Christianity,

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like, "Blessed are the meek."

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Retribution is very much

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a part of earlier legal traditions.

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The idea that an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,

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that's very important to part of legal cultures

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00:12:30,180 --> 00:12:31,860
in Roman society.

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We look at The Beatitudes.

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What it's really saying is that,

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00:12:34,957 --> 00:12:37,440
"I do not want to injure someone.

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I do not need anything back from them

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00:12:39,900 --> 00:12:41,550
if they have injured me,

273
00:12:41,550 --> 00:12:46,530
and so I need to be compassionate and I need to help them."

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But that does not involve violence.

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And I think that idea of mercy

276
00:12:50,310 --> 00:12:53,400
is so important to the Christian tradition over time.

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But this new roadmap for salvation

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00:12:55,230 --> 00:12:59,370
was very controversial, as it challenged age-old traditions,

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00:12:59,370 --> 00:13:01,980
and this wouldn't go unnoticed.

280
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It was subversive because it presented this idea that

281
00:13:05,850 --> 00:13:09,393
you don't need a certain birth to be saved,

282
00:13:10,410 --> 00:13:13,523
that God doesn't care if you're a Roman aristocrat

283
00:13:13,523 --> 00:13:16,830
or a Gallish chieftain or a Jew or whoever.

284
00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:17,790
You could all be saved.

285
00:13:17,790 --> 00:13:20,730
Now this idea of equality is very alien

286
00:13:20,730 --> 00:13:21,990
to the ancient way of thinking,

287
00:13:21,990 --> 00:13:25,200
which was completely tied up in what they perceived to be

288
00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,180
natural hierarchies of birth, right?

289
00:13:27,180 --> 00:13:29,250
Like someone's born from an aristocratic family,

290
00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:32,370
of course they deserve something and everything,

291
00:13:32,370 --> 00:13:33,930
whereas someone who's a peasant son

292
00:13:33,930 --> 00:13:35,130
probably deserves nothing.

293
00:13:35,130 --> 00:13:38,040
So it would not have been welcome,

294
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,200
certainly not among the Pharisees

295
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,570
who were kind of the ruling elite in Judaism,

296
00:13:42,570 --> 00:13:47,400
who, as soon as Jesus admitted that he was the Messiah,

297
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they turned against him.

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After the Sermon on the Mount,

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Jesus and his followers would bring this message

300
00:13:53,550 --> 00:13:55,653
to Judea's most important city.

301
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During the important Jewish holiday of Passover,

302
00:13:59,700 --> 00:14:03,480
Jesus travels to Jerusalem to continue his ministry.

303
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,660
There he enters the Holy of Holies,

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00:14:06,660 --> 00:14:07,710
the temple,

305
00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:12,033
and comes face-to-face with practices he sees as abhorrent.

306
00:14:12,870 --> 00:14:14,280
Jesus goes into the temple

307
00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,160
and he sees the practice of money changing,

308
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,080
which was important because at Passover

309
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:20,430
you needed birds for sacrifice.

310
00:14:20,430 --> 00:14:22,230
So there were people selling animals.

311
00:14:22,230 --> 00:14:26,850
But Jesus quotes two really important prophetic statements.

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00:14:26,850 --> 00:14:31,507
He quotes from Isaiah 56:7, which says,

313
00:14:31,507 --> 00:14:35,460
"My house will be a house of prayer for all the nations."

314
00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:37,567
And he quotes from Jeremiah 7:11, which says,

315
00:14:37,567 --> 00:14:39,600
"But you've turned it into a den of thieves

316
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:41,370
or a den of brigands."

317
00:14:41,370 --> 00:14:45,780
And what Jesus is doing here is he's, in some sense,

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00:14:45,780 --> 00:14:48,483
pronouncing a kind of judgment on the temple.

319
00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:53,100
Jesus is quoting from the five books of the Hebrew Bible,

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00:14:53,100 --> 00:14:56,610
the Torah, which Christians now call the Old Testament.

321
00:14:56,610 --> 00:14:59,940
Its teachings are still the foundation of his ministry,

322
00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:03,706
but he's now offering a radical new interpretation.

323
00:15:03,706 --> 00:15:06,300
(somber enchanted music)

324
00:15:06,300 --> 00:15:08,137
In a moment now referred to as,

325
00:15:08,137 --> 00:15:09,930
"The cleansing of the temple,"

326
00:15:09,930 --> 00:15:11,700
and in reaction to his perceived

327
00:15:11,700 --> 00:15:13,620
commercialization of religion,

328
00:15:13,620 --> 00:15:16,680
Jesus drives out the merchants and money changers

329
00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:18,990
and emphasizes the temple's role

330
00:15:18,990 --> 00:15:21,723
as a place of pure worship and prayer.

331
00:15:22,620 --> 00:15:25,470
It is a place where God is saying that

332
00:15:25,470 --> 00:15:27,750
His presence is for everybody,

333
00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:31,800
and if worship spaces are not spaces

334
00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,290
where everyone can commune with God,

335
00:15:34,290 --> 00:15:36,303
that they are under judgment.

336
00:15:37,830 --> 00:15:39,210
Fearing Roman reprisals

337
00:15:39,210 --> 00:15:41,550
against any sign of civil unrest,

338
00:15:41,550 --> 00:15:46,110
Jewish leaders, according to the Gospel, had Jesus arrested.

339
00:15:46,110 --> 00:15:48,030
It tells us that Jesus was considered

340
00:15:48,030 --> 00:15:49,320
a threat to the state.

341
00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,263
He was turned in for fomenting dissent.

342
00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:55,950
It is here in the story that Jesus performs

343
00:15:55,950 --> 00:15:59,220
the ultimate act of selflessness and faith.

344
00:15:59,220 --> 00:16:02,640
The idea of redemption, of humanity's redemption,

345
00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:04,440
through the coming of Jesus Christ,

346
00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,090
through the death of Jesus Christ,

347
00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:10,380
as a way of, in a sense, reconciling humanity with God,

348
00:16:10,380 --> 00:16:15,380
washing away the original sin is a central message.

349
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:17,400
In the Old Testament,

350
00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,223
the Book of Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve,

351
00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:23,280
Satan, in the form of a snake,

352
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,710
tempts Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge,

353
00:16:25,710 --> 00:16:28,980
the original sin for which Adam and Eve are jettisoned

354
00:16:28,980 --> 00:16:30,303
from the Garden of Eden.

355
00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,940
Since this day, mankind is said to have carried with them

356
00:16:35,940 --> 00:16:38,163
the burden of that original sin.

357
00:16:39,930 --> 00:16:43,590
But Jesus as the Messiah is ready to sacrifice himself

358
00:16:43,590 --> 00:16:45,390
for the sake of humanity.

359
00:16:45,390 --> 00:16:47,580
This is God's plan.

360
00:16:47,580 --> 00:16:50,883
Jesus is to become the ultimate martyr and Savior.

361
00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,690
Jesus meets with his followers for what is perhaps

362
00:16:54,690 --> 00:16:57,123
the most famous meal in world history.

363
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,100
Today, almost half a million visitors a year

364
00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:05,250
journey to Milan's St. Maria delle Grazie church

365
00:17:05,250 --> 00:17:07,410
to take in a masterpiece,

366
00:17:07,410 --> 00:17:09,900
Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper,"

367
00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:12,480
painted in the late 15th century.

368
00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:13,590
It is Da Vinci's ode

369
00:17:13,590 --> 00:17:16,413
to this tumultuous moment in Jesus's life.

370
00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:21,240
Jesus sits among his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion

371
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:22,263
and breaks bread.

372
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,810
The offering of the bread and the wine

373
00:17:27,810 --> 00:17:32,810
as the body and the blood is supposed to be symbolic,

374
00:17:32,850 --> 00:17:36,030
but because we're not really sure about

375
00:17:36,030 --> 00:17:38,430
the meaning, what Jesus intended,

376
00:17:38,430 --> 00:17:40,170
it has been interpreted in different ways.

