Outline The Historical And Cultural Context In Which Christianity Start
Christianity Study Guide
Summary Points: Origins
Students learn about:
The historical and cultural context in which Christianity began
Students learn to:
Outline the historical and cultural context in which Christianity began • Power was centred in Jerusalem during first century Judaism • Fierce sectarian rivalry existed between the different Jewish sects, particularly between the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Zealots who sought to control the direction of the religion • The Messianic expectation, a central tenet of Jewish belief reached a high point during the time of Jesus. Jewish speculation that the Messiah was to be a political saviour …show more content…
was the result of centuries of political oppression by the Romans • Jesus who sought to renew the Jewish religion in the spirit of the prophets, came to be seen as the Messiah by his followers
Students learn about:
Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Examine the principal events of Jesus' life • Whilst Jesus is typically known as the founder of Christianity, he did not seek to establish a new religion. Rather he intended to oppose the legalism of Judaism and reform the tradition in the spirit of the prophets • The main focus of Jesus' preaching was the reign of God • The reign of God envisages a world where God's values such as love, peace and cooperation are realised. This vision, that was inaugurated through Jesus' ministry, will be completed at the end of time. Until then it is the responsibility of the followers of Jesus to live in accordance with these values and to lead others to them. Subsequently, the reign of God is considered to be a present yet future reality • Jesus is believed to have been born of a virgin in Bethlehem • Jesus travelled from Nazareth to Galilee where he was baptised by John the Baptist • He preached around the region of Galilee and attracted disciples some of whom were women and many were socially disadvantaged • Jesus taught in parables mostly concerning the reign of God • In the Gospels he is frequently depicted as a healer or a miracle worker • Jesus' preaching brought him into conflict with the Jewish authorities • Jesus' ministry took him to Jerusalem where he stayed for the Passover • He was arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion • He was placed in a tomb on the eve of the Passover and appeared to his disciples after being raised on the third day • The synoptic problem and modern biblical scholarship reminds us that the Gospels were written for a particular target audience as a way of passing on the faith of the community rather than with the intent of providing an accurate historical account of the life of Jesus
Students learn about:
Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Explain why Jesus is the model for Christian life • Jesus is the model for Christian life because he embodies the reign of God, that is God's dream for humankind that lies at the heart of Jesus' life and ministry • The reign of God refers to the realisation of God's vision for the world, where the values of love, justice and peace prevail. Jesus inaugurated God's dream for the world through his ministry, and showed people how to bring about the reign of God, which will be completed at the end of time • Jesus' embodiment of the reign of God can be identified according to four significant aspects of Jesus' life and ministry: Jesus lives a life of prayer, Jesus lives a life of service to others, Jesus acts as an advocate for the poor and Jesus loves and forgives others • The Gospel portraits of Jesus show him to be a man of prayer, often withdrawing from the pressures of daily life to pray in a quiet place, and does so especially as he approaches key moments in his ministry and during times of personal crisis • Jesus also teaches his disciples some important principles of prayer such as the importance of praying for the needy • The Christian ethos of service to others is the directly modelled upon Jesus' life and ministry which is characterised by its service to others • A number of the sayings attributed to Jesus including the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule highlight this attitude of service • Jesus emphatically identifies with the strong ethical tradition in the Hebrew scriptures by making advocacy for the poor and disadvantaged a central characteristic of his ministry • Whilst advocacy for the poor has always been present in the Christian tradition, recent developments such as Liberation Theology has brought this important dimension into sharper focus • Jesus' attitude of love and forgiveness for the failings of others is most evident firstly in his forgiveness of the disciples who abandoned him and secondly in the famous prayer for the forgiveness of his own executioners • Some denominations have incorporated sacraments and other ceremonies to ritualise the importance of forgiveness • Jesus Christ
Students learn about:
The development of early Christian communities
Students learn to:
Describe the early development of Christian communities after the death of Jesus • The Jesus movement which lasted from approximately 30-60 CE describes a period immediately following the death of Jesus where the infant Christian community saw itself as a sect which existed within the Jewish tradition • Little emphasis was placed on laying down the infrastructure of the movement because the followers believed that they were living in the last days before the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. • Small groups of Palestinian Jews followed Jesus through the preaching of disciples such as Peter in and around Palestine • Larger groups of Diaspora Jews and Gentiles responded to the preaching of Paul • Paul is typically considered as the second founder of Christianity because he helped to set up the structure of this new religion and hence confirm the status of Christianity vis-à-vis Judaism • The Council of Jerusalem in 49 CE formally resolved the debate which divided the Pauline and Palestinian groups. The Council accepted Paul's argument that Gentiles need not undergo circumcision in order to become Christians. This Council is an attempt to overcome differences within the infant Church. Despite the formal resolution of the problem the tensions between the two early communities continued for some time • The New Testament period which lasted from approximately 45 to 100 CE saw the gradual formalisation and centralisation of the Christian Churches which meant that this new religion was increasingly seen as distinct and separate from Judaism. The need to institutionalise the charism of the movement came about as a result of the delay of the Parousia and the death of the Apostles • In the 2nd and 3rd century Christians were persecuted by Jews and Romans alike.
