Jesus Christ: Life and Teachings

The Bible is the holy scripture of Christianity, composed of the Old and New Testaments
Old Testament: 39 books written before Jesus' birth, telling the story of creation, the history of the Israelites, and God's relationship with them
New Testament: 27 books written after Jesus' birth, telling the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, as well as the early Christian church
Bible studies involve reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible's teachings to daily life
Methods of Bible study include:
- Exegesis: analyzing the original language and historical context of a passage
- Hermeneutics: interpreting the meaning of a passage for today's application
- Devotional reading: reading the Bible for personal spiritual growth and guidance

The history of the Christian church spans over 2,000 years, from the time of Jesus' apostles to the present day
Key events in church history include:
- The Apostolic Era (30-100 AD): the spread of Christianity by Jesus' apostles
- The Patristic Era (100-500 AD): the establishment of early Christian theology and the development of the Church Fathers
- The Middle Ages (500-1500 AD): the rise of monasticism, the Crusades, and the development of Catholic and Orthodox traditions
- The Reformation (1500-1700 AD): the split between Protestant and Catholic traditions
- Modern Era (1700-present): the rise of evangelicalism, ecumenism, and global Christianity
Important figures in church history include:
- The Apostles: Peter, Paul, John, and others who spread Christianity after Jesus' death
- The Church Fathers: early Christian theologians such as Augustine, Origen, and Tertullian
- Reformers: Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli, who led the Protestant Reformation

The study of the nature of God and God's relationship with humanity
Key areas of theological study include:
- Christology: the study of Jesus Christ, his nature, and his role in salvation
- Soteriology: the study of salvation, including the means by which humans are saved
- Ecclesiology: the study of the church, its nature, and its role in the world
- Eschatology: the study of the end times, including the return of Jesus and the final judgment
Theological perspectives include:
- Catholic theology: emphasizing tradition, the authority of the Church, and the role of the Pope
- Protestant theology: emphasizing individual interpretation of the Bible, justification by faith alone, and the priesthood of all believers
- Orthodox theology: emphasizing the authority of the early Church Fathers and the importance of tradition

The study of how to live a morally good life as a Christian
Key areas of focus include:
- Personal ethics: individual moral decision-making and behavior
- Social ethics: the Christian response to social issues such as justice, poverty, and inequality
- Bioethics: the Christian response to medical and biological issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and genetic engineering
Christian ethical principles include:
- The Golden Rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12)
- The Greatest Commandment: "love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31)
- The Fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23)

The Bible is the holy scripture of Christianity, composed of 66 books (Old Testament: 39, New Testament: 27)
Old Testament tells the story of creation, the history of the Israelites, and God's relationship with them
New Testament tells the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and the early Christian church
Methods of Bible study include:
- Exegesis: analyzing original language and historical context
- Hermeneutics: interpreting meaning for today's application
- Devotional reading: reading for personal spiritual growth and guidance

Spans over 2,000 years, from the time of Jesus' apostles to the present day
Key events include:
- The Apostolic Era (30-100 AD): spread of Christianity by Jesus' apostles
- The Patristic Era (100-500 AD): establishment of early Christian theology and Church Fathers
- The Middle Ages (500-1500 AD): rise of monasticism, Crusades, and Catholic and Orthodox traditions
- The Reformation (1500-1700 AD): split between Protestant and Catholic traditions
- Modern Era (1700-present): rise of evangelicalism, ecumenism, and global Christianity
Important figures include:
- The Apostles (Peter, Paul, John, etc.)
- The Church Fathers (Augustine, Origen, Tertullian, etc.)
- Reformers (Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, etc.)

Study of the nature of God and God's relationship with humanity
Key areas of study include:
- Christology: study of Jesus Christ, his nature, and role in salvation
- Soteriology: study of salvation, including means of salvation
- Ecclesiology: study of the church, its nature, and role in the world
- Eschatology: study of the end times, including Jesus' return and final judgment
Theological perspectives include:
- Catholic: emphasizing tradition, authority of the Church, and role of the Pope
- Protestant: emphasizing individual interpretation of the Bible, justification by faith alone, and priesthood of all believers
- Orthodox: emphasizing authority of early Church Fathers and importance of tradition

Study of how to live a morally good life as a Christian
Key areas of focus include:
- Personal ethics: individual moral decision-making and behavior
- Social ethics: Christian response to social issues (justice, poverty, inequality, etc.)
- Bioethics: Christian response to medical and biological issues (abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, etc.)
Christian ethical principles include:
- The Golden Rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12)
- The Greatest Commandment: "love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31)
- The Fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23)