377
00:17:40,170 --> 00:17:44,730
That it is literally transformed into the body of Christ

378
00:17:44,730 --> 00:17:45,563
and the blood of Christ.

379
00:17:45,563 --> 00:17:47,490
So you are in some sense where you believe

380
00:17:47,490 --> 00:17:50,910
that you are partaking of God in his divinity.

381
00:17:50,910 --> 00:17:53,550
And in other cases it's considered to be symbolic

382
00:17:53,550 --> 00:17:55,770
or merely conceptual.

383
00:17:55,770 --> 00:17:58,500
In the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Church,

384
00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:01,410
followers regularly take part in communion,

385
00:18:01,410 --> 00:18:04,110
the reenactment of Jesus's last supper

386
00:18:04,110 --> 00:18:06,150
and commemoration of his sacrifice,

387
00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:09,450
in a process of transubstantiation.

388
00:18:09,450 --> 00:18:12,510
Bread and wine become the blood and body of Christ

389
00:18:12,510 --> 00:18:15,840
through their consecration by a priest or minister.

390
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,090
This Eucharist ritual signifies

391
00:18:18,090 --> 00:18:21,240
a Christian's commitment to the new covenant with God.

392
00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,310
Under the shadow of the cross,

393
00:18:23,310 --> 00:18:26,793
Christ's followers achieve communion with the Messiah.

394
00:18:27,810 --> 00:18:30,810
Where Jesus has come back to the Garden of Gethsemane

395
00:18:30,810 --> 00:18:32,910
to meet his followers, his disciples,

396
00:18:32,910 --> 00:18:34,530
and has accepted his fate.

397
00:18:34,530 --> 00:18:36,660
He knows he's going to be turned over

398
00:18:36,660 --> 00:18:38,700
to the Roman authorities

399
00:18:38,700 --> 00:18:40,920
on the charges of sedition by Judas,

400
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,560
and he knows that he's going to be executed.

401
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:44,610
He knows that that's his fate.

402
00:18:44,610 --> 00:18:45,483
God has told him.

403
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,500
Although crucifixion has become synonymous

404
00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:51,060
with the death of Jesus,

405
00:18:51,060 --> 00:18:53,460
this brutal form of execution existed

406
00:18:53,460 --> 00:18:55,260
for almost half a millennia

407
00:18:55,260 --> 00:18:57,960
before Jesus was nailed to the cross.

408
00:18:57,960 --> 00:18:59,130
In the Roman Empire,

409
00:18:59,130 --> 00:19:01,530
citizens guilty of committing capital crimes,

410
00:19:01,530 --> 00:19:03,300
such as murder or rebellion,

411
00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:05,733
would be thrown from a cliff or beheaded.

412
00:19:07,650 --> 00:19:09,150
But the punishment of crucifixion

413
00:19:09,150 --> 00:19:13,260
was reserved for non-Romans like slaves or insurgents.

414
00:19:13,260 --> 00:19:16,320
It was a shameful and degrading punishment.

415
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:21,320
Crucifixion was intended to make people fearful

416
00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:23,340
about disobeying the state.

417
00:19:23,340 --> 00:19:26,160
So crucifixions were planned on top of, in this case,

418
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:27,990
Mount Golgotha in Jerusalem.

419
00:19:27,990 --> 00:19:29,670
It's intended to be visual,

420
00:19:29,670 --> 00:19:31,860
to be seen from all over Jerusalem,

421
00:19:31,860 --> 00:19:35,850
and it's death that's slow and painful.

422
00:19:35,850 --> 00:19:37,980
On the day of Jesus's crucifixion,

423
00:19:37,980 --> 00:19:41,160
the brutality of the practice was put on full display.

424
00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,670
According to the Gospels, Jesus is flogged, mocked,

425
00:19:44,670 --> 00:19:46,680
and made to wear a crown of thorns

426
00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,830
before being led outside the city walls of Jerusalem

427
00:19:49,830 --> 00:19:51,420
and nailed to the cross

428
00:19:51,420 --> 00:19:54,150
with nails that pierced his hands and feet.

429
00:19:54,150 --> 00:19:56,640
He's left to hang there alongside two criminals

430
00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:57,960
for several hours,

431
00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,680
enduring thirst, hunger, and agonizing pain.

432
00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,000
When Jesus is on the cross,

433
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,130
one of the words ascribed to him is that

434
00:20:05,130 --> 00:20:05,970
he forgives those

435
00:20:05,970 --> 00:20:08,040
because they don't know what they're doing.

436
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,910
In the context, this is, "They don't recognize who I am.

437
00:20:11,910 --> 00:20:13,710
They don't recognize who I represent.

438
00:20:13,710 --> 00:20:16,770
They don't recognize what my message was supposed to bring

439
00:20:16,770 --> 00:20:20,427
in terms of the salvation for all people."

440
00:20:20,427 --> 00:20:21,390
(somber music)

441
00:20:21,390 --> 00:20:24,300
Jesus cries out, "My God, my God!

442
00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:26,220
Why have you forsaken me?"

443
00:20:26,220 --> 00:20:28,983
A final lament after hours of torture.

444
00:20:32,220 --> 00:20:35,100
After death, his body is removed from the cross

445
00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:36,750
and moved to a tomb.

446
00:20:36,750 --> 00:20:39,780
But for Christians, his death is just the beginning.

447
00:20:39,780 --> 00:20:42,240
According to tradition, three days later,

448
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,490
he rises again in a miracle

449
00:20:44,490 --> 00:20:46,833
that is today celebrated with Easter.

450
00:20:49,740 --> 00:20:52,350
The Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

451
00:20:52,350 --> 00:20:55,530
all describe the events surrounding Jesus's resurrection

452
00:20:55,530 --> 00:20:57,210
in somewhat different ways,

453
00:20:57,210 --> 00:21:00,540
but they all agree that Jesus appeared to his followers

454
00:21:00,540 --> 00:21:03,870
after his death and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

455
00:21:03,870 --> 00:21:05,580
They began to preach about Jesus

456
00:21:05,580 --> 00:21:08,700
and his teachings with great enthusiasm.

457
00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:11,670
Resurrection is a powerful idea

458
00:21:11,670 --> 00:21:15,990
because it shows that Christ was truly divine,

459
00:21:15,990 --> 00:21:17,820
that he could come back.

460
00:21:17,820 --> 00:21:19,440
No matter what the Jewish authorities thought,

461
00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,600
he was the true messenger of God.

462
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,350
It shows that he belonged to a cosmic reality

463
00:21:25,350 --> 00:21:27,900
that defied natural boundaries,

464
00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:29,913
that he was the Son of God.

465
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,480
On Easter Sunday every year,

466
00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:37,200
Christians celebrate the miracle of Christ's resurrection.

467
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,903
Sunrise services and feasts mark the day.

468
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,760
In Spain, Semana Santa is celebrated with ceremonies

469
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:46,830
and processions that reenact scenes

470
00:21:46,830 --> 00:21:48,480
from the Passion of the Christ,

471
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,543
including his trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

472
00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,493
In Ethiopia, Christian churches celebrate Fasika

473
00:21:56,493 --> 00:21:58,593
for 55 days leading up to Easter.

474
00:21:59,940 --> 00:22:02,040
In the Philippines, two processions,

475
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:03,990
one male, the other female,

476
00:22:03,990 --> 00:22:06,150
march towards a central church.

477
00:22:06,150 --> 00:22:09,210
The men following an image of Jesus who has risen,

478
00:22:09,210 --> 00:22:13,470
the women following Jesus's mother Mary cloaked in black.

479
00:22:13,470 --> 00:22:16,560
When the two meet, young girls dressed as angels

480
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,743
remove Mary's veil and the celebration begins.

