Sarah Kelchner–Basic Contextual Notes
Paul, one of the apostles, wrote many letters/epistles to citizens in different towns such as Philippi, Thessalonica, and Colossa. These are the earliest New Testament writings. There are also “catholic” (universal) letters.
The first Christians met in houses because they had no established meeting places and Christianity was a persecuted religion. They often put Christian symbols (such as the “Christian fish” on their door frames to signify a safe place for Christians to gather. Christians were seen as threats to society: for example, the ritual of taking Communion/the Eucharist/the Lord’s Supper made the non-Christians perceive Christians as cannibals since they claimed to be eating the body and blood of Christ.
Early Christians often met for an “agape meal” that signified fellowship and brotherhood between believers.
Intro to the Gospels:
Matthew-Most “Jewish” of the Gospels because he wrote to the Jewish community and sought to portray Jesus as the “New Moses.” Matthew emphasized how Christianity represented an addition to the Mosaic Laws.
Luke: Wrote to Gentiles. Portrayed Jesus as the universal Savior.
Mark: Storytelling Gospel
John: More philosophical, potrays Jesus as the divine son of God–“logos
There are different ways to “know” God, which is seen through the Trinity.
During Jesus’ lifetime, Galilee was ruled by Antipas (Jewish governor appointed by the Romans).
Due to Constantine’s Edict of Milan, Christian writings spread throughout the Roman empire and Christianity became much more widespread. This led to the need for the Council of Nicea, because many different heresies arose from different interpretations of Christian doctrines. Heresies such as Arianism and Nestorianism were knocked down. The Nicene Creed was formed and has two important effects:
1) proclamation of faith
2) both gathers and excludes: brings together believers in fellowship while excluding those who do not believe what the creed states.
The “Pax Romana” is the term for Jewish protest against Roman rule.
Kat Close 6th September, 2017
Christianity is the largest, most widespread religion; thus, it is difficult to state a single belief in which all Christians belief. However, the unifying belief of Christians is in Jesus of Nazareth (sometimes referred to as Yeshua) as the Christ. Jesus is the incarnation of God–“God made flesh.”
Christianity began as a form of Judaism; it uses much of the Jewish beliefs as a foundation upon which it build. Some of the original Jewish beliefs are changed, but nevertheless accepted. During the time of Jesus, the Jews were awaiting their Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Hebrew Testament.
Due to its roots in Judaism, early Christianity used the Hebrew Bible as its scripture. Over time, the Hebrew Bible became known as the Hebrew Testament, which then became referred to as the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible composes the Old Testament along with 27 books in the New Testament. The Christian Canon refers to all of accepted/authoritative Christian Scripture, while the Deutero Canon (second Canon) includes extensions such as the Apocrypha, and is only accepted by Catholics.
The New Testament was formed around the 4th century and is composed of four different types of books: the Gospels, the Acts (sometimes referred to as Luke II), the Epistles (letters, such as the Pauline letters), and the Book of Revelation (a symbolic eschatological writing about the end of all time). The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are where the majority of information on Jesus is found. Meaning “good news,” they are mostly narratives of Jesus’ life with some discussion about salvation.
Gospel means “good news.” The first three Gospels are known as the Synoptic Gospels (“seen the same”), as they are viewed as similar and share many of the same stories and ideas. They are considered to be faith biographies, as they discussed Jesus’ historical life in a theological way (with reference to their beliefs and religions). They each recount narratives of Jesus, covering around 50 days of his life and focusing on his birth, baptism, ministry, miracles, and passion. Each of the three Synoptic Gospels tell their stories in different ways. The Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish as it was directed toward a Jewish audience awaiting the Messiah. It’s goal was to show the Jews that they did not have to abandon their religion to become Christian but, rather, they just needed to add Jesus onto their beliefs. In this book, Jesus is depicted as the ‘new Moses.” The Gospel of Mark is known as the storytelling Gospel, and sticks avidly to the narration of Jesus’ life. The Gospel of Luke is directed toward the Gentiles; it wanted to let the Gentiles know that they did not have to be Jewish to convert to Christianity, because Jesus is a universal Savior. Luke, the author of this Gospel, was a Greek physician based in Alexandra, Greece.
The Gospel of John is unique from the others in that it is more philosophical as it is a narrative. This is the first book in which Jesus is discussed as God.
Other books not in the Bible also discuss Jesus’s existence. Herodutus (a Jewish scholar) and Pliny (a Roman scholar) both wrote about Jesus, so we are able to safely assume that he existed.
Jesus’ life began with the Annunciation, when the messenger angle Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that, through the Holy Spirit, she would give birth to Jesus. Her conception despite being a virgin is considered to be Jesus’ first miracle. She was told to name her baby Jesus, which translates to “God saves.”
The most sacred times in Christianity fall around the birth and death of Jesus (as they are such important events): Advent through Christmas and Lent through Easter. Around these two time periods, the holy days of Pentecost and The Epiphany also occur.
*Note: The actual date of Jesus’ birth is unknown; the time of Christmas was chosen to incorporate both a Jewish and Pagan celebration into the religion to make converting easier.*
Adult Life:
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist when he was around 30 years old. John the Baptist was a prophet who performed the first baptisms to clean believers from sins. (Now, Baptism has become the process of entering into a relationship with Jesus and the Church as well as a method of washing away sins. Additionally, baptism has become a topic of dissent among different denominations. For example, Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe baptism should happen as a baby, while Baptists and Lutherans insist that baptism should occur when an individual is old enough to make the decision for him/herself). Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River (a river which carries importance in several other Biblical stories) in what became one of the key events supporting the belief in the Trinity. Jesus (the Son) was being baptized in the river while the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and God, the Father, said in a powerful voice, ‘this is my son with whom I am well pleased.’
