Grade 10 Religion HRE201
Chapter 2: Jesus of History / Christ of Faith
Terms
1. Evangelion (Evangelist)
2. Literalist
3. Contextualist
4. Patriarch
5. Gentile
6. Christ
7. Disciple
8. Apostle
9. A.D.
10. C.E.
11. B.C.
12. B.C.E.
13. Oral Tradition
14. Tradition
15. Synoptic
16. Yahweh:
17. Testimonies of Faith
18. Gospel:
19. Religious Truth
20. Tradition
21. Messiah
1. What role does interpretation have in understanding the Bible? Page 26
2. When studying the Gospels, what helped shape the perspective described by the Gospel
writers? Page 26 - 27
3. What were some of the writing styles and devices used at the time of the Gospel writers?
Page 27
4. Are the Gospels “biographies of Jesus?” Explain page 27
5. What is the purpose of the Gospels? Page 27
6. What is required to understand the Gospels? Page 28
7. What is the difference between historical truth and religious truth? Explain. Page 28
8. Taking all of the differences inherent in the biblical writings, how can one still believe
that what is written in the Bible about Jesus (a source of information) is true? Page 28
9. What role does the Holy Spirit have in guiding the Church today? Page 29
10. Whose responsibility is it to figure out religious truth? Page 30
11. Identify the three major stages in the Gospels’ development. Explain each in great
detail. Pages 30 – 38. (Something to know for a test for sure!)
12. What two major factors explain the transition from an initial oral telling of the Good
News to the written form of the Gospels? Page 38
13. Do the Gospels provide a completely accurate account and understanding of Jesus?
Explain. Page 39
Terms
1. Evangelion (Evangelist): a Greek word that means “the proclamation or announcement
of good news.” Based on the word Evangelion, we get Evangelists which refers to the
authors of the Gospels who are proclaimers of the Good News.
2. Literalist: interpreting something word for word.
3. Contextualist: looking beyond the words to the deeper meaning in a text understanding
the political, cultural, social, linguistic particularities of the writing. Catholics are
contextualists in their understanding and interpretation of the Bible
4. Patriarch: The key historical men who, with the matriarchs, founded the religion known
as Judaism. The word literally means “father and leader of a family or a people.” It is
often used to refer to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel).
5. Gentile: Any person who is not of the Jewish faith.
6. Christ: an early title early Christians used for Jesus to demonstrate their belief that he
was the Messiah, the One sent by God, who would save them from all oppression. The
Greek word “Christos” means “the anointed one.”
7. Disciple: any follower of Jesus’ teaching. It is derived from the Latin word meaning
“pupil” or “follower.”
8. Apostle: One of the twelve men chosen by Jesus to be his closest followers who would
eventually play a central role during his ministry and beyond. The title is also given to
St. Paul who never met Jesus during his earthly life.
9. A.D.: Anno Domini – in the year of our Lord
10. C.E.: Common Era
11. B.C.: Before Christ
12. B.C.E.: Before Common Era
13. Oral Tradition: the information about Jesus shared primarily through word of mouth
among Christians.
14. Tradition – the official teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. Along with the
Scriptures, Tradition serves as an authoritative guide to truth.
15. Synoptic – “To see together,” it refers to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
16. Yahweh: I am that I am – Name of God revealed to Moses
17. Testimonies of Faith: writings intended to proclaim a message of faith in Jesus. These
testimonies of faith serve as an attempt by the early Christians to share their experience
of Jesus with the world.
18. Gospel: “godspell” which means “good news” or “glad tidings.”
19. Religious Truth – the deeper meaning God intends to reveal to people through historical
events
20. Tradition – the official teachings and practices of the Catholic Church – along with
scripture, it is a companion, authoritative guide to truth. Based on Tradition, Catholics
accept as part of God’s revelation, some things implied, but not mentioned explicitly, in
the scriptures. Eg. 7 Sacraments
21. Messiah: the anointed one, the Christ or Son of God. The one believed by the Jews, God
would send to liberate them. Foretold through the prophets.
1. What role does interpretation have in understanding the Bible? Page 26
2. When studying the Gospels, what helped shape the perspective described by the Gospel
writers? Page 26 - 27
3. What were some of the writing styles and devices used at the time of the Gospel writers?
Page 27
4. Are the Gospels “biographies of Jesus?” Explain page 27
5. What is the purpose of the Gospels? Page 27
6. What is required to understand the Gospels? Page 28
7. What is the difference between historical truth and religious truth? Explain. Page 28
8. Taking all of the differences inherent in the biblical writings, how can one still believe
that what is written in the Bible about Jesus (a source of information) is true? Page 28
9. What role does the Holy Spirit have in guiding the Church today? Page 29
10. Whose responsibility is it to figure out religious truth? Page 30
11. Identify the three major stages in the Gospels’ development. Explain each in great
detail. Pages 30 – 38. (Something to know for the exam for sure!)
12. What two major factors explain the transition from an initial oral telling of the Good
News to the written form of the Gospels? Page 38
13. Do the Gospels provide a completely accurate account and understanding of Jesus?
Explain. Page 39
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Author: Matthew - Levi (tax collector) and eye witness – Apostle of Jesus or one
of Matthew’s followers
When: Written between 70 – 90 CE
To Whom: Written for a Jewish audience (Palestine)
Portrait of Jesus: Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One that was promised by
God through the prophets. He is the new Moses
It is often called the “Church’s Gospel”
Author: a John Mark – disciple of St. Peter
When: Written between 60 – 70 CE
To Whom: Written for a Gentile audience in Rome
Portrait of Jesus: A heavy sense of suffering dominates Mark’s Gospel. Jesus’
passion seems to be a major focal point. At the time of Mark’s Gospel, Christians
were being persecuted under the Emