Christianity: founder
| Christianity: Founder of Christianity and dissemination of religions in the area of the European Union and in Switzerland | ||
| Country | first or early witnesses of faith 1) (selection) | Religious affiliation of the population (2012) |
| Belgium | Amandus (mission bishop; 7th century) | Christians: 75% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 4% | ||
| Jews: 0.3% | ||
| Bulgaria | Boris I (Prince of Bulgaria [852–889]; 9th / 10th centuries), Cyrillos and Methodios (missionaries and scholars; 9th century), Kliment Ochridski (bishop, church writer and church organizer; 9th / 10thcenturies)Century) | Christians: 85% (mostly Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 13% | ||
| Jews: around 3,000 | ||
| Denmark | Ansgar (monk and missionary; 9th century) | Christians: 81% (mostly Lutherans) |
| Muslims: 4% | ||
| Jews: 0.1% | ||
| Germany | Emmeram (mission bishop; 7th / 8th century), Korbinian (mission bishop; 8th century), Bonifatius (missionary and bishop; 8th century) | Christians: 60% (each around 30% Catholics and Protestants and over 1% Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 5% | ||
| Jews: 0.2% | ||
| Estonia | Fulco (mission bishop; 12th century) | Christians: 30% (including around 13% each Lutheran and Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 0.7% | ||
| Jews: 0.1% | ||
| Finland | Heinrich von Uppsala (missionary and martyr; 12th century) | Christians: 81% (mostly Lutherans) |
| Muslims: 0.2% | ||
| Jews: around 1,500 | ||
| France | Pothinus of Lyon (bishop and martyr; 2nd century), Hilary of Poitiers (bishop and doctor of the church; 4th century), Martin von Tours (bishop; 4th century) | Christians: 64% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 4.3% | ||
| Jews: 1% | ||
| Greece | Paul (apostle and missionary; 1st century) | Christians: 97% (mostly Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 1.5% | ||
| Jews: around 4,500 | ||
| Great Britain | Alban (first martyr in England; 3rd century), Augustine of Canterbury (missionary and archbishop in England; 6th century), Ninian (missionary in Scotland; 4th century), Columban the Elder (founder of a monastery in Scotland; 6thcentury)Century) | Christians: 72% (mostly Anglicans) |
| Muslims: 3.0% | ||
| Hindus: 0.9% | ||
| Jews: 0.5% | ||
| Ireland | Palladius (missionary and bishop; 5th century), Patrick (missionary and bishop; 5th century) | Christians: 90% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.8% | ||
| Jews: around 1,200 | ||
| Italy | Peter (apostle and martyr; 1st century) | Christians: 89% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 2%) | ||
| Jews: around 30,000 | ||
| Latvia | Meinhard (mission bishop; 12th century) | Christians: 60% (around a third each Lutherans, Catholics and Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 0.3% | ||
| Jews: 0.2% | ||
| Lithuania | Jogaila ( Jagiello; Grand Duke of Lithuania and [from 1386] King of Poland) and Hedwig ( Jadwiga; Queen of Poland [from 1384] and wife [marriage 1386] Jagiellos) | Christians: 83% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.1% | ||
| Jews: 0.1% | ||
| Luxembourg | Willibrord (mission bishop; 7th / 8th century) | Christians: 90% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 1% | ||
| Jews: around 600 | ||
| Malta | Paul (apostle and missionary; 1st century) | Christians: 95% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 2% | ||
| Jews: few families | ||
| Netherlands | Servatius von Tongern (bishop; 4th century), Lambert von Maastricht (missionary and bishop; 7th century), Hubertus (missionary and bishop; 7th / 8th century) | Christians: 52% (mostly Catholics and Protestants [predominantly Reformed tradition]) |
| Muslims: 5.7% | ||
| Hindus: 0.5% | ||
| Jews: 0.2% | ||
| Austria | Florian (martyr; 3rd / 4th century), Severin von Noricum (monk and monastery founder; 5th century), Rupert von Salzburg (bishop; 7th / 8th century) | Christians: 70% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 4.2% | ||
| Jews: 0.1% | ||