Summary Points: Principal Beliefs
Students learn about:
The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Outline the principal beliefs regarding the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ • The Christological controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries were debates regarding the nature of Christ, and in particular the issue of his humanity versus his divinity • Docetism is a position which undermines the integrity of the humanity of Jesus because it claims that Jesus is fully divine but not truly human, because he is God merely adopting the appearance of being human • Arianism is the belief that Jesus is superior to the rest of creation but not equal to God because Jesus was created by God and thus is not eternal unlike God • The Council of Nicaea in 325 was called to fight against Arianism. The Council developed the Nicene Creed which stats that the Father and the Son are of one essence and hence Jesus is fully divine. The Council of Constantinople reaffirmed this decision • Nestorius undermined the unity of Jesus by claiming that Mary was the Mother of the human Jesus but not the divine Jesus, to suggest that there were two persons within Jesus • The Council of Ephesus in 431 CE rejected this view and confirmed the notion that there was only one person in Jesus and therefore Mary could rightfully be called the Mother of God (theokotos)
Students learn about:
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Explain the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for Christians • Christians have traditionally believed that Jesus died for our sins • This belief has given rise to some questionable explanations like the idea that God would be appeased with the execution of an innocent person • Other questionable inferences include the idea that Jesus became human simply for him to be sacrificed because he is the only person of sufficient value to pay a ransom to God or Satan • More adequate reflections on the death of Jesus highlight the notion that death is an integral part of the human condition and one which is shared by Jesus • Other ways of appreciating the importance of the death of Jesus include seeing the death of Jesus as evidence of the unconditional love of God, or seeing Jesus' selflessness even unto death as a model for discipleship • The fundamental Christian belief in the resurrection of the body, as evident in the Nicene Creed is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ • Whilst Jesus' resurrection and ascension are depicted slightly differently in the Gospels of John and Luke, both stress the importance of the resurrection as carrying the meaning of eternal life that overcomes the limitations of human mortality • Theologians have long debated the nature of the risen Jesus. The difficulty is reconciling the physical resurrection with the spiritual resurrection, without downplaying either aspect
Students learn about:
The nature of God and the Trinity
Students learn to:
Outline the beliefs about the nature of God and the Trinity • The doctrine of the Trinity states that God is One existing as three persons, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit as sanctifier • The belief in the trinity is a central tenet of Christian belief • God's promise of salvation has been fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thus God is revealed as trinity • God the Father is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures • God the Son is revealed in the Christian Scriptures • God the Spirit is revealed in the Church • The Trinitarian doctrine states that there are three co-eternal, equal persons in God, which is the notion of unity within community • The Trinitarian doctrine was further developed and defined at the councils of Nicaea in 325 CE and Constantinople in 381 CE • God was always trinity, however gradually this reality became known through revelation • Jesus calls God "abba" (Father) and speaks of the spirit which indicates a plurality in God • Early Christian practice indicates liturgical/baptismal use of the formula "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" • The difficulty is reconciling the concept of monotheism with the notion of God existing as three persons • Cappadocian theology taught that God was of one essence (ousia) but three persons (hypostaseis) • The divine essence is common to all three, however the three persons have attributes or properties which distinguished them eg Fatherhood, sonship and sanctifying power • Once essence means that the actions (creation, redemption, sanctification) are attributable to all • Mutual relations is the concept that the terms Father and Son are not titles but expressions of a relationship and thus all three persons are co-equal
Students learn about:
Revelation
Students learn to:
Examine the Christian understanding of Revelation • God is intimately involved with all aspects of human life and thus God is revealed to humankind in and through the experiences of human history • The revelation is understood to be an ongoing process • God is the only source of revelation • God's revelation takes place through a number of vehicles • One vehicle is God's Spirit that dwells within human beings which enlivens the faith of Christians by bringing to them a knowledge of God • The revelation is also communicated through the Bible, which Christians believe is inspired by God • Similarly, the teaching tradition of the Church is believed to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit • Even though all Christian groups believe that the Bible is the normative text, they understand this inspiration in different ways • In comparison with Protestant denominations, Orthodox and Catholic denominations place a greater emphasis on the teaching authority of the Church, which is seen to be adjunct with the sacred scripture in communicating the revelation
Students learn about:
Salvation
Students learn to:
Describe the Christian understanding of salvation. • Essentially, Christians believe that salvation is a gift from God, that is offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus • This gift is accessed through faith in Jesus • The Christian understanding of salvation draws heavily from the Jewish tradition of Moses and the Exodus, where the Hebrew people are liberated from slavery due to the saving intervention of God • From this, the Hebrew prophetic tradition calls the people of Israel to be faithful to their covenantal relationship with God • In particular the prophets remind the people of their obligation to care for the anawim who are the poor and defenceless members of society • In his own preaching, Jesus' association with the Hebrew prophetic tradition is clear in his emphatic identification of himself as the fulfilment of the promise of salvation • The major aspects of the Christian belief regarding salvation are as follows: Firstly God is the one who saves, secondly God's saving action is liberating and has a particular concern for those who are the most vulnerable in society. Thirdly that Jesus in his life and ministry embodies the saving action of God. Finally that Christians are called to accept the gift of God's saving action through their faith in Jesus and their own actions on behalf of those in need • There is a considerable difference in the understanding of salvation among Christian groups. "Born again" Christians believe that salvation is solely dependant on an individual's personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in a moment of personal conversion • On the other hand, other Christians believe that the key indicator to salvation is not personal faith but works of merit, especially in the way a person has treated the most vulnerable people in society • In between these views lies the understanding that the requirement is a sincere faith which is enlivened with good works.
