Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and they see the New Testament as the record of the Gospel that was revealed by Jesus. With an estimated 2.1 billion adherents in 2001, Christianity is the world's largest religion. It is the predominant religion in Europe, the Americas, Southern Africa, the Philippines and Oceania. It is also growing rapidly in Asia, particularly in China and South Korea.
Christianity began as an offshoot of Judaism, and includes the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament, within its canon.[6] Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity is classified as an Abrahamic religion (see also, Judeo-Christian.
The name "Christian" (Greek Χριστιανός Strong's G5546), meaning "belonging to Christ" or "partisan of Christ", was first applied to the disciples in Antioch, as recorded in Acts 11:26.[10] The earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity" (Greek Χριστιανισμός) is by Ignatius of Antioch.[1]