In 395, the Roman Empire was split into the West and East Roman empires. As a result, the chruch was divided into two churches, the Western church, with its centre in Rome; the Eastern church, with its centre in Byzantine, which had been renamed after Constantine and become Constantinople (now Istanbul). The most powerful church leaders were the bishop of Rome, called the pope, in the West and the patriarch of Constantinople in the East. In 476, a Germanic people drove the last West Roman emperor from power and cut up the West Roman Empire. The East Romen Empire continued as the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when Turks captured its capital, Constantinople.

 

After the fall of the West Roman Empire, the Middle Ages began and continued for about 1,000 years. The Middle Ages was "the age of faith", when almost all Europeans belonged to the Christian Church. Religion was of great importance in almost every aspect of daily life. The Western Church was a highly centralised and disciplined international organiasation. The pope had more authorit than nany other person in Europe. He not only ruled Rome and parts of Italy as a king, heuropewas also the head of all Christian Churches in Western Europe. The most influential early pope was Gregory the Great, who began his rule in 590. Gregory ruled the church with a strong hand. He encouraged the growth and spread of monasteries, and sent a monk, Augustine, to England to convert the people there, the Anglo-Saxons. He also established rules of conduct for the clergy.

 

In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, the greatest king of the Franks, emperor of the Romans. Charlemagne believed strongly in the Christian religion and brought the religion to most of Western Europe he had conquered. Charlemagne's empire declined after his death. But Leo III had established the pope's right to make an emperor's authority lawful.

 

PS:

时间过得真是够快，一眨眼已经一年了，

 

又PS：

黄寅鑫同学生日快乐，

什么未来战士，超级幼稚的说，你还是继续你的天上地下，唯我独尊吧，

 

By 392, Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire. Now the church had a privileged place in society, and it became easier to be a Christian than not to be one. As a result, Christians began to feel that standards of Christian conduct were being lowered. In protest, some of them adopted a way of life known as monasticism. They, called monks and nuns, separated themselves from ordinary ways of living so they could follow the teachings of Jesus as completely as possible. Monks and nuns lived in separate communities and dovoted everyday life to prayer, deep thought and service. Christian monasticism spread to many parts of the Roman Empire during the 4th and 5th centuries.

 

During the Middle Ages monasteries were important as places of learning, for the monks would spend much time copying ancient manuscripts and so did a lot to help preserve and transmit a large part of the traditional heritage of western culture. In the 13th century, members of new religious orders, called friars, began to work among the people.

 

新兴修会有两个，即多明我会和方济各会，成员们甘愿过谦卑和贫困的生活，多明我会成员多具学问，显得有些贵族化，中世纪的著名学者阿尔伯特和托马斯阿奎那就是多明我会的成员，方济各会则更接近贫民，在英国的中世纪，多明我会和方济各会的修士分别被称为黑衣修士和灰衣修士，在民众中影响极大，

 

PS：

翻妈妈的手机，发现很多条朋友发给她的消息都说，今天是06年06月06日，是个世纪六六大顺的日子，呵呵，鉴于今天是个难得的日子，而且我也没希望活到下个06年06月06日，所以就上来留篇东西吧，哈，暂时没什么要说，就用MONASTICISM打发下了，

祝所有的朋友都过得好，嘿，

哦对，明天就是高考了，希望我妹考好点，

 

The founder of Christianity was Jesus. When he began to preach at the age of thirty, Jesus announced that the kingdom of God, or the rule of God, was at hand, and people should feel sorry for their sinful ways to get ready for the kingdom. As a preacher, Jesus followed the Jewish doctrine of the Old Testament but carried the message of love and humanity much further, making them apply to all men and not only to the Jewish.

 

According to the Bible, while preaching, Jesus performed many miracles, healing the sick and even bringing the dead back to life. Many people believed in him and followed him. Jesus' popularity alarmed Jewish officials. They accused Jesus of disrespect for God, and demanded that he should be put to death. The Roman officials crucified Jesus as a criminal.