Summary Points: Sacred Texts
Students learn about:
The Bible
Students learn to:
Identify the importance of the Bible in Christianity • The books in the Bible are divided into two main collections, the Old Testament also known as the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament • The Bible is considered to be the word of God as it is inspired by God and thus provides deep spiritual insights for Christians into their religion • The exact nature of the inspiration is a topic of contention. • Fundamentalist Christians interpret Biblical inspiration in a literal sense, in that the inspiration of scripture amounts to God dictating a word for word account which was then recorded and passed on into the Christian communities • Catholic and Orthodox denominations, together with High Church Anglicans and some Protestant denominations believe that the Holy Spirit inspired human beings who came to an enlightened understanding of God and recorded these reflections as a way of passing their faith onto the community. Therefore, the Bible contains all that is necessary for human salvation however the Bible should not be understood in literal terms • The Bible is important because it contains salvation history, the account of the history of creation that shows the action of God in human history culminating in the life and ministry of Jesus. • The Bible is normative for Christianity, highlighting key beliefs and determining the practical application of legal, ethical and ritual dimensions • The Bible is seen to provide guidelines for ritual, prayer and worship • The Bible provides the model for life action particularly in relation to ethical guidance • The Bible underpins theological studies • The application of the Bible differs across the spectrum of Christian denominations • Catholic and Orthodox denominations believe that tradition illuminates the meaning of scripture, in that the revelation of God comes through scripture in the light of tradition • Protestant groups follow the teachings of Luther, who taught that the only source Christians should turn to for inspiration is the Bible. • The belief in "bible alone" is known as sola scriptura • The belief in sola scriptura is particularly strong amongst evangelical Protestants • High Church Anglicans believe that tradition and scripture go hand in hand
Students learn about:
The Bible
Students learn to:
Examine extracts from the Bible which demonstrate the principal beliefs of Christianity • The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ o Matthew 16:13-20 - Jesus is the Son of God and therefore Jesus is fully divine o John 1:1-14 - Jesus is fully human as well as being co-eternal with the Father, in that he existed alongside God throughout all of eternity o Hebrews 4:14-16 - Jesus is fully human and is thus able to understand the exact nature of the human condition. Yet, he is also fully divine and thus able to intercede for human kind. In other words, he has both the power to save and the compassion to empathise with human need • The nature of God and the Trinity o Luke 3:21-22 - Luke's description is testimony to the three persons of the trinity in relationship at the time of the baptism of Jesus o John 16:5-16 - This segment of Jesus' prayer focuses on the interrelationship between the three persons in the Trinity, especially the subsequent coming of the Spirit following Jesus' departure o John 5:1-12 - This passage speaks of the interrelationship between the three persons of the Trinity.
Firstly, there is a close relationship between the believer through the Holy Spirit that flows from the Father and the Son and secondly the Holy Spirit gives testimony to the truth of Jesus • Revelation o John 20:30-31 - The Scripture is recognised as a key vehicle of revelation, in reflecting the faith of the early Church community and inviting the audience to embrace the same faith o 2 Timothy 3:15-16 - The scriptures are a source of wisdom and lead us to have faith in Jesus who brings us the gift of salvation. Scripture is inspired by God o 2 Peter 1:20-21 - The Holy Spirit inspires people to write the Scriptures with the intent of encouraging faith and not necessarily to provide historical and scientific evidence of God • Salvation o Matthew 25:26-31 - Eternal salvation is integrally connected to the treatment of others especially those who have the greatest
need o John 3:16-17 - This verse highlights the fundamental Christian belief that salvation comes through Jesus o Rom 5:1-11 - Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, whose death reflects God's saving action and hence God's love of humankind .
Summary Points: Core Ethical Teachings
Students learn about:
• The Ten Commandments • New Testament ethics • The Beatitudes • Jesus' commandment of love
Students learn to:
Outline the principal ethical teachings in: • The Ten Commandments • The Beatitudes • Jesus’ commandment of love
Describe the importance of ethical teachings in the life of adherents. • The Ten Commandments o The Ten Commandments (Decalogue) contained in the Old Testament is a critical source of ethical guidance for Christians o The Ten Commandments are a succinct summary of Christian ethics, and emphasise the importance of human life and the need to respect family and personal integrity o Christians frequently use the Ten Commandments as a framework for the key principles of Christian ethics. • The Beatitudes o The fundamental source of ethical guidance for Christians is the New Testament, which contains some of Jesus’ most significant ethical statements. o The Beatitudes which describes a life directed towards holiness is regarded as a foundational passage for Christian ethics. o The Beatitudes provide a model for the Christian life because it warns against an approach which values only material strength and power, by pointing to an inversion of values whereby things that are often regarded as having no value according to the dominant culture are celebrated in the reign of God. • Jesus' commandment of love o Jesus’ commandment of love can be distilled into the primary covenantal notions of love of God and love of neighbour. o In the ministry of Jesus, the commandment to love your neighbour is taken to a new level because Christians are required not only to love their neighbour but also to love their enemies. o John’s Gospel conveys this requirement to love in terms of a new commandment as love is identified as the defining characteristic of the Christian life. o Love is seen as the fulfilment of the law because love is the essential quality that gives meaning to all other virtues. o The Golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto do, is said to sum up Christian ethics. o There are no identifiable differences between the various Christian denominations in how they understand Jesus’ commandment of love. o In terms of applying these principles, differences do arise between the different Christian denominations in relation to the emphasis that should be placed on Church authority however these differences are not overly significant. • The importance of ethical teachings in the life of adherents. o Christians are expected to place considerable value on the ethical teachings of the tradition in determining their response to a wide range of issues o General ethical guidance is provided by the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule o The life and ministry of Jesus provides a model for life action of Christians. This is reflected in the Christian ethos of caring for the needy and the vulnerable o Specific guidance is also provided in relation to contemporary ethical issues such as sexual morality, bioethics, international economics, ecological concerns and the use of force in international conflicts o Generally speaking, Christian ethical teaching in areas such as sexual morality and bioethics have been in line with conservative forces in society o Ethical teaching on issues of economic, ecological and military significance are more in line with progressive elements in society o This diversity makes it difficult to gauge the effect of Christian ethical teaching in an overall sense
Summary Points: Personal Devotion
Students learn about:
Prayer
Students learn to:
Describe the different types of personal prayer • Prayer plays a significant role in the tradition, as all Christians are called to be people of prayer following the example of Jesus • Traditional and formal prayers encompass a wide variety of occasions and are often adapted from biblical texts • Lord's Prayer (Our Father) - this prayer is taken from the occasion in the Gospel where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray • The Lord's Prayer is used throughout all Christian denominations and is commonly included in liturgy as well as personal prayer • The Rosary is a prayer that draws heavily on biblical texts and is commonly prayed communally or as a form of personal prayer by the Catholic community • The Rosary is organised into 5 decades each containing 10 recitations of the prayer known as the "Hail Mary" • The intention of the Rosary is that a person can meditate on the events of the life of Jesus from the perspective of Mary, the mother of Jesus • Divine Office (Prayer of the Church) is a traditional prayer that developed from the monastic rule of Benedict of Nursia and commonly used in Catholic and Orthodox religious communities • The Divine Office is also widely used as a personal prayer • The Divine Office which relies heavily upon the prayers in Psalms, is organised daily into a number of times of prayer to mark the day from early in the morning until late at night • Christians across a range of denominations use a variety of informal and spontaneous forms of prayer for different occasions and times • Morning and evening prayer is commonly used across the spectrum of Christian denominations, with morning prayer typically being a dedication to God and evening prayer often being a prayer of thanksgiving for God's providence during the day • Grace before and/or after meals is a widely practised custom of expressing gratitude to God for the provisions of the necessities of life • Christian denominations urge their members to find time during the pressures of normal daily routines to spend a period of time in prayer. This is often referred to as Quiet time • The time for prayer and the form of prayer used during quiet times will vary greatly, however, common elements may include prayer of praise and thanksgiving, bible reading, quiet reflection and prayers of petition • Prayers of intercession and prayers of petition are prayers where a person requests their needs and the needs of others • Prayers of intercession and petition encompass many forms of prayer ranging from formal prayers such as the Lord's prayer to informal and spontaneous prayers • In the Orthodox and Catholic communities the belief in the Communion of Saints means that in some cases Christians will offer their prayers to a particular saint, who is believed to intervene on behalf of the person on earth • Prayers of reflection and meditation involve finding a time and place free from distraction and centering one's thoughts on God • The main purpose of prayers of reflection and mediation is to create an inner stillness which allows a person to deeply contemplate the nature of God and the meaning of events and circumstances in life to more clearly see these events in the light of God's love • There is a strong emphasis across the spectrum of Christian denominations but particularly amongst the Protestant denominations on the reflective reading of the bible as a form of prayer • Praise and thanksgiving which allows an individual to acknowledge the greatness of the person of God, finds expression in many forms such as praying the Psalms • In recent times the growth in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, where praise is an integral element of prayer has brought a renewed emphasis to the place of praise in Christian prayer • Throughout Christian history various notable individuals have developed approaches to prayer which have been adopted by a significant number of Christians. These are known as schools of prayer and spirituality • Ignatian spirituality, which is based on the inspiration of Spanish priest Ignatius of Loyola, offers a 30 day programme of meditations, prayers, considerations and contemplative practices that it is commonly used by individuals in a retreat environment. • Teresian spirituality traces its origins to the spiritual experiences of Teresa of Avila as documented in her most well known work "Way of Perfection" • Taize prayer is a simple, meditative prayer that emerged from the French Taize community led by Br Roger Schutz • It involves a process of contemplation based on the chanting recitation of simple mantras • Taize prayer which is steeped in the notions of hope and renewal in response to the post World War II disillusionment adopts a strong emphasis on justice, peace and ecology • Creation Spirituality is generally thought of as a modern movement that celebrates the spiritual dimension of creation as the expression of God's love and thus seeks to highlight the goodness of creation as a gift of God • Creation spirituality as seen in the works of Thomas Berry grew out of modern ecological concerns
Summary Points: Origins
Students learn about:
The historical and cultural context in which Christianity began
Students learn to:
Outline the historical and cultural context in which Christianity began • Power was centred in Jerusalem during first century Judaism • Fierce sectarian rivalry existed between the different Jewish sects, particularly between the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Zealots who sought to control the direction of the religion • The Messianic expectation, a central tenet of Jewish belief reached a high point during the time of Jesus. Jewish speculation that the Messiah was to be a political saviour …show more content…
was the result of centuries of political oppression by the Romans • Jesus who sought to renew the Jewish religion in the spirit of the prophets, came to be seen as the Messiah by his followers
Students learn about:
Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Examine the principal events of Jesus' life • Whilst Jesus is typically known as the founder of Christianity, he did not seek to establish a new religion. Rather he intended to oppose the legalism of Judaism and reform the tradition in the spirit of the prophets • The main focus of Jesus' preaching was the reign of God • The reign of God envisages a world where God's values such as love, peace and cooperation are realised. This vision, that was inaugurated through Jesus' ministry, will be completed at the end of time. Until then it is the responsibility of the followers of Jesus to live in accordance with these values and to lead others to them. Subsequently, the reign of God is considered to be a present yet future reality • Jesus is believed to have been born of a virgin in Bethlehem • Jesus travelled from Nazareth to Galilee where he was baptised by John the Baptist • He preached around the region of Galilee and attracted disciples some of whom were women and many were socially disadvantaged • Jesus taught in parables mostly concerning the reign of God • In the Gospels he is frequently depicted as a healer or a miracle worker • Jesus' preaching brought him into conflict with the Jewish authorities • Jesus' ministry took him to Jerusalem where he stayed for the Passover • He was arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion • He was placed in a tomb on the eve of the Passover and appeared to his disciples after being raised on the third day • The synoptic problem and modern biblical scholarship reminds us that the Gospels were written for a particular target audience as a way of passing on the faith of the community rather than with the intent of providing an accurate historical account of the life of Jesus
Students learn about:
Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Explain why Jesus is the model for Christian life • Jesus is the model for Christian life because he embodies the reign of God, that is God's dream for humankind that lies at the heart of Jesus' life and ministry • The reign of God refers to the realisation of God's vision for the world, where the values of love, justice and peace prevail. Jesus inaugurated God's dream for the world through his ministry, and showed people how to bring about the reign of God, which will be completed at the end of time • Jesus' embodiment of the reign of God can be identified according to four significant aspects of Jesus' life and ministry: Jesus lives a life of prayer, Jesus lives a life of service to others, Jesus acts as an advocate for the poor and Jesus loves and forgives others • The Gospel portraits of Jesus show him to be a man of prayer, often withdrawing from the pressures of daily life to pray in a quiet place, and does so especially as he approaches key moments in his ministry and during times of personal crisis • Jesus also teaches his disciples some important principles of prayer such as the importance of praying for the needy • The Christian ethos of service to others is the directly modelled upon Jesus' life and ministry which is characterised by its service to others • A number of the sayings attributed to Jesus including the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule highlight this attitude of service • Jesus emphatically identifies with the strong ethical tradition in the Hebrew scriptures by making advocacy for the poor and disadvantaged a central characteristic of his ministry • Whilst advocacy for the poor has always been present in the Christian tradition, recent developments such as Liberation Theology has brought this important dimension into sharper focus • Jesus' attitude of love and forgiveness for the failings of others is most evident firstly in his forgiveness of the disciples who abandoned him and secondly in the famous prayer for the forgiveness of his own executioners • Some denominations have incorporated sacraments and other ceremonies to ritualise the importance of forgiveness • Jesus Christ
Students learn about:
The development of early Christian communities
Students learn to:
Describe the early development of Christian communities after the death of Jesus • The Jesus movement which lasted from approximately 30-60 CE describes a period immediately following the death of Jesus where the infant Christian community saw itself as a sect which existed within the Jewish tradition • Little emphasis was placed on laying down the infrastructure of the movement because the followers believed that they were living in the last days before the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. • Small groups of Palestinian Jews followed Jesus through the preaching of disciples such as Peter in and around Palestine • Larger groups of Diaspora Jews and Gentiles responded to the preaching of Paul • Paul is typically considered as the second founder of Christianity because he helped to set up the structure of this new religion and hence confirm the status of Christianity vis-à-vis Judaism • The Council of Jerusalem in 49 CE formally resolved the debate which divided the Pauline and Palestinian groups. The Council accepted Paul's argument that Gentiles need not undergo circumcision in order to become Christians. This Council is an attempt to overcome differences within the infant Church. Despite the formal resolution of the problem the tensions between the two early communities continued for some time • The New Testament period which lasted from approximately 45 to 100 CE saw the gradual formalisation and centralisation of the Christian Churches which meant that this new religion was increasingly seen as distinct and separate from Judaism. The need to institutionalise the charism of the movement came about as a result of the delay of the Parousia and the death of the Apostles • In the 2nd and 3rd century Christians were persecuted by Jews and Romans alike.