481
00:22:20,910 --> 00:22:24,300
Today, Easter is celebrated widely across the globe

482
00:22:24,300 --> 00:22:26,820
and in just about every continent.

483
00:22:26,820 --> 00:22:28,950
But the miracle of Jesus's ascendance

484
00:22:28,950 --> 00:22:30,903
was not always so celebrated.

485
00:22:32,610 --> 00:22:35,373
After his death, his movement would be persecuted.

486
00:22:36,750 --> 00:22:39,060
For the word of Jesus to spread,

487
00:22:39,060 --> 00:22:40,953
the faith would need champions.

488
00:22:42,060 --> 00:22:45,060
They would find one in one of its most ardent detractors,

489
00:22:45,060 --> 00:22:49,470
Paul the Apostle, originally known as Saul of Tarsus.

490
00:22:49,470 --> 00:22:51,570
Initially, he's Jewish like Jesus.

491
00:22:51,570 --> 00:22:55,200
In fact, he began as a persecutor of Christians

492
00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,680
and he has a very famous moment of conversion,

493
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:03,120
which itself becomes a model of conversion

494
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,280
for future Christians.

495
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:07,597
We often use in the vernacular this phrase,

496
00:23:07,597 --> 00:23:09,900
"A Damascus road experience,"

497
00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:13,170
an encounter where something just does a complete 180

498
00:23:13,170 --> 00:23:17,190
and completely and thoroughly and permanently changes.

499
00:23:17,190 --> 00:23:21,990
What happened that fateful day as he traveled to Damascus,

500
00:23:21,990 --> 00:23:24,720
he is struck by this blinding light.

501
00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,743
He falls to the ground and a voice says,

502
00:23:29,827 --> 00:23:33,980
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

503
00:23:33,980 --> 00:23:34,860
Now this is very interesting,

504
00:23:34,860 --> 00:23:38,190
'cause of course Paul hasn't been persecuting Jesus,

505
00:23:38,190 --> 00:23:41,970
he'd never met Jesus, but he's been persecuting the Church,

506
00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:44,887
and yet the question that the voice asked is,

507
00:23:44,887 --> 00:23:47,460
"Why are you persecuting me?"

508
00:23:47,460 --> 00:23:50,040
So of course he asks, "Who are you, Lord?"

509
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,820
And he says, "I am Jesus."

510
00:23:53,820 --> 00:23:58,560
That was the pivotal moment in Saul's life

511
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,313
when he suddenly realized why he was on the planet.

512
00:24:03,750 --> 00:24:04,620
Inspired,

513
00:24:04,620 --> 00:24:06,930
Saul begins using his Roman name, Paul,

514
00:24:06,930 --> 00:24:09,123
and begins spreading Jesus's message.

515
00:24:10,590 --> 00:24:12,150
When we think about the spread of Christianity,

516
00:24:12,150 --> 00:24:12,983
when we ask,

517
00:24:12,983 --> 00:24:15,750
"How could it spread so widely from its humble origins?"

518
00:24:15,750 --> 00:24:16,583
I think one of the reasons is that

519
00:24:16,583 --> 00:24:19,740
it was able to take advantage of the Roman Empire.

520
00:24:19,740 --> 00:24:21,540
It had access to its institutions.

521
00:24:21,540 --> 00:24:23,850
Some of the first members, people like Paul,

522
00:24:23,850 --> 00:24:27,360
had a Roman education, so he used his training

523
00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,480
and his method of communication, using letters for example,

524
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:32,700
which is very much a Roman product

525
00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:35,550
that you use to communicate to a broader public.

526
00:24:35,550 --> 00:24:36,810
These are public letters

527
00:24:36,810 --> 00:24:39,630
in which he could explain doctrine and practice

528
00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:42,230
and communicate with all the different missionaries.

529
00:24:43,410 --> 00:24:45,150
Transformed by a miracle

530
00:24:45,150 --> 00:24:46,830
on the road to Damascus,

531
00:24:46,830 --> 00:24:49,560
Paul writes 13 letters that would become

532
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:51,063
part of the New Testament.

533
00:24:52,140 --> 00:24:55,410
In them, he addresses the concepts of salvation,

534
00:24:55,410 --> 00:24:59,336
spiritual warfare, and the glory of God.

535
00:24:59,336 --> 00:25:02,640
(relaxing instrumental music)

536
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,340
While Paul was the first converted apostle,

537
00:25:05,340 --> 00:25:08,580
it's Jesus's first disciple and apostle, Peter,

538
00:25:08,580 --> 00:25:11,040
who spread his word throughout the Roman world,

539
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,280
introducing the idea of conversion.

540
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,550
Earliest converts were actually Jewish, right?

541
00:25:17,550 --> 00:25:19,860
They began as a Jewish cult.

542
00:25:19,860 --> 00:25:22,920
But with Paul, and Peter in particular,

543
00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:26,250
Peter has a vision that everyone should be included,

544
00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:27,540
that it shouldn't be just restricted,

545
00:25:27,540 --> 00:25:29,190
it shouldn't be just a Jewish faith.

546
00:25:29,190 --> 00:25:32,610
As we know with Judaism, you had to be born into it, right?

547
00:25:32,610 --> 00:25:35,700
But Christianity from very early on had a message in which

548
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:37,200
anyone could be saved.

549
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,870
And so Peter and Paul actually made it central

550
00:25:39,870 --> 00:25:43,110
to their missions that they should bring in Gentiles.

551
00:25:43,110 --> 00:25:47,313
Peter brings it to Rome, the center of the Roman Empire.

552
00:25:48,690 --> 00:25:50,610
The revolutionary universality

553
00:25:50,610 --> 00:25:52,260
of the early Christian message

554
00:25:52,260 --> 00:25:54,420
won the religion many new converts

555
00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:56,883
from the oppressed people in Roman society.

556
00:25:57,930 --> 00:25:59,550
In the initial stages,

557
00:25:59,550 --> 00:26:04,530
here was a religion which attracted women, slaves,

558
00:26:04,530 --> 00:26:07,980
children, the kinds of people who were very much pushed

559
00:26:07,980 --> 00:26:09,450
to the social margins.

560
00:26:09,450 --> 00:26:11,790
And the message basically was that

561
00:26:11,790 --> 00:26:15,330
you are just as welcome in the House of the Lord

562
00:26:15,330 --> 00:26:16,470
as anyone else.

563
00:26:16,470 --> 00:26:18,480
You do not need to be Jewish.

564
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,760
It does not matter who you are.

565
00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,190
If you have faith, you can come to the Lord

566
00:26:23,190 --> 00:26:24,330
and the Lord will receive.

567
00:26:24,330 --> 00:26:26,700
So this openness, this universality,

568
00:26:26,700 --> 00:26:30,300
is the most appealing feature of Christianity.

569
00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:33,030
But as the followers of Jesus grew in number,

570
00:26:33,030 --> 00:26:34,890
so did the backlash.

571
00:26:34,890 --> 00:26:38,190
Christians were treated by the Roman Empire

572
00:26:38,190 --> 00:26:40,620
as dangerous weirdos

573
00:26:40,620 --> 00:26:44,910
because they would not conform to the imperial hierarchy.

574
00:26:44,910 --> 00:26:48,630
They were preaching among slaves and servants

575
00:26:48,630 --> 00:26:51,270
a doctrine of equality before God.

576
00:26:51,270 --> 00:26:54,515
So this is a doctrine which will bring down the empire.

577
00:26:54,515 --> 00:26:55,348
(somber music)

578
00:26:55,348 --> 00:26:57,827
When a fire destroyed almost 3/4 of Rome

579
00:26:57,827 --> 00:26:59,250
in 64 AD,

580
00:26:59,250 --> 00:27:01,920
the distrust of Christians turned violent.

581
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,220
The great fire in Rome goes back to time of Emperor Nero.