Jesus’ ministry involved the inversion of the traditional values of his society. At that time, society valued purity and patriarchy, and so rejected the crippled and the ill and subordinated women. However, Jesus accepted all of the outcasts as his own, touching the lepers and welcoming women as his disciples. His association with the ill and crippled was especially frowned upon, because they were considered to be punished by God. However, when Jesus healed these individuals, he forgave them of their sins.
Jesus got his power from selfless service (contrary to where most powerful individuals of that time received their power from). He is known for his acts of selflessness, such as washing the feet of his disciples, helping the outcasts, and dying for the forgiveness of others’ sins.
Jesus also created a radical new ethical code. He rejected the common method of revenge and retribution and, instead, promoted love and forgiveness. Instead of ‘an eye for an eye,’ he taught to ‘turn the other cheek.’ He taught his followers to suffer blows rather than returning them.
Jesus performed many miracles during his ministry. Most involved either exerting power over nature (examples: calming the storm, walking on water) or helping others. The miracles including the latter are separated from the others because they show his message of love and forgiveness. Jesus used these miracles to heal the sick, raise the dead, and remove demons.
Jesus was viewed as dangerous during his lifetime. Rome was concerned about a revolt or rebellion, and considered Jesus a figure around which people may rally. The Sanhedrin (the Jewish teaching authority) did not want people to disagree and start conflict with the Romans. What scared nonbelievers most was his title as King of the Jews. While followers knew it was about faith, the Romans and Jews took it as a political statement. When he was arrested, Jesus was charged with starting a rebellion amongst other crimes.
Jesus’ Passion did not begin until he entered Jerusalem on a donkey on the day that eventually became known as Palm Sunday. Jerusalem was particularly dangerous for Jesus to go to because it was both a major center for Judaism and Rome.
Jesus seemed to know what was ahead for him, evident in his talk with God in the garden. During this time of fear, he stats “Abba, if it be your will, let this cup pass before me.” Not only does this remind us of Jesus’ humanity (and the fear he must have experienced knowing his fate), but the use of the word Abba to refer to God also displays Jesus’ connection to God as a son. The word Abba does not translate to ‘father’ as God is commonly known as, but to ‘daddy’ – a very familiar word which conveys a childlike dependence.
Jesus also knows he will be betrayed by Judus. The Jews paid Judus thirty pieces of silver to lead them to Jesus’ location, an amount of money which eventually became symbolic for betrayal.
Jesus’ final meal on the night before he was arrested is known as the Last Supper, and is believed to have been a Passover/Seder meal as Jesus and his disciples were still devoted Jews at this point. Jesus’ new definition of the Last Supper, which would eventually lead to the Eucharist, aligns itself with Matthew’s comparison of Jesus to Moses in his Gospel. The Last Supper was the first and only known time all 12 Apostles were all together – the number 12 actually comes from those present at this meal.
After Jesus is arrested, he first faces trial from the Jewish authority. As this is a religious body, he can only be charged with and punished for religious crimes; thus, he is charged with blasphemy. Blasphemy is the act of saying something that is offensive to God and a religion. The two statements for which the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of being blasphemous were his title as the “Son of God” and as the “King of Jews.” When asked about the first title, he said that they themselves had given him that name. When asked about the latter, he told them to give unto Caesar his dues,and unto God His to indicate how this was not a political statement.
Nonetheless, he was turned over to the Roman authority based on the charge of treason; the Jewish authorities gave the argument that his blasphemous beliefs were gathering support for a revolt – an event which the Romans feared. After his trial, Jesus was beaten and brought to Golgotha to be crucified. (The date of his crucifixion became commmorated by Good Friday, while his Passion is acted out through the month of Lent).
The crucifixion of Jesus provided one of the most symbolic images of the Christian religion – the cross. Not only is the cross a reminder of his suffering (due to its being an instrument of death), but it is also a symbol of his sacrifice and the ultimate resurrection.
After his death, Jesus’ body was treated and placed in a tomb. This was unusual for the time, as convicts on the cross were usually left to rot as a reminder to other potential criminals. However, as this was during the time of Passover, it was considered sacreligious to leave the body up. Jesus was placed into a tomb but, instead of the tomb being left accessible to Jesus’ family and friends as per the custom of Jewish mourning, a large stone was put in front of his tomb. The Romans put it there because enough people in the city believed in Jesus.
After some time, Mary and Mary of magdalene went to go and treat the body to find Jesus gone. They told the Apostles that they were met with angels during their visit. This day of the Resurrection became known as Easter.
Jesus appeared several times to the Apostles after his Resurrection. Some occasions which Jesus did encounter them are on the road to Emmaus and during the Doubting Thomas scene.
There is still discussion concerning the religious significance of Jesus. To most Christians, Jesus is a savior and his death ushered in the Kingdom of God on Earth. Many also believe that he will come again, ushering in the Final Judgement. This is where the phrase “the Kingdom of God is here and now and to come” originates. It is commonly accepted that Jesus opened the gates to Heaven for the righteous through his death, as before him the concept of Heaven was nearly nonexistent. People could also not achieve the full union with God without the presence and belief in the Son. This belief is an etiology, an after the fact explanation.
IB Religious Exploration 