Summary Points: Principal Beliefs
Students learn about:
The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Outline the principal beliefs regarding the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ • The Christological controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries were debates regarding the nature of Christ, and in particular the issue of his humanity versus his divinity • Docetism is a position which undermines the integrity of the humanity of Jesus because it claims that Jesus is fully divine but not truly human, because he is God merely adopting the appearance of being human • Arianism is the belief that Jesus is superior to the rest of creation but not equal to God because Jesus was created by God and thus is not eternal unlike God • The Council of Nicaea in 325 was called to fight against Arianism. The Council developed the Nicene Creed which stats that the Father and the Son are of one essence and hence Jesus is fully divine. The Council of Constantinople reaffirmed this decision • Nestorius undermined the unity of Jesus by claiming that Mary was the Mother of the human Jesus but not the divine Jesus, to suggest that there were two persons within Jesus • The Council of Ephesus in 431 CE rejected this view and confirmed the notion that there was only one person in Jesus and therefore Mary could rightfully be called the Mother of God (theokotos)
Students learn about:
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Students learn to:
Explain the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for Christians • Christians have traditionally believed that Jesus died for our sins • This belief has given rise to some questionable explanations like the idea that God would be appeased with the execution of an innocent person • Other questionable inferences include the idea that Jesus became human simply for him to be sacrificed because he is the only person of sufficient value to pay a ransom to God or Satan • More adequate reflections on the death of Jesus highlight the notion that death is an integral part of the human condition and one which is shared by Jesus • Other ways of appreciating the importance of the death of Jesus include seeing the death of Jesus as evidence of the unconditional love of God, or seeing Jesus' selflessness even unto death as a model for discipleship • The fundamental Christian belief in the resurrection of the body, as evident in the Nicene Creed is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ • Whilst Jesus' resurrection and ascension are depicted slightly differently in the Gospels of John and Luke, both stress the importance of the resurrection as carrying the meaning of eternal life that overcomes the limitations of human mortality • Theologians have long debated the nature of the risen Jesus. The difficulty is reconciling the physical resurrection with the spiritual resurrection, without downplaying either aspect
Students learn about:
The nature of God and the Trinity
Students learn to:
Outline the beliefs about the nature of God and the Trinity • The doctrine of the Trinity states that God is One existing as three persons, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit as sanctifier • The belief in the trinity is a central tenet of Christian belief • God's promise of salvation has been fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thus God is revealed as trinity • God the Father is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures • God the Son is revealed in the Christian Scriptures • God the Spirit is revealed in the Church • The Trinitarian doctrine states that there are three co-eternal, equal persons in God, which is the notion of unity within community • The Trinitarian doctrine was further developed and defined at the councils of Nicaea in 325 CE and Constantinople in 381 CE • God was always trinity, however gradually this reality became known through revelation • Jesus calls God "abba" (Father) and speaks of the spirit which indicates a plurality in God • Early Christian practice indicates liturgical/baptismal use of the formula "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" • The difficulty is reconciling the concept of monotheism with the notion of God existing as three persons • Cappadocian theology taught that God was of one essence (ousia) but three persons (hypostaseis) • The divine essence is common to all three, however the three persons have attributes or properties which distinguished them eg Fatherhood, sonship and sanctifying power • Once essence means that the actions (creation, redemption, sanctification) are attributable to all • Mutual relations is the concept that the terms Father and Son are not titles but expressions of a relationship and thus all three persons are co-equal
Students learn about:
Revelation
Students learn to:
Examine the Christian understanding of Revelation • God is intimately involved with all aspects of human life and thus God is revealed to humankind in and through the experiences of human history • The revelation is understood to be an ongoing process • God is the only source of revelation • God's revelation takes place through a number of vehicles • One vehicle is God's Spirit that dwells within human beings which enlivens the faith of Christians by bringing to them a knowledge of God • The revelation is also communicated through the Bible, which Christians believe is inspired by God • Similarly, the teaching tradition of the Church is believed to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit • Even though all Christian groups believe that the Bible is the normative text, they understand this inspiration in different ways • In comparison with Protestant denominations, Orthodox and Catholic denominations place a greater emphasis on the teaching authority of the Church, which is seen to be adjunct with the sacred scripture in communicating the revelation
Students learn about:
Salvation
Students learn to:
Describe the Christian understanding of salvation. • Essentially, Christians believe that salvation is a gift from God, that is offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus • This gift is accessed through faith in Jesus • The Christian understanding of salvation draws heavily from the Jewish tradition of Moses and the Exodus, where the Hebrew people are liberated from slavery due to the saving intervention of God • From this, the Hebrew prophetic tradition calls the people of Israel to be faithful to their covenantal relationship with God • In particular the prophets remind the people of their obligation to care for the anawim who are the poor and defenceless members of society • In his own preaching, Jesus' association with the Hebrew prophetic tradition is clear in his emphatic identification of himself as the fulfilment of the promise of salvation • The major aspects of the Christian belief regarding salvation are as follows: Firstly God is the one who saves, secondly God's saving action is liberating and has a particular concern for those who are the most vulnerable in society. Thirdly that Jesus in his life and ministry embodies the saving action of God. Finally that Christians are called to accept the gift of God's saving action through their faith in Jesus and their own actions on behalf of those in need • There is a considerable difference in the understanding of salvation among Christian groups. "Born again" Christians believe that salvation is solely dependant on an individual's personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in a moment of personal conversion • On the other hand, other Christians believe that the key indicator to salvation is not personal faith but works of merit, especially in the way a person has treated the most vulnerable people in society • In between these views lies the understanding that the requirement is a sincere faith which is enlivened with good works.