582
00:27:05,220 --> 00:27:06,930
As a result of this fire,

583
00:27:06,930 --> 00:27:10,170
Nero, who was under enormous political pressure at the time,

584
00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:12,000
he was facing a lot of resistance

585
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,130
from other members of society,

586
00:27:14,130 --> 00:27:17,310
he wanted a scapegoat.

587
00:27:17,310 --> 00:27:18,780
And Nero thought that

588
00:27:18,780 --> 00:27:21,660
he could put the blame on the Christians for this fire

589
00:27:21,660 --> 00:27:23,340
as a way of distracting people

590
00:27:23,340 --> 00:27:25,260
from blaming him as the emperor.

591
00:27:25,260 --> 00:27:27,240
Because there's nothing more dangerous

592
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:31,470
than a very angry population in Rome.

593
00:27:31,470 --> 00:27:33,150
There was periods of great persecution

594
00:27:33,150 --> 00:27:34,230
in the time of Nero.

595
00:27:34,230 --> 00:27:36,330
The Romans threw Christians to the lions

596
00:27:36,330 --> 00:27:38,370
and made a spectacle of it.

597
00:27:38,370 --> 00:27:40,590
Peter and Paul were both arrested.

598
00:27:40,590 --> 00:27:44,100
Peter was crucified upside down, at his own request.

599
00:27:44,100 --> 00:27:47,820
He felt he was unfit to die in the same way as Jesus.

600
00:27:47,820 --> 00:27:50,070
Paul was beheaded.

601
00:27:50,070 --> 00:27:53,670
Those martyr stories become the core legends

602
00:27:53,670 --> 00:27:55,260
that are passed down,

603
00:27:55,260 --> 00:27:57,300
that continue to give hope

604
00:27:57,300 --> 00:27:59,760
as well as inspiration for other believers

605
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:02,220
because it is dangerous being a Christian

606
00:28:02,220 --> 00:28:03,360
for the first three centuries.

607
00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:04,740
It's very dangerous,

608
00:28:04,740 --> 00:28:07,260
and there are times when we have thousands killed.

609
00:28:07,260 --> 00:28:09,240
So these martyr stories give them hope,

610
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,520
but they also give them tales to imitate.

611
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:13,500
(enchanted victorious music)

612
00:28:13,500 --> 00:28:14,869
Today,

613
00:28:14,869 --> 00:28:16,710
their deaths are remembered and celebrated.

614
00:28:16,710 --> 00:28:20,583
June 29th is the Feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

615
00:28:21,930 --> 00:28:23,700
In addition, Vatican Hill,

616
00:28:23,700 --> 00:28:25,770
the site of Saint Peter's execution,

617
00:28:25,770 --> 00:28:27,510
is now home of the Vatican,

618
00:28:27,510 --> 00:28:29,730
the center of the Roman Catholic faith

619
00:28:29,730 --> 00:28:32,670
and the smallest independent state in the world.

620
00:28:32,670 --> 00:28:35,040
The Vatican contains important cultural sites

621
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,220
including St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel,

622
00:28:38,220 --> 00:28:39,693
and Vatican Museums.

623
00:28:41,610 --> 00:28:45,090
From the Vatican, the Pope rules as a sovereign of the state

624
00:28:45,090 --> 00:28:45,923
and is considered

625
00:28:45,923 --> 00:28:48,690
the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church,

626
00:28:48,690 --> 00:28:51,390
providing guidance from on high.

627
00:28:51,390 --> 00:28:54,480
Up to 3.1 million people attend Pope Francis's

628
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,030
first 10 general audiences.

629
00:28:57,030 --> 00:28:58,200
In the summer months,

630
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,590
the Pope's weekly addresses are held in St. Peter's Square

631
00:29:01,590 --> 00:29:04,027
with a capacity of 80,000.

632
00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:09,240
Though millions recognize the Pope as an emissary of God,

633
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,960
unlike the Roman emperors of old, he is not to be worshiped.

634
00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,690
Worship is reserved for the Father, the Son,

635
00:29:15,690 --> 00:29:17,250
and the Holy Spirit.

636
00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:19,770
Many Christians also venerate saints,

637
00:29:19,770 --> 00:29:21,210
a concept that emerges

638
00:29:21,210 --> 00:29:24,120
around the time of Saint Paul's execution.

639
00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:25,470
Go back to the New Testament

640
00:29:25,470 --> 00:29:28,620
and you have writers like Paul or Peter

641
00:29:28,620 --> 00:29:32,790
talking about believers who are saints.

642
00:29:32,790 --> 00:29:34,140
The word means holy.

643
00:29:34,140 --> 00:29:36,847
So sometimes when you read in the English version,

644
00:29:36,847 --> 00:29:38,790
"The holy people of God,"

645
00:29:38,790 --> 00:29:41,100
it's the same word that gets used for saints.

646
00:29:41,100 --> 00:29:43,440
And so for them early on,

647
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,280
everyone that believes in God is a saint.

648
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:52,200
It's only later that people get this label applied to them

649
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,540
for their particular witness.

650
00:29:54,540 --> 00:29:58,380
So Paul, Peter, start to become Saint Paul,

651
00:29:58,380 --> 00:30:03,120
different than the regular people who are the faithful.

652
00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:07,580
And one of the ways that they start looking for that

653
00:30:07,580 --> 00:30:11,010
is not just did they witness to their faith,

654
00:30:11,010 --> 00:30:15,870
but have there been miraculous things associated with them?

655
00:30:15,870 --> 00:30:17,520
Paul and Peter are just two

656
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,703
of a number of Christians who have been canonized as saints.

657
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,370
Although women cannot be Pope,

658
00:30:23,370 --> 00:30:25,443
many venerated saints were women,

659
00:30:26,610 --> 00:30:30,300
one of which is Jesus's most misunderstood follower,

660
00:30:30,300 --> 00:30:32,010
Mary Magdalene.

661
00:30:32,010 --> 00:30:33,930
Mary Magdalene is a complex figure,

662
00:30:33,930 --> 00:30:35,550
as part of the tradition.

663
00:30:35,550 --> 00:30:38,790
She plays a large and fairly crucial role

664
00:30:38,790 --> 00:30:41,460
in the narratives about Jesus,

665
00:30:41,460 --> 00:30:45,060
and yet she's not named as one of the disciples.

666
00:30:45,060 --> 00:30:49,620
And according to Luke 8, she is one of quite a few women

667
00:30:49,620 --> 00:30:52,920
who are supporting Jesus financially.

668
00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:54,517
And it's an important question,

669
00:30:54,517 --> 00:30:55,950
"How does the guy get to wander around

670
00:30:55,950 --> 00:30:59,190
for one or more years not working?

671
00:30:59,190 --> 00:31:00,240
How does he eat?"

672
00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,700
Well, Luke says, "These women are paying."

673
00:31:02,700 --> 00:31:05,070
And Mary is named as one of them.

674
00:31:05,070 --> 00:31:06,810
In the Gospel of John,

675
00:31:06,810 --> 00:31:09,120
it talks about Mary being at the empty tomb

676
00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:11,580
and talks about an appearance of Jesus.

677
00:31:11,580 --> 00:31:13,320
And Mary is looking in the tomb

678
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,450
and she hears what she thinks is the gardener,

679
00:31:15,450 --> 00:31:16,860
and she turns,

680
00:31:16,860 --> 00:31:20,340
and the text says literally she turned and she sees Jesus.

681
00:31:20,340 --> 00:31:25,140
She's the first one to recognize Jesus, the risen Jesus,

682
00:31:25,140 --> 00:31:27,060
for who he is, according to John.

683
00:31:27,060 --> 00:31:29,310
So this is showing just how important she was

684
00:31:29,310 --> 00:31:30,840
in that tradition.

685
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,450
The first witness of the resurrection

686
00:31:33,450 --> 00:31:37,080
is therefore the first true apostle, was Mary Magdalene.

687
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,570
So in some sense, she was the first Gospel preacher.

688
00:31:39,570 --> 00:31:42,470
She was the first person to announce that Jesus has risen.

689
00:31:43,331 --> 00:31:44,164
(enchanted victorious music)

690
00:31:44,164 --> 00:31:45,360
It may also have been a woman

691
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,760
who first legitimized Christianity

692
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:50,250
in the eyes of the Roman Empire.

693
00:31:50,250 --> 00:31:52,710
During the second and third centuries, the Christians

694
00:31:52,710 --> 00:31:56,040
were still targets of brutal Roman persecution,

695
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:57,330
but nothing could compare to

696
00:31:57,330 --> 00:32:01,020
the great persecution of the 303 Common Era.

697
00:32:01,020 --> 00:32:04,050
The Romans burned scriptures to raze churches,

698
00:32:04,050 --> 00:32:06,930
and it's estimated that about 3,000 Christians

699
00:32:06,930 --> 00:32:08,163
were executed there.

700
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,650
Only a few decades later,

701
00:32:10,650 --> 00:32:13,890
Christians would go from a persecuted and hunted minority

702
00:32:13,890 --> 00:32:16,200
to the throne of the empire.

703
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,927
Flavia Julia Helena Augusta was born in

704
00:32:18,927 --> 00:32:20,910
the 3rd century Common Era.

705
00:32:20,910 --> 00:32:23,580
She was the mother of Emperor Constantine

706
00:32:23,580 --> 00:32:25,170
and a devout Christian.

707
00:32:25,170 --> 00:32:27,480
Her influence would fundamentally changed

708
00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:29,970
Christianity's position in the empire.

709
00:32:29,970 --> 00:32:31,620
She seems to have been very influential

710
00:32:31,620 --> 00:32:32,700
on her son Constantine,

711
00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:36,030
and it may be because she was a Christian herself

712
00:32:36,030 --> 00:32:39,540
that he was willing to not convert to the Christian faith,

713
00:32:39,540 --> 00:32:42,480
but adopt it and make it legal in 313.

714
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:44,640
As a breakaway sect of Judaism,

715
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,040
Christianity would've had a very limited life

716
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:48,810
and it could not have become global

717
00:32:48,810 --> 00:32:50,220
in any sense of the term.

718
00:32:50,220 --> 00:32:54,060
So what it had to do was,

719
00:32:54,060 --> 00:32:57,060
whether this was fortuitous or whether this was planned,

720
00:32:57,060 --> 00:32:58,650
Christianity, as it developed,

721
00:32:58,650 --> 00:33:03,650
had to ally itself with a power, a political power,

722
00:33:04,020 --> 00:33:06,930
and it allied itself with an empire.

723
00:33:06,930 --> 00:33:09,630
Once you have the emperor,

724
00:33:09,630 --> 00:33:12,330
the most powerful guy in the world,

725
00:33:12,330 --> 00:33:14,647
or at least the known world at that time, say,

726
00:33:14,647 --> 00:33:17,520
"Yeah, you know these Christians? I like that stuff.

727
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:18,807
I'm signing up on that."

728
00:33:19,740 --> 00:33:22,290
The basic fabric of opposition,

729
00:33:22,290 --> 00:33:24,330
the rationale of opposition, is gone

730
00:33:24,330 --> 00:33:26,070
that this is a dangerous doctrine,

731
00:33:26,070 --> 00:33:27,833
this is a doctrine which will bring down the empire,

732
00:33:27,833 --> 00:33:31,500
this is a doctrine which will cause subversion, changes,

733
00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:32,970
because the people at the very top,

734
00:33:32,970 --> 00:33:34,620
the person at the very top,

735
00:33:34,620 --> 00:33:38,733
has accepted Christianity, has accepted the cross.

736
00:33:40,470 --> 00:33:42,150
By the end of the fourth century,

737
00:33:42,150 --> 00:33:44,310
Christianity would become the state religion

738
00:33:44,310 --> 00:33:45,870
of the Roman Empire.

739
00:33:45,870 --> 00:33:48,090
But the new state religion still lacked

740
00:33:48,090 --> 00:33:50,160
its definitive holy books.

741
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,730
Today the Bible is the holy text of Christianity

742
00:33:53,730 --> 00:33:56,550
with New Testaments in every hotel drawer,

743
00:33:56,550 --> 00:33:58,110
tucked into every pew,

744
00:33:58,110 --> 00:34:01,440
and memorized and cited in Bible study.

745
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:05,130
But how did it become Christianity's seminal text?

746
00:34:05,130 --> 00:34:07,920
During the first two centuries after Christ,

747
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,590
we have a lot of stories, what we now call Gospels,

748
00:34:10,590 --> 00:34:11,520
that are circulating.

749
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,830
They're attributed to the disciples Matthew, Mark,

750
00:34:13,830 --> 00:34:15,210
Luke, and John.

751
00:34:15,210 --> 00:34:17,640
The New Testament has 27 books in it,

752
00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,490
which is canonized or made sort of sacred,

753
00:34:20,490 --> 00:34:24,630
important and unquestionable, for the Christian Church.

754
00:34:24,630 --> 00:34:26,820
That now they can have a visible structure,

755
00:34:26,820 --> 00:34:28,683
now they can have a visible doctrine.

756
00:34:29,970 --> 00:34:31,470
With the canonized Bible,

757
00:34:31,470 --> 00:34:34,800
the theology of Christianity becomes more standardized,

758
00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,080
which gives the central authority of the Church

759
00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,990
more power than ever over the faith.

760
00:34:39,990 --> 00:34:42,330
And after the fall of the Western Roman Empire

761
00:34:42,330 --> 00:34:45,150
in the late 5th century, the Bishop of Rome,

762
00:34:45,150 --> 00:34:47,280
who today is known as the Pope,

763
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,800
becomes the leader of that faith.

764
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:51,570
The Church begins to bring together

765
00:34:51,570 --> 00:34:53,310
disparate European kingdoms.

766
00:34:53,310 --> 00:34:55,950
Many of these new European kingdoms are ruled

767
00:34:55,950 --> 00:34:58,920
and populated by former barbarian tribes

768
00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,320
who are new to the Christian faith.

769
00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,290
These barbarian kings, the Franks first,

770
00:35:04,290 --> 00:35:05,940
but then also the Germans,

771
00:35:05,940 --> 00:35:07,470
the English, and so on,

772
00:35:07,470 --> 00:35:12,470
all basically took the Pope as the ultimate vindicator

773
00:35:12,722 --> 00:35:15,873
and legitimizer of their rule and became Christian.

774
00:35:17,010 --> 00:35:18,960
As these tribes became Christian,

775
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:21,840
the Church adopts some of their cultural practices.

776
00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:22,860
It's at this point

777
00:35:22,860 --> 00:35:26,403
that some of Christianity's most noteworthy traditions grow.

778
00:35:28,260 --> 00:35:30,750
Many elements of today's Christmas celebrations

779
00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:32,613
were taken from pagan traditions.

780
00:35:35,130 --> 00:35:38,230
Mistletoe was sacred to the Ancient Celts of Britain

781
00:35:40,020 --> 00:35:42,090
and gift giving and holly wreaths

782
00:35:42,090 --> 00:35:45,153
were taken from the Roman Winter Festival of Saturnalia.

783
00:35:47,010 --> 00:35:49,740
But one of the most visually stunning great traditions

784
00:35:49,740 --> 00:35:52,830
to mark the holiday is the Christmas tree.

785
00:35:52,830 --> 00:35:55,170
The modern Christmas tree has many origins,

786
00:35:55,170 --> 00:35:56,790
but according to the Koran,

787
00:35:56,790 --> 00:36:01,320
Maryam, Arabic for Mary, is surprised by labor pains

788
00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:03,000
and leans against the tree.