| Poland | Mieszko I (Duke of Poland; 10th century), Adalbert von Prag (bishop, missionary and martyr; 10th century), Brun (Bruno) von Querfurt (missionary bishop; 10th / 11th century) | Christians: 97% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: around 5,000 | ||
| Jews: around 5,000 | ||
| Portugal | Martinus of Braga (missionary and bishop; 6th century) | Christians: 89% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.2% | ||
| Jews: around 800 | ||
| Romania | The bishops of Tomi (today Constanța; attested as a diocese from the 3rd to the 6th century), including Evangelos (3rd century), Bretanion (4th century) and Theotimos (4th / 5th century) | Christians: 99% (mostly Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 0.3% | ||
| Jews: around 12,000 | ||
| Sweden | Ansgar (monk and missionary; 9th century) | Christians: 75% (mostly Lutherans) |
| Muslims: 4.4% | ||
| Jews: 0.2% | ||
| Slovakia | Cyril and Methodius (missionaries and scholars; 9th century) | Christians: 83% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: around 1,000 | ||
| Jews: around 5,000 | ||
| Slovenia | Virgilius von Salzburg (bishop; 8th century), Modestus (choir bishop in Carinthia; 8th century) | Christians: around 60% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 2.4% | ||
| Jews: around 100 | ||
| Spain | Leander of Seville (monk and archbishop; 6th century), Isidore of Seville (archbishop and doctor of the church; 6th / 7th century) | Christians: 92% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.5% | ||
| Jews: around 14,000 | ||
| Czech Republic | Cyril and Methodius (missionaries and scholars; 9th century), Ludmilla (Duchess of Bohemia and martyr; 9th / 10th century), Wenceslaus I (Duke of Bohemia and martyr; 10th century), Adalbert of Prague (Bishop, missionary and martyr; 10th century) | Christians: 30% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.2% | ||
| Jews: around 5,000 | ||
| Hungary | Cyril and Methodius (missionaries and scholars; 9th century), Pilgrim of Passau (bishop; 10th century), Geza (Grand Duke of the Magyars; 10th century), Adalbert of Prague (bishop, missionary and martyr;10th century)Century), Stephan I (King of Hungary [from 1000]; 10th / 11th century) | Christians: 75% (mostly Catholics) |
| Muslims: 0.1% | ||
| Jews: 0.1% | ||
| Cyprus 2) | Paulus (apostle and missionary; 1st century), Barnabas (companion of Paul on his first missionary trip and missionary; 1st / 2nd century) | Christians: 94% (mostly Orthodox) |
| Muslims: 0.7% | ||
| Jews: few families | ||
| Switzerland | the members of the Theban Legion (martyrs; 3rd century), Gallus (monk and missionary; 6th / 7th century), Fridolin von Säckingen (missionary and founder of a monastery; 7th century) | Christians: 80% (around half each Catholic and Protestant) |
| Muslims: 4.3% | ||
| Jews: 0.2% | ||
| 1) Persons venerated as missionaries and supporters of Christianity.2) Greek Cypriot southern part. | ||
If the sonship of Jesus was understood in the sense of a second divine nature, a problem also arose for the monotheism inherited from Judaism and Jesus: How can it be sustained when, in addition to God par excellence, the “Father”, also the ” Son ”, will soon also be spoken of by the“ Holy Spirit ”? This question had to come to the fore first; the Christological debate also made a discussion of the Trinity necessary.
According to psyknowhow.com, in a first phase (up to the end of the 4th century) the concept of the son of God was hotly debated (especially in the wake of Arianism) and finally understood in the sense of a “self-indulgence” with the father; after further struggles, the Holy Spirit was also drawn into this conception. In a second phase (in the 5th century) it was about the question of how the man Jesus “Son of God” in this comprehensive sense could be or in which the unity between man and God consists, so that “the same” is both. The disputes were very violent, so that the emperors tried from time to time to restore peace through ecumenical (= worldwide) councils. This was the purpose of the first four great councils, among which v. a. the first (in Nicaea 325) and the fourth (in Chalcedon 451) set the course for the further development of Christianity.
