Christianity

The Number of Christians in the World

2019:33% of the world's population profess Christianity

Most studies note that for 2019, 33% of the world's population professes some form of Christianity:

• Europe 558 824 000 man;

• Latin America 542 670 000;

• Africa 474 836 000;

• Asia 354 254 000;

• North America 231 032 000;

• Oceania 23,975,000.

2013: Forecast of the change in the number of Christians by regions of the world

Change in the number of Christians in 1970-2020 (2013 forecast)

Dogma

Brothers of Christ

There is no unity among Catholics and Orthodox Christians on the question of how to interpret the line of the Gospel about the "brothers" of Jesus.

The Orthodox tradition is dominated by the opinion of Eusebius that Jacob, Josiah, Judah and Simon are the children of Joseph from the first marriage, not mentioned in Scripture.

There are several hypotheses about the degree of their kinship with Christ in flesh:

• According to Origen, Clement of Alexandria, St. Epiphany of Cyprus Jesus' brothers were the children of Joseph the Betrothal from his first marriage.

• Christ's brothers were children of Mary, a relative of the Blessed Virgin or Joseph, and were cousins or second cousins to Christ.

• According to the hypothesis of Renan and A.P. Lebedev, Cleopa was the brother of Joseph the Betrothed and therefore their wives (Mother of God and Mary Cleopova) were called sisters. Jacob the Righteous and his brother Judah were the children of Joseph from his first marriage, and Jacob the Lesser, Josiah, Simon, and the "sisters" of Jesus were the children of Cleopa and Mary.

In the Catholic Church, Jerome Stridon's judgment prevailed that all four were cousins of Jesus, probably children of Mary Cleopova, sister of the Virgin Mary (see in. 19:25) and thus as nephews of Our Lady were Christ's cousins in the flesh.

Ascesis

• Pillars

Demons (demons)

Churches

Orthodoxy

• Russian Orthodox Church (ROC)
• Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)

Catholicism

• Centralized Religious Organization Catholic Order of Franciscans in Russia

Holidays

• Christmas-tide

History

1st century: Map of the spread of Christianity by the apostles