789
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:07,440
And it's here under the tree's shade that Jesus is born.

790
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:11,280
However, the tree is described as a palm tree.

791
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:13,470
It isn't until the pagans of Northern Europe

792
00:36:13,470 --> 00:36:15,600
are ushered into the Christian faith

793
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:19,140
that the roots of current traditions begin to take hold.

794
00:36:19,140 --> 00:36:20,850
The pagans bring along with them

795
00:36:20,850 --> 00:36:23,430
the winter solstice Festival of Yule,

796
00:36:23,430 --> 00:36:25,173
where they decorate fir trees.

797
00:36:26,580 --> 00:36:29,970
Today, millions of natural Christmas trees are purchased

798
00:36:29,970 --> 00:36:33,420
in celebration of Christ's birthday every year.

799
00:36:33,420 --> 00:36:35,940
The Christmas traditions we know today,

800
00:36:35,940 --> 00:36:38,070
as they're expressed, at least in the West,

801
00:36:38,070 --> 00:36:40,470
have a long and complex history.

802
00:36:40,470 --> 00:36:42,750
The figure of Santa Claus, for example,

803
00:36:42,750 --> 00:36:46,320
is linked to St. Nicholas in the 4th century

804
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,440
and it's said that he was a benevolent bishop.

805
00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:52,620
One of the stories about him that is linked to Christmas

806
00:36:52,620 --> 00:36:55,980
is that he was aware of the people in his congregation

807
00:36:55,980 --> 00:36:58,110
and he knew that there was a poor family

808
00:36:58,110 --> 00:37:00,720
who couldn't afford the dowry for their daughters.

809
00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:04,470
And so he secretively at night dropped a bag of monies,

810
00:37:04,470 --> 00:37:07,890
and this gets linked to the particular time of year

811
00:37:07,890 --> 00:37:10,380
that he'd said to have done this, December 25th,

812
00:37:10,380 --> 00:37:12,360
marking the birth of Jesus.

813
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,810
And so all of these things develop over time.

814
00:37:15,810 --> 00:37:19,470
Bishop Nicholas becomes Saint Nicholas, becomes Santa Claus,

815
00:37:19,470 --> 00:37:22,893
and seems far, far distance from that story.

816
00:37:24,150 --> 00:37:25,230
It wasn't just Christmas

817
00:37:25,230 --> 00:37:27,063
that changed during this period.

818
00:37:28,470 --> 00:37:31,020
The Easter tradition, as it has spread,

819
00:37:31,020 --> 00:37:33,060
has adopted pagan rites.

820
00:37:33,060 --> 00:37:36,210
Today probably the most famous is the Easter egg.

821
00:37:36,210 --> 00:37:37,290
In ancient times,

822
00:37:37,290 --> 00:37:40,530
eggs symbolized fertility and the renewal of nature

823
00:37:40,530 --> 00:37:42,600
after a winter's darkness.

824
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:45,420
Early Christian missionaries embraced this symbol,

825
00:37:45,420 --> 00:37:48,693
using eggs to represent the resurrection of Jesus.

826
00:37:49,830 --> 00:37:50,663
And Easter,

827
00:37:50,663 --> 00:37:53,760
it's timed with the renewal of the land for spring

828
00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:57,030
so it works well with pagan festivals

829
00:37:57,030 --> 00:38:00,330
showing devotion to the deities associated with fertility.

830
00:38:00,330 --> 00:38:01,230
So in that sense,

831
00:38:01,230 --> 00:38:05,040
it very much builds around a cycle of life on Earth

832
00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,260
that is already being honored

833
00:38:07,260 --> 00:38:08,760
through other religious festivals.

834
00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:12,040
It just sort of superimpose and engages with them.

835
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,050
(relaxing upbeat music)

836
00:38:13,050 --> 00:38:14,700
As with Peter and Paul's willingness

837
00:38:14,700 --> 00:38:16,230
to preach to the Gentiles,

838
00:38:16,230 --> 00:38:17,910
it is thanks to this flexibility

839
00:38:17,910 --> 00:38:21,360
that Christianity becomes the dominant force in Europe.

840
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:22,440
But this adaptability

841
00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:26,280
also causes tension and stress across the Christian world,

842
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:28,710
especially among its leaders.

843
00:38:28,710 --> 00:38:30,930
Modern day Christianity is divided into

844
00:38:30,930 --> 00:38:33,000
many sects and denominations.

845
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,190
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest

846
00:38:35,190 --> 00:38:36,630
and is led by the Pope,

847
00:38:36,630 --> 00:38:38,430
while Eastern Orthodox is led by

848
00:38:38,430 --> 00:38:41,130
the Patriarch of Constantinople.

849
00:38:41,130 --> 00:38:42,210
In later years,

850
00:38:42,210 --> 00:38:44,850
Protestantism developed with further variations

851
00:38:44,850 --> 00:38:47,700
in core beliefs, texts and practices.

852
00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:51,750
But the cracks started to show way back in the 11th century.

853
00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:53,820
The Christian family tree historically

854
00:38:53,820 --> 00:38:57,120
is a very dysfunctional genealogy.

855
00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,880
It's a bit of a royal mess, to be honest.

856
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,960
In the Middle Ages, there were a group of bishops

857
00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:07,530
who didn't accept the papacy of Leo the 9th.

858
00:39:07,530 --> 00:39:11,070
One in particular, Michael of Cerularius,

859
00:39:11,070 --> 00:39:14,190
effectively rejected the papacy of Leo 9th.

860
00:39:14,190 --> 00:39:16,620
It was difficult to tell where politics ended

861
00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:18,063
and religion began.

862
00:39:19,770 --> 00:39:20,970
In 1054,

863
00:39:20,970 --> 00:39:24,420
Humbert of Silva Candida, a cardinal and papal official,

864
00:39:24,420 --> 00:39:27,780
ex-communicated the Patriarch of Constantinople,

865
00:39:27,780 --> 00:39:30,930
so the Patriarch ex-communicated the Papal official

866
00:39:30,930 --> 00:39:33,180
and the Pope in return.

867
00:39:33,180 --> 00:39:35,760
Excommunication is a formal declaration

868
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:39,000
that a person is no longer in good standing with the Church

869
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,430
and is no longer considered a member.

870
00:39:41,430 --> 00:39:44,100
West and East went their separate ways.

871
00:39:44,100 --> 00:39:47,400
This is what became known as The Great Schism.

872
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:49,550
You have the development in the West

873
00:39:49,550 --> 00:39:53,580
of the Holy Roman Empire and focused mostly in Rome.

874
00:39:53,580 --> 00:39:55,170
And you have the development in

875
00:39:55,170 --> 00:39:59,010
the Eastern part of the empire of Greek Orthodox

876
00:39:59,010 --> 00:40:03,510
versus Russian Orthodox versus Coptic Christianity.

877
00:40:03,510 --> 00:40:06,030
Diverging histories and disparate geographies

878
00:40:06,030 --> 00:40:08,220
create differences in practice.

879
00:40:08,220 --> 00:40:11,280
Today, Roman Catholics kneel in prayer

880
00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:14,220
while Orthodox worshipers stand.

881
00:40:14,220 --> 00:40:17,460
The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the Septuagint,

882
00:40:17,460 --> 00:40:20,550
an Ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament.

883
00:40:20,550 --> 00:40:21,960
While the Roman Catholic Church

884
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,363
uses the Latin Vulgate translation.

885
00:40:25,620 --> 00:40:28,440
The Roman Catholic Church places greater emphasis on

886
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,240
the Virgin Mary and the Saints,

887
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:32,940
while the Eastern Orthodox Church focuses on

888
00:40:32,940 --> 00:40:35,100
liturgy and sacraments.

889
00:40:35,100 --> 00:40:37,890
Though today these differences may seem small,

890
00:40:37,890 --> 00:40:39,300
at the time of the Schism,

891
00:40:39,300 --> 00:40:41,853
they marked a deeply existential moment.

