Christianity is a major world religion and has more than 1.7 billion people. In India there are 22 million Christians which is about 2.4 per cent of the total population and their history goes back to almost 54 AD. There have been Syrian Christians in India since the coming of Christianity to Europe. The Portuguese and European missionaries converted a lot of low caste Hindus to Christianity. Among these, the Syrian Christians along the Malabar coast were of high birth and trace their ancestry to St Thomas the Apostle, early in the 1st century AD. It was in the 16th century with the arrival of the European missionaries that Christianity spread in India. The emphasis was on social reform along with religious conversion; the result was that most of their converts were from the lowest social classes.

Core
Jesus was a Jew and was born in Nazareth in Judaea in 6 BC. His followers considered him to be the chosen one (Christ), who was sent by God to fulfil his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Mary, the mother of Jesus, conceived him through Immaculate Conception and was born in a manger in Bethlehem where Mary and her husband Joseph had taken refuge after leaving Nazareth. Jesus grew up in Nazareth and it was during this time that Palestine was suffering under the Roman rule.
Jesus had 12 disciples with whom he wandered the streets of Galilee teaching the power of Divine love. He possessed extraordinary healing powers and a large number of miracles are mentioned in the Bible where lepers and maimed, diseased and dying all were cured with his touch.
He came to be known as the Messiah and had a large number of followers. This alarmed the Roman and the Jewish authority and they considered him a revolutionary. Jesus moved to Jerusalem and continued to preach. The roman authorities were still after him and he was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas, who sold him to the Romans for 40 pieces of silver. His Last Supper with his disciples, from where he was arrested is celebrated as Eucharist.
The Roman authorities condemned Jesus as a blasphemer and Pontius Pilate, the Roman general, sentenced him to Death. He was crucified and is believed to have arisen from the dead with the help of divine powers three days after his burial. The resurrection of Jesus is celebrated as Easter all over the world. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection made the cross the chief focus of Christian faith and devotion and the principal symbol of the love of God the Father.

Faith & Practices
Christians believe in the central persona of Jesus Christ and emphasise that his teachings about love and fellowship should be the basis of human relations. They believe that Jesus himself was the Son of God and would redeem mankind of its sins. By following the teachings of Christ, Christians hope that they will come closer to God, the Father and become Children of God. Christians base their faith in the love of God and follow the instruction of Jesus to love one's neighbour. They believe that Man has been created in the image of God and thus respect the sanctity of human life, Justice, marriage and the family.
The Bible, the holy book of the Christians teaches that God is almighty is the master of all Heaven and Earth, righteous in judgement over good and evil, beyond time and space and change. It teaches that `God is love' and propounds the theory of Genesis or creation of the world out of nothing in seven days. They believe in the form of God as Trinity (God the Father, Christ, the Son and the Holy Spirit). Another principle is the Eucharist, a ceremony which commemorates the Last Supper of Christ with his disciples. The Christians share bread and wine and believe it to be the flesh and blood of Christ.
After the crucifixion of Christ, his apostle Peter was given the authority and he consolidated the teachings of Christ in the Gospel. Apostle Paul, a great missionary of the Church, spread the word of God further.
The Christians believe in the Ten Commandments and follow it to lead a better life. According to the Old Testament, after the liberation of Israel from Egypt God spoke to Moses and delivered the Ten Commandments that one should follow to attain salvation. According to the Bible (Exodus), God inscribed them on two stone tablets himself. Moses later destroyed the tablets in anger over his people's abandonment of their faith. He was commanded by God to inscribe new tablets and these were deposited in the Ark of the Covenant. The Ten Commandments actually embody principles common to all humanity. It is believed that God revealed the commandments to Moses to remind humankind of its obligations, easily forgotten because of original sin. These Commandments are

1. Prohibition of the worship of any deity but God
2. Prohibition of idolatry
3. Prohibition of the use of the name of God for vain purposes
4. Observance of the Sabbath
5. Honouring of one's father and mother
6. Prohibition of murder
7. Prohibition of adultery
8. Prohibition of stealing
9. Prohibition of giving false testimony
10. Prohibition of coveting the property or wife of one's neighbour

Sects
The Church is the place where the Christians worship and it has a proper organisation and hierarchy. The relation of this holy catholic Church to the various ecclesiastical organisations of Christianity is the source of major divisions among these organisations. Roman Catholicism has tended to equate its own institutional structure with the catholic Church, and some Protestant groups claim that they represent the true visible Church. Whatever their individual conviction all Christians emphasise on private devotion and individual prayer, as Jesus taught. Their prayers stress on the communal nature of worship and the priests in the churches give sermons which is a talk on the religious and moral subjects. Sunday, is traditionally a day of rest like the Jewish Sabbath. It is also the time when believers gather to hear the reading and preaching of the word of God in the Bible, to participate in the sacraments, and to pray, praise, and give thanks.

Literature
The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. All of Jesus Christ's life and teachings are recorded in the Bible. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament are slightly longer. The New Testament is a collection of books and is divided into four Gospels

• Mark
• Matthew
• Luke
• John

Holy Places
Jerusalem is a sacred place for the Christians as well as for Muslims and Jews. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus is also a sacred place. The centre of the Roman Catholic Church is the Vatican City, which is the seat of the Pope. England has many Anglican Churches. Churches in Germany and Switzerland are also world famous. The Sistine Chapel in Rome is one of the most beautiful churches in the World.
In India, churches are spread all over the country. St Peter's and St Frances' Churches in Goa, Sophia's church in Mysore, the churches of Bangalore, Karnataka and churches in Calcutta are also great architectural achievements.

Festivals

Their main festivals are
• Christmas, celebrated on December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ
• Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion of Christ
• Easter, celebrated as the day of resurrection of Christ