Summary Points: Sacred Texts
Students learn about:
The Bible
Students learn to:
Identify the importance of the Bible in Christianity • The books in the Bible are divided into two main collections, the Old Testament also known as the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament • The Bible is considered to be the word of God as it is inspired by God and thus provides deep spiritual insights for Christians into their religion • The exact nature of the inspiration is a topic of contention. • Fundamentalist Christians interpret Biblical inspiration in a literal sense, in that the inspiration of scripture amounts to God dictating a word for word account which was then recorded and passed on into the Christian communities • Catholic and Orthodox denominations, together with High Church Anglicans and some Protestant denominations believe that the Holy Spirit inspired human beings who came to an enlightened understanding of God and recorded these reflections as a way of passing their faith onto the community. Therefore, the Bible contains all that is necessary for human salvation however the Bible should not be understood in literal terms • The Bible is important because it contains salvation history, the account of the history of creation that shows the action of God in human history culminating in the life and ministry of Jesus. • The Bible is normative for Christianity, highlighting key beliefs and determining the practical application of legal, ethical and ritual dimensions • The Bible is seen to provide guidelines for ritual, prayer and worship • The Bible provides the model for life action particularly in relation to ethical guidance • The Bible underpins theological studies • The application of the Bible differs across the spectrum of Christian denominations • Catholic and Orthodox denominations believe that tradition illuminates the meaning of scripture, in that the revelation of God comes through scripture in the light of tradition • Protestant groups follow the teachings of Luther, who taught that the only source Christians should turn to for inspiration is the Bible. • The belief in "bible alone" is known as sola scriptura • The belief in sola scriptura is particularly strong amongst evangelical Protestants • High Church Anglicans believe that tradition and scripture go hand in hand
Students learn about:
The Bible
Students learn to:
Examine extracts from the Bible which demonstrate the principal beliefs of Christianity • The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ o Matthew 16:13-20 - Jesus is the Son of God and therefore Jesus is fully divine o John 1:1-14 - Jesus is fully human as well as being co-eternal with the Father, in that he existed alongside God throughout all of eternity o Hebrews 4:14-16 - Jesus is fully human and is thus able to understand the exact nature of the human condition. Yet, he is also fully divine and thus able to intercede for human kind. In other words, he has both the power to save and the compassion to empathise with human need • The nature of God and the Trinity o Luke 3:21-22 - Luke's description is testimony to the three persons of the trinity in relationship at the time of the baptism of Jesus o John 16:5-16 - This segment of Jesus' prayer focuses on the interrelationship between the three persons in the Trinity, especially the subsequent coming of the Spirit following Jesus' departure o John 5:1-12 - This passage speaks of the interrelationship between the three persons of the Trinity.
Firstly, there is a close relationship between the believer through the Holy Spirit that flows from the Father and the Son and secondly the Holy Spirit gives testimony to the truth of Jesus • Revelation o John 20:30-31 - The Scripture is recognised as a key vehicle of revelation, in reflecting the faith of the early Church community and inviting the audience to embrace the same faith o 2 Timothy 3:15-16 - The scriptures are a source of wisdom and lead us to have faith in Jesus who brings us the gift of salvation. Scripture is inspired by God o 2 Peter 1:20-21 - The Holy Spirit inspires people to write the Scriptures with the intent of encouraging faith and not necessarily to provide historical and scientific evidence of God • Salvation o Matthew 25:26-31 - Eternal salvation is integrally connected to the treatment of others especially those who have the greatest
need o John 3:16-17 - This verse highlights the fundamental Christian belief that salvation comes through Jesus o Rom 5:1-11 - Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, whose death reflects God's saving action and hence God's love of humankind .