 

The followers of Jesus believed that Jesus came back to life after his death and later rose to heaven. Jesus's Resurrection (coming back to life) convinced his followers that he was not only the one who announced the coming of the kingdom of God, but also the Messiah, the Saviour of the Jewish people promised in the Old Testament, who would come to earth to save the people. They believed that through his death and Resurrection, Jesus began to free the human race from all suffering and evil. His followers also believed that he would come again to complete the work he had begun.

 

Jesus had chose twelve men, known as the apostles, to preach after his death the good news of the approaching kingdom of God. According to the New Testament, about 50 days after the Crucifixion (Jesus death on the Cross), the Holy Spirit had entered the apostles and given them the ability to speak foreign languages. This ability enabled them to spread Jesus' teachings to all lands.

 

Peter, the leader of the apostles, became an authority among the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

 

The apostle Paul was the most important figures in early Christianity. He was the greatest missionary of Christianity and its first theologian. He made several journeys to many cities throughout the eastern Mediterranean whthin 30 years after the death of Jesus, and everywhere he persuaded the people to become Christians and helped them set pu churches. He did a lot in spreading Christianity to non-Jewish people.

 

In the early years of Christianity, the Roman rulers treated Christians cruelly, and even killed many of them because they regarded the new religion as a threat to their rule. For more than 200 years, the followers of Christianity suffered a great deal, yet more and more people became Christians all the time. Finally, in 313, Emperor Constantine the Great became a Christian himself and gave the Christians freedom of worship.

 

PS：

这英语写的实在不怎么样，通篇只会用believe和think，而且还有不少拼写错误，不知道是作者的问题还是出版社校对的问题，

 

又PS：

所有的朋友们六一快乐，就当是给自己找个放假和过节的理由吧，

 

Most Christians share some of the basic beliefs, no matter how their doctrines may seem to be different.

 

They believe that there is one God, who created the universe and is almighty in ruling over all that are in heaven and on earth, and morally fair in judgment over good and evil, and who, above all, loves mankind and is merciful to them.

 

They believe in the Trinity, the doctrine that in one God there are three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). They believe that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world as the Savior of mankind, and that after Jesus' earthly life, God remained present on earth in the form of the Holy Spirit.

 

They regard Jesus as God who took on the human appearance and characteristics of a man. They believe that Jesus is the Saviour who died to save humanity from sin, making their salvation and eternal life possible.

 

They believe that God intended them to worship together in groups, that is, in churches, so that they can encourage one another to lead upright lives according to God's moral law.

 

They think that it is important that when people become members of a chruch, a ceremony called baptism should be held for them, in which they are sprinkled or covered with water as a symbol that sin is washed away.

 

They also accept the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, as an important ceremony, in which Christians share bread and wine as a sign of their unity with each other and with Jesus.

 

They hold the Bible as sacred writings and inspired by God. They base many of their beliefs and customs on the teachings found in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, a collection of Christian writings added to the Jewish holy books known as the Old Testamen, or Hebrew Bible.

 

Christianity is the religion of all Christians. Most Christians belong to one of three major branches of Christianity - the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches or Protestant Churches. These branches have different beliefs about Jesus and his teachings, but all consider Jesus central to their religion. Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God and was sent by God into the world as the Savior of mankind.

 

According to the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus Christ was a Jew who lived in what is now Palestine in the first century. Jesus preached and performed miracles, and many people believed in him and followed him. Since some of the things he taught were in conflict with traditional Jewish laws and beliefs, at the request of the Jewish religious leaders, the Roman killed him by nailing him to a cross. Jesus' followers were convinced that he returned to life after his death, and they soon spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Today, Christians make up over one third of the world's population. Christianity is the major religion in Europe, the Americas and Australia. It also has followers in Africa and Asia.

 

The teachings of Christianity have had a lasting effect on the conduct and social relations of the Western people. Christianity has had an enormous influence on Western civilisation, especially on philosophy, literature, art and music.