Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, a Jewish prophet believed to be both God and man. When Jesus took human form, he taught love and forgiveness, was crucified, and then is said to have risen from the dead.

By Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, he brought salvation to followers by conquering original sin, a state that humans were born to after the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God, according to Jewish and Christian scriptures.

The first followers of Jesus were Jews, but his message of salvation had considerable appeal as well to pagans living in Syria and Asia Minor. In the Greek language Jesus was referred to as Christos, "the anointed one." The growing movement became known as Christianity.

The story of Jesus Christ is recorded in the New Testament section of the Bible, the book of sacred Christian Scriptures. The Bible is divided into an Old and a New Testament.

Disciples spread the teachings of Jesus Christ, helping to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire nearly 300 years after the death of Jesus Christ.

The empire developed two branches, and so did the religion—one in Rome (Roman Catholic) and the other in present-day Istanbul (Eastern Orthodox).

During the Reformation, corruption in the church came under attack. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther stressed the importance of the Bible's words over church traditions. Protestantism evolved from the Reformers' efforts, and this made up the final broad branch of Christianity.

With more followers than any other religion in the world, Christianity has left a mark on Asia. Armenia declared it the state religion in the fourth century. Christian Maronites make up about half the population of Lebanon.