Summary Points: Core Ethical Teachings
Students learn about:
• The Ten Commandments • New Testament ethics • The Beatitudes • Jesus' commandment of love
Students learn to:
Outline the principal ethical teachings in: • The Ten Commandments • The Beatitudes • Jesus’ commandment of love
Describe the importance of ethical teachings in the life of adherents. • The Ten Commandments o The Ten Commandments (Decalogue) contained in the Old Testament is a critical source of ethical guidance for Christians o The Ten Commandments are a succinct summary of Christian ethics, and emphasise the importance of human life and the need to respect family and personal integrity o Christians frequently use the Ten Commandments as a framework for the key principles of Christian ethics. • The Beatitudes o The fundamental source of ethical guidance for Christians is the New Testament, which contains some of Jesus’ most significant ethical statements. o The Beatitudes which describes a life directed towards holiness is regarded as a foundational passage for Christian ethics. o The Beatitudes provide a model for the Christian life because it warns against an approach which values only material strength and power, by pointing to an inversion of values whereby things that are often regarded as having no value according to the dominant culture are celebrated in the reign of God. • Jesus' commandment of love o Jesus’ commandment of love can be distilled into the primary covenantal notions of love of God and love of neighbour. o In the ministry of Jesus, the commandment to love your neighbour is taken to a new level because Christians are required not only to love their neighbour but also to love their enemies. o John’s Gospel conveys this requirement to love in terms of a new commandment as love is identified as the defining characteristic of the Christian life. o Love is seen as the fulfilment of the law because love is the essential quality that gives meaning to all other virtues. o The Golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto do, is said to sum up Christian ethics. o There are no identifiable differences between the various Christian denominations in how they understand Jesus’ commandment of love. o In terms of applying these principles, differences do arise between the different Christian denominations in relation to the emphasis that should be placed on Church authority however these differences are not overly significant. • The importance of ethical teachings in the life of adherents. o Christians are expected to place considerable value on the ethical teachings of the tradition in determining their response to a wide range of issues o General ethical guidance is provided by the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule o The life and ministry of Jesus provides a model for life action of Christians. This is reflected in the Christian ethos of caring for the needy and the vulnerable o Specific guidance is also provided in relation to contemporary ethical issues such as sexual morality, bioethics, international economics, ecological concerns and the use of force in international conflicts o Generally speaking, Christian ethical teaching in areas such as sexual morality and bioethics have been in line with conservative forces in society o Ethical teaching on issues of economic, ecological and military significance are more in line with progressive elements in society o This diversity makes it difficult to gauge the effect of Christian ethical teaching in an overall sense
Summary Points: Personal Devotion
Students learn about:
Prayer
Students learn to:
Describe the different types of personal prayer • Prayer plays a significant role in the tradition, as all Christians are called to be people of prayer following the example of Jesus • Traditional and formal prayers encompass a wide variety of occasions and are often adapted from biblical texts • Lord's Prayer (Our Father) - this prayer is taken from the occasion in the Gospel where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray • The Lord's Prayer is used throughout all Christian denominations and is commonly included in liturgy as well as personal prayer • The Rosary is a prayer that draws heavily on biblical texts and is commonly prayed communally or as a form of personal prayer by the Catholic community • The Rosary is organised into 5 decades each containing 10 recitations of the prayer known as the "Hail Mary" • The intention of the Rosary is that a person can meditate on the events of the life of Jesus from the perspective of Mary, the mother of Jesus • Divine Office (Prayer of the Church) is a traditional prayer that developed from the monastic rule of Benedict of Nursia and commonly used in Catholic and Orthodox religious communities • The Divine Office is also widely used as a personal prayer • The Divine Office which relies heavily upon the prayers in Psalms, is organised daily into a number of times of prayer to mark the day from early in the morning until late at night • Christians across a range of denominations use a variety of informal and spontaneous forms of prayer for different occasions and times • Morning and evening prayer is commonly used across the spectrum of Christian denominations, with morning prayer typically being a dedication to God and evening prayer often being a prayer of thanksgiving for God's providence during the day • Grace before and/or after meals is a widely practised custom of expressing gratitude to God for the provisions of the necessities of life • Christian denominations urge their members to find time during the pressures of normal daily routines to spend a period of time in prayer. This is often referred to as Quiet time • The time for prayer and the form of prayer used during quiet times will vary greatly, however, common elements may include prayer of praise and thanksgiving, bible reading, quiet reflection and prayers of petition • Prayers of intercession and prayers of petition are prayers where a person requests their needs and the needs of others • Prayers of intercession and petition encompass many forms of prayer ranging from formal prayers such as the Lord's prayer to informal and spontaneous prayers • In the Orthodox and Catholic communities the belief in the Communion of Saints means that in some cases Christians will offer their prayers to a particular saint, who is believed to intervene on behalf of the person on earth • Prayers of reflection and meditation involve finding a time and place free from distraction and centering one's thoughts on God • The main purpose of prayers of reflection and mediation is to create an inner stillness which allows a person to deeply contemplate the nature of God and the meaning of events and circumstances in life to more clearly see these events in the light of God's love • There is a strong emphasis across the spectrum of Christian denominations but particularly amongst the Protestant denominations on the reflective reading of the bible as a form of prayer • Praise and thanksgiving which allows an individual to acknowledge the greatness of the person of God, finds expression in many forms such as praying the Psalms • In recent times the growth in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, where praise is an integral element of prayer has brought a renewed emphasis to the place of praise in Christian prayer • Throughout Christian history various notable individuals have developed approaches to prayer which have been adopted by a significant number of Christians. These are known as schools of prayer and spirituality • Ignatian spirituality, which is based on the inspiration of Spanish priest Ignatius of Loyola, offers a 30 day programme of meditations, prayers, considerations and contemplative practices that it is commonly used by individuals in a retreat environment. • Teresian spirituality traces its origins to the spiritual experiences of Teresa of Avila as documented in her most well known work "Way of Perfection" • Taize prayer is a simple, meditative prayer that emerged from the French Taize community led by Br Roger Schutz • It involves a process of contemplation based on the chanting recitation of simple mantras • Taize prayer which is steeped in the notions of hope and renewal in response to the post World War II disillusionment adopts a strong emphasis on justice, peace and ecology • Creation Spirituality is generally thought of as a modern movement that celebrates the spiritual dimension of creation as the expression of God's love and thus seeks to highlight the goodness of creation as a gift of God • Creation spirituality as seen in the works of Thomas Berry grew out of modern ecological concerns