Jesus Christ &
Christianity
Humanities: a class for all the cool kids.
What are the Gospels?
The four major sources of information about Jesus.
Written by four different writers
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
“Gospel” derives from an Anglo-Saxon word
Meaning: “Good News”
Who wrote the four
Gospels?
Matthew: Tax Collector
Symbol: human face or figure,
often as an angel
Focus: Jesus is the Messiah
with God’s authority, who fulfills
prophecies, Jesus inaugurates
the kingdom of God
Mark: Interpreter of
Peter
Symbol: Lion, often with wings
Focus: the good news
Jesus Christ, the authority
Jesus in healing and
teaching that comes from
God, suffering and
discipleship
Jesus’ miracles
Said to be the first of the gospels
is
of
Luke: Beloved Physician
Symbol: Winged Oxen
Jesus compassionate, cares
for poor & oppressed, activity
of Holy Spirit, good news is for
those not highly regarded
tax collectors, samaritans,
gentiles, and women)
John: Beloved Disciple
Symbol: Eagle
John was a friend of Jesus’ and “...was
eyewitness to all these things and wrote them
John 20:31)
Focus: the good news is Jesus Christ,
the authority of Jesus in healing and
teaching that comes from God, suffering and
discipleship
Non-Synoptic gospel
Difference between John the Disciple
and John the Baptist
Jesus’ Cousin; Baptized Jesus
down” (
What is Synoptic?
The three Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, and Luke can be looked
as synopsis because they
share much of the same
material.
Jesus and his enemies
Jesus’ identification with the poor and powerless
antagonized Jesus’ enemies
Jesus’ enemies were the leaders of his own
religion and governing authorities of Romans
What is the meaning of “Christ” or “Messiah”?
Anointed one
Christ=Greek translation
of Hebrew Messiah
A brief look at The Passion
Events in the last week
of Jesus’ life
dddd
Christ is Crucified
Jesus has last supper
MICHELANGELO
Resurrection
Belief in Jesus’ Resurrection is the foundation (centerpiece) of the Christian
faith, the reason why, among the many interpretations of what Jewish faith
and practice might be, Christianity became a new and different religion.
The belief that Jesus died on the cross and yet was alive after his
death is the reason why the New Testament books were written and
why Christianity exists
Jesus=Christ
Mark: No post resurrection stories
Saul of Tarsus: Paul
Became the most important figure in the
development and spread of the Christian Church
after the death of Jesus
Insisted Christians did not
have to adhere to the Jewish
custom of male circumcision
Paul
Originally a persecutor of the
Christian people
Known to arrest those
practicing Christianity
Was said to have a dream
in which God spoke to him,
encouraging Christianity
He changed his faith to Christianity and became a missionary,
spreading the word of Jesus as our savior, Jesus being the Son
of God
Had sermons in public places
How did Christianity
Spread?
Peace in the Roman Empire
Easy Travel
Safe roads
Common Language
Converters were not being persecuted to a fearful
extent
Emperor Constantine
Issued in Milan a decree of
toleration for Christianity
312 CE
Legalized Christianity
313 CE
Pietas
A virtue that meant a combination of duty and
devotion to others
Early Christians failure to express pietas to the
Gods lead to their early persecution
One of the chief virtues among ancient
Romans
Apologists
A person who offers an argument in defense of
something controversial
Christian writers of the 2nd C. wrote about the
moral code of Christianity, their beliefs and reasons
they could not worship Roman deities
Frescos
Wall painting on wet plaster
Symbols
Three early symbols of Christianity
Anchor=Hope
Dove with an olive branch=Peace
Fish=Christ (#15)
Remember Jonah and the
fish?
What’s with the Fish?
The Fish is the “Stenographic
way of confessing faith”
considered an anagram
for the phrase “Jesus
Christ, Son of God and
Savior”
Symbol of Christ in the
role of netting followers
Chi-Rho Monogram
Chi-X, Rho-P
+
=
Symbol of Jesus drawn from the New
Testament, book of Revelation
St. Peter’s Basilica
Basic Shape: Cross
Name of the central portion, between the side
aisles: Nave
Name of the area intersecting the nave at right
angles: Transept
St. Peter’s Basilica
Designed principally by Donato
Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo
Maderno and Gian Lorenzo
Bernini, St. Peter's is the most
renowned work of Renaissance
architecture and remains one of
the largest churches in the world.
Burial site of St. Peter, one of the
12 apostles of Jesus Christ
Became the first Pope
Located in the Vatican City in
Rome where St. Peter was buried
Christian Sites
Important Christian sites that are located at the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Calvary: where Jesus was Crucified
Rock: where Jesus’ body was placed
What did they believe?
Sadducees: make the best of a bad situation, accommodate
themselves to Hellenistic culture and Roman rule
Essenes: world is too corrupt, withdrew into communes, devoted to
piety
Pharisees: remained in society, sought to revitalize Judaism by
adhering to Mosaic Law, holiness code
Jesus stood closest to this group
Although Jesus followed closest to the Pharisees, while they
stressed Yahweh’s holiness, Jesus stressed Yahweh’s
compassion
Three Major Divisions
Christianity is divided into three major divisions.
Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodoxy
Protestantism
Roman Catholicism
The Roman Catholic Church portrays itself as the one legitimate heir to New
Testament Christianity, and the pope as the successor to Peter, the first
bishop of Rome. While those details are debatable, there is no question that
Roman church history reaches back to ancient times.
Largest Christian Church
More than 1 billion member worldwide
•
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Roman-Catholicism.html#ixzz3PDDVJBKO
Eastern Orthodoxy
Identifies its roots in the early Church, particularly as it developed within the
Greek-speaking eastern branch of the Roman Empire. The Eastern
Orthodox Church accepts the first seven Ecumenical Councils (which were
held between 325 and 787 C.E.), and regards itself as the True Church. The
Eastern Orthodox Church is organized with an episcopal structure including
the Four Patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem
Second largest Christian Church
Origin: Eastern Germany
No Pope
Protestantism
Protestantism is a form of Christian faith and practice
which originated with the Protestant Reformation, a
movement against what its followers considered to be
errors in the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the
major divisions of Christendom, together with Roman
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Origin in Germany
■ Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ3AFZXXX-k
Martin Luther
Disagreed with the Catholic
Church
Posted 95 Theses on church
door to protest offenses of the
Church
Translated the Bible into the language of the people
because he believed all people should read it
Began Protestantism in 1517
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ3AFZXXX-k
Martin Luther
Believed
Each Christian should be in charge of his/her own
relationship with God
Each Christian should read, discuss, and interpret the Bible
Treat every profession as a calling--not just the clergy
The Last Supper
The Eucharist
Consubstantiation
vs.
Transubstantiation
Consubstantiation
Transubstantiation