Interpretation. This answer is an interpretation or an open question.
Christianity came from Gentiles, people who were not Israelites, who called themselves Christians. They were trying to follow the God of Scripture and the teachings of the apostles. Here is the key thing to understand. The Word does not teach Christianity, but Christianity does try to follow the Word.
How did it start? The apostles taught people how to be disciples of the Messiah. They called them believers, saints, and disciples. The disciples were not called Christians until they went to Antioch, a Gentile city (Acts 11:26). In Scripture, no disciple ever calls himself or any other disciple a Christian. The Bible tells of disciples being called Christians only two other times (Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16).
This makes sense. The first disciples, who wrote the letters in the New Testament, were Hebrews. The word “Christian” comes from Greek, so they would not have called themselves that. But Gentiles who did not speak Hebrew would have used it. For example, when Jews who opposed the disciples spoke about them, they called them Nazarenes, a name with Hebrew roots (Acts 24:5). But King Agrippa, a Gentile, used the word Christian.
The rest of this answer comes from history, not from Scripture. After the disciples died and the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the Hebrews were scattered and captured. That left room for a Gentile-centered kind of disciple. These Gentiles did follow the teachings of the apostles. They called themselves Christians all across the lands Rome ruled. Christians came up with different ways of following the Gospel, so bishops and churches disagreed. Some bishops had more influence than others, and over time they grew more powerful.
All this happened while Rome banned Christianity, because Rome feared it would upset society. Many Christians were punished or put to death to send a message. In time, Rome accepted Christianity, and later it became something like the state religion. People still debate whether this change was political or sincere. Either way, the bishop of Rome was given authority after the Council of Nicaea, which tried to unite Christianity. The conversion of Constantine, the emperor of Rome, played a big part in this. He promoted Christianity, but he still took part in many pagan practices. Because of this, many traditions that started as pagan later became Christian. Examples include the teaching of three persons in one God, the worship of Mary, Christmas, and Easter.
In time, the Roman Catholic Church formed, and the bishop of Rome became known as the Pope. Later, some groups refused to let the Pope decide what people should believe. They protested and read the Word in different ways. This created many Protestant movements. That is why people say there are more than 30,000 Christian denominations today.
Think of the Catholic Church like the Tower of Babel. After God scattered the teachings, the Protestants came out of it. Together, they make up the confusion of Christianity, which is full of lies and misunderstandings.
Answered by Taught of Yah