892
00:40:43,380 --> 00:40:46,740
In 1088, newly elected Pope Urban the 2nd

893
00:40:46,740 --> 00:40:48,420
tried to reverse the fracture,

894
00:40:48,420 --> 00:40:50,940
hoping to unite the two sects once more

895
00:40:50,940 --> 00:40:52,980
through a common enemy.

896
00:40:52,980 --> 00:40:53,970
The Seljuk Turks

897
00:40:53,970 --> 00:40:56,400
had become the primary power in the Middle East

898
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:58,890
and were in power in many of the most important

899
00:40:58,890 --> 00:41:00,993
pilgrimage sites in Christianity.

900
00:41:02,790 --> 00:41:05,670
Pope Urban the 2nd launched the First Crusade

901
00:41:05,670 --> 00:41:09,480
as a Holy War wrapped in the guise of a pilgrimage.

902
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:11,490
The Pope, in 1095,

903
00:41:11,490 --> 00:41:13,890
allowed people to go across to Jerusalem

904
00:41:13,890 --> 00:41:17,760
and kill in the name of the preservation of Jerusalem

905
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:19,170
and Christianity.

906
00:41:19,170 --> 00:41:20,310
From the start,

907
00:41:20,310 --> 00:41:25,080
it was sold to people by the Pope as a rescue mission

908
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,570
that would allow the cleansing of the land.

909
00:41:27,570 --> 00:41:29,970
But through that process, you are a pilgrim,

910
00:41:29,970 --> 00:41:33,120
you are a pilgrim who is serving the Church

911
00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:34,890
by going there and being purified,

912
00:41:34,890 --> 00:41:38,313
through the act of waging war on Muslims.

913
00:41:39,420 --> 00:41:41,130
The First Crusade ended with

914
00:41:41,130 --> 00:41:44,490
the bloody taking of Jerusalem in 1099.

915
00:41:44,490 --> 00:41:46,140
Thousands of Muslims and Jews

916
00:41:46,140 --> 00:41:47,943
were slaughtered by the Crusaders.

917
00:41:48,985 --> 00:41:51,180
(dramatic music)

918
00:41:51,180 --> 00:41:53,640
The Crusades are one of the bloodiest events

919
00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:55,110
in Christian history,

920
00:41:55,110 --> 00:41:57,720
and they will continue onwards until 1270,

921
00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:01,290
with campaigns in the Middle East, the Baltics, and Spain.

922
00:42:01,290 --> 00:42:04,980
Historians estimate the casualties in the millions.

923
00:42:04,980 --> 00:42:06,840
It is during this age that

924
00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:09,420
the Christians' understanding of Heaven and Hell

925
00:42:09,420 --> 00:42:11,610
takes a more complex form.

926
00:42:11,610 --> 00:42:12,780
The Book of Revelation,

927
00:42:12,780 --> 00:42:15,540
the only full apocalyptic text in the New Testament,

928
00:42:15,540 --> 00:42:17,460
has an image of Hell.

929
00:42:17,460 --> 00:42:19,980
In contrast to the beautiful Heavenly city,

930
00:42:19,980 --> 00:42:21,660
you have this image of Hell,

931
00:42:21,660 --> 00:42:25,050
which is a fiery place where the enemies of God

932
00:42:25,050 --> 00:42:27,870
will be burned for an eternity.

933
00:42:27,870 --> 00:42:32,870
One of the most interesting explorations of the afterlife

934
00:42:32,910 --> 00:42:36,510
comes in the poet Dante's "Divine Comedy."

935
00:42:36,510 --> 00:42:38,610
And it was theologically sophisticated,

936
00:42:38,610 --> 00:42:40,680
so there's a lot of interesting components

937
00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:43,170
from Christian doctrine that he's working with

938
00:42:43,170 --> 00:42:45,840
when he portrays Hell as

939
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,670
a circle of different levels of torments

940
00:42:50,670 --> 00:42:53,220
dedicated to particular sins.

941
00:42:53,220 --> 00:42:56,700
And there is a concept also in the afterlife,

942
00:42:56,700 --> 00:42:59,430
particularly in Catholic tradition of Purgatory

943
00:42:59,430 --> 00:43:02,280
as this intermediate plane of existence

944
00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:06,360
where a true believer will ultimately gain salvation,

945
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,270
but they first have to go through a purgative,

946
00:43:09,270 --> 00:43:13,383
hence Purgatory, and expurgation of those sins.

947
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,400
For many, the Crusades were a shortcut,

948
00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:19,500
a way to quickly purge their sins

949
00:43:19,500 --> 00:43:21,900
and guarantee their entry to the Kingdom of Heaven

950
00:43:21,900 --> 00:43:23,460
through violence.

951
00:43:23,460 --> 00:43:26,070
The concept of Purgatory also leads to

952
00:43:26,070 --> 00:43:28,080
one of the most controversial practices

953
00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:31,500
of the Catholic Church: The indulgence.

954
00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:35,160
The Church was recommending that

955
00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,350
all good faithful Christians

956
00:43:37,350 --> 00:43:40,560
spend some money on indulgences.

957
00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,930
And this is a doctrine in the Catholic Church.

958
00:43:42,930 --> 00:43:45,090
It is making payment

959
00:43:45,090 --> 00:43:50,040
in order to relieve the time in Purgatory.

960
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:52,740
So it's on behalf of a beloved one.

961
00:43:52,740 --> 00:43:53,573
Many thought

962
00:43:53,573 --> 00:43:56,970
the Church had put a price tag on salvation.

963
00:43:56,970 --> 00:43:59,130
This was sort of repulsive to many people

964
00:43:59,130 --> 00:44:01,590
and it heightened the kind of exploitative

965
00:44:01,590 --> 00:44:04,195
and commercial aspect of the Church.

966
00:44:04,195 --> 00:44:07,140
(cathedral bell tolling)

967
00:44:07,140 --> 00:44:09,660
Today, it is normal for church congregants

968
00:44:09,660 --> 00:44:12,360
to donate to churches to facilitate programming,

969
00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:15,510
worship services, and community outreach.

970
00:44:15,510 --> 00:44:19,140
Vatican City is maintained via the sale of postage stamps,

971
00:44:19,140 --> 00:44:21,150
souvenirs, and the price of admission,

972
00:44:21,150 --> 00:44:24,000
but also by donations of the faithful.

973
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,360
But in the 16th century, amid demands for indulgence,

974
00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:30,390
and in the context of a Church getting ever richer,

975
00:44:30,390 --> 00:44:33,240
the Christian faith splintered yet again.

976
00:44:33,240 --> 00:44:36,120
Many in the West were looking for change and reform,

977
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:39,060
and on October 31st, 1517,

978
00:44:39,060 --> 00:44:42,480
a German monk would forever change history.

979
00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:44,490
Luther was a pious monk,

980
00:44:44,490 --> 00:44:47,520
and so he was appalled at the notion

981
00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:49,020
that there was certain Catholic bishops

982
00:44:49,020 --> 00:44:53,160
who were effectively selling salvation to rich elites.

983
00:44:53,160 --> 00:44:55,200
And he famously, according to legend,

984
00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:58,680
nailed 95 disputations against indulgences

985
00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,440
against the wall of Castle Church in Wittenberg

986
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,473
and was excommunicated for his troubles.

987
00:45:05,370 --> 00:45:07,320
Aided by the invention of the printing press

988
00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:08,767
and the rise in literacy,

989
00:45:08,767 --> 00:45:11,883
"The Ninety-Five Theses" quickly spread across Europe.

990
00:45:12,900 --> 00:45:16,020
This challenge to the Church itself

991
00:45:16,020 --> 00:45:18,060
opened the doors to the Protestant Reformation,

992
00:45:18,060 --> 00:45:19,860
which is this fracturing,

993
00:45:19,860 --> 00:45:23,043
the schisming, of Christianity across Europe.

994
00:45:24,900 --> 00:45:26,070
There are many leaders

995
00:45:26,070 --> 00:45:28,860
in the Protestant movement, including Martin Luther,

996
00:45:28,860 --> 00:45:31,410
John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli,

997
00:45:31,410 --> 00:45:34,110
and Henry the 8th, among others.

998
00:45:34,110 --> 00:45:35,280
These leaders developed

999
00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:37,860
their own interpretations of Christianity

1000
00:45:37,860 --> 00:45:41,490
and founded their own denominations such as Lutheranism,

1001
00:45:41,490 --> 00:45:43,563
Calvinism, and Anglicanism.

1002
00:45:44,850 --> 00:45:46,770
After centuries of evolution,

1003
00:45:46,770 --> 00:45:49,500
the Christianity found in Europe was much different

1004
00:45:49,500 --> 00:45:51,990
than that of Jesus's early teachings,

1005
00:45:51,990 --> 00:45:54,540
and people were looking for a place where they could,

1006
00:45:54,540 --> 00:45:59,540
in their own minds, get back to the Christianity of Christ.

1007
00:45:59,700 --> 00:46:00,930
Through this quest,

1008
00:46:00,930 --> 00:46:04,053
Christianity would grow to a world religion.

1009
00:46:10,133 --> 00:46:11,520
(bright relaxing music)

1010
00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:14,550
Plymouth Rock, site of the landing of the Mayflower

1011
00:46:14,550 --> 00:46:16,740
in December, 1620.

1012
00:46:16,740 --> 00:46:19,890
Every year, a million visitors come to see the place

1013
00:46:19,890 --> 00:46:22,230
where they first landed in America.

1014
00:46:22,230 --> 00:46:24,450
Those aboard the Mayflower were Pilgrims

1015
00:46:24,450 --> 00:46:27,210
driven by the promise of religious freedom.

1016
00:46:27,210 --> 00:46:30,330
In 1630, John Winthrop, a leading figure of

1017
00:46:30,330 --> 00:46:33,090
the foundation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,

1018
00:46:33,090 --> 00:46:35,580
delivered a sermon to his fellow settlers,

1019
00:46:35,580 --> 00:46:37,200
telling them that they were founding

1020
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:39,210
a new type of community,

1021
00:46:39,210 --> 00:46:43,503
a shining example for all, a city on the hill.

1022
00:46:44,820 --> 00:46:48,030
What it means for American identity as it develops there

1023
00:46:48,030 --> 00:46:51,420
is the conceptualization that God is behind

1024
00:46:51,420 --> 00:46:53,370
the development of this country,

1025
00:46:53,370 --> 00:46:56,460
and it's meant to be a city on a hill

1026
00:46:56,460 --> 00:46:58,920
to draw attention to other nations,

1027
00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:02,970
to other peoples, of how Christianity can be fully realized

1028
00:47:02,970 --> 00:47:04,053
to its full extent.

1029
00:47:05,370 --> 00:47:06,203
Today,

1030
00:47:06,203 --> 00:47:10,080
there are over 210 million Christians in the United States,

1031
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:12,540
making it one of the most populous Christian countries

1032
00:47:12,540 --> 00:47:13,740
on the planet.

1033
00:47:13,740 --> 00:47:16,440
But the Europeans' desire to spread their religion

1034
00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:20,670
had a dark side in the Americas and elsewhere.

1035
00:47:20,670 --> 00:47:23,790
There's been missionary zeal for Christianity

1036
00:47:23,790 --> 00:47:25,800
pretty much from day one.

1037
00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:28,770
Unfortunately, a lot of missionary activity

1038
00:47:28,770 --> 00:47:33,060
was a Trojan horse, really, for colonialism.

1039
00:47:33,060 --> 00:47:36,360
There's been missionary activity to Africa

1040
00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:38,820
from as early as the 15th century,

1041
00:47:38,820 --> 00:47:42,990
and this is perhaps where much of the Christianity

1042
00:47:42,990 --> 00:47:45,993
in Sub-Saharan Africa started to come from.

1043
00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:49,440
The work of Christian missionaries in Africa

1044
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:51,510
had tragic consequences.

1045
00:47:51,510 --> 00:47:52,530
Their work led to

1046
00:47:52,530 --> 00:47:55,500
the destruction of numerous Indigenous cultures,

1047
00:47:55,500 --> 00:47:59,520
and they often supported European imperialism and racism.

1048
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:00,540
Despite this,

1049
00:48:00,540 --> 00:48:03,573
Christianity continues to grow in Africa today.

1050
00:48:04,620 --> 00:48:06,300
In the 21st century,

1051
00:48:06,300 --> 00:48:09,210
Christianity has many faces, practices,

1052
00:48:09,210 --> 00:48:11,010
beliefs, and customs.

1053
00:48:11,010 --> 00:48:12,630
And while the faith is showing strength

1054
00:48:12,630 --> 00:48:16,200
in regions of the world like Africa and Latin America,

1055
00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:19,203
it risks falling behind in Europe and North America.

1056
00:48:20,100 --> 00:48:21,060
In these regions,

1057
00:48:21,060 --> 00:48:23,280
traditional Christianity clashes with

1058
00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:25,470
the secular culture of modernity,

1059
00:48:25,470 --> 00:48:28,560
which places a greater emphasis on personal freedoms

1060
00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:30,990
rather than religious tradition.

1061
00:48:30,990 --> 00:48:33,990
Many raised in the faith have lost trust with the Church

1062
00:48:33,990 --> 00:48:35,910
after numerous scandals.

1063
00:48:35,910 --> 00:48:38,550
These include the multiple child abuse coverups

1064
00:48:38,550 --> 00:48:40,530
involving Catholic priests,

1065
00:48:40,530 --> 00:48:42,870
the residential school scandal in Canada,

1066
00:48:42,870 --> 00:48:46,620
which involved both Catholic and Protestant churches.

1067
00:48:46,620 --> 00:48:48,960
These scandals are a grim reminder

1068
00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:51,483
of Christianity's role in colonialism.

1069
00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:57,030
Issues of race, of gender, of social class,

1070
00:48:57,030 --> 00:48:59,250
they are hurtling towards the Christian Church

1071
00:48:59,250 --> 00:49:00,330
at breakneck speed,

1072
00:49:00,330 --> 00:49:04,050
and the Church has to look deep within its tradition

1073
00:49:04,050 --> 00:49:07,110
to be able to address some of these challenges

1074
00:49:07,110 --> 00:49:09,840
in ways where the Gospel isn't compromised,

1075
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:13,350
but that it is, as it has always been,

1076
00:49:13,350 --> 00:49:15,780
an inclusive ideology,

1077
00:49:15,780 --> 00:49:18,450
one which seeks to draw in from the margins

1078
00:49:18,450 --> 00:49:21,360
and wrap its arms around the downtrodden

1079
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:24,060
and the quieter voices in the community.

1080
00:49:24,060 --> 00:49:27,420
Christianity has this unique flexibility

1081
00:49:27,420 --> 00:49:30,600
because it is not a exclusivist religion.

1082
00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:35,580
People who are not satisfied by what rationalism and science

1083
00:49:35,580 --> 00:49:37,530
and the growth of technology has to offer,

1084
00:49:37,530 --> 00:49:39,360
if people are looking for something more,

1085
00:49:39,360 --> 00:49:41,910
Christianity can provide that because it is flexible enough,

1086
00:49:41,910 --> 00:49:45,393
it is sensitive to the social and economic forces.

1087
00:49:47,158 --> 00:49:50,658
(gentle victorious music)

1088
00:49:56,237 --> 00:49:59,487
(pulsing exotic music)

1089
00:50:04,848 --> 00:50:08,515
(dramatic victorious music)