Interesting Stuff You Didn't Know About Christianity

Very few Christians care to know about the history of their faith. Below are interesting facts about some biblical characters and some historical trivia. Interestingly, most of the facts presented below are embedded in the scriptures. Have a look:

The Apostle Peter had a wife and he evidently travelled with her (1Cor 9:5).

According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome prior to Nero’s death in AD68

The Apostle Mark was in Rome during Peter’s imprisonment (Col 4:10)

 

The epistle of 1 Peter was probably written shortly before the outbreak of the persecution under Nero in AD64

Jude was a brother of Jesus and like his brother James (author of the Epistle James and a respected leader of the church in Jerusalem) did not believe Jesus until after the resurrection (John7:1-9; Acts 1:4)

Jude took his wife with him on missionary journeys (1Cor 9:5)

Christianity is the largest world religion. There are about 2.2 billion Christians in the world

 

The history of Christianity in Africa began with in the 1^st century when Mark the Apostle started the orthodox church of Alexandra (Egypt) in about 43AD

The Apostle Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in 52AD to spread the Christian faith among the Cochin Jews Diaspora, the Jewish Diaspora present in Kerela at the time. He is supposed to have landed at the ancient port of Muziris (which became extinct in 1341AD due to a massive flood which realigned the coast) near Kondungalloor. He then went to Palayoor (near present-day Guruvayoor), which was a Hindu priestly community at the time. He left Palayoor in AD52 for the southern part of what is now Kerala State, where he established the Ezharappallikal, or “Seven and a half Churches”. These churches are at Kondungallur, Kollam, Niranam (Niranam St. Mary’s Orthodox Church), Nilackal (Chayal), Kokkamangalam, Kottakkayal (Paravoor), Palayoor (Chattukulangara) and Thiruvithancode Arappally- the half church.

 

During the reign of the Aksummites (a dynasty that ruled Ethiopia), King Solomon, who was in power from 970 - 930BC, was visited by the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings10:1-13). Different theories have been presented as to where the queen was actually from. One Ethiopian story, called the Kibra Negast, states that the queen was actually Queen Makeda (said to have reigned from 1005 - 955BC in the coastal regions of Ethiopia). This story claims that when Queen Makeda went to visit King Solomon, she converted to Judaism, and they became romantically involved. She bore him a son, Menelik I, and at the age of thirteen he went back to Jerusalem to get his father’s blessing. Solomon, as the story states, appointed Menelik the first king of Ethiopia. Because of this, Judaism spread throughout Ethiopia. Falashas, or Black Jews, practice a simple form of Judaism. Because they lived in near isolation, the Falashas had only the first five books of the Bible, known as the laws of Moses.

 

Tariq Aziz, former Iraqi Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister during Sadam Hussien’s reign, was a Christian

 

Antioch was the centre of Christendom outside Palestine. The apostles preached there before starting out on their missionary journeys, and in Antioch the term Christian, designating converts of saint Paul, fist came into use. Antioch is now Antakya in the Muslim nation of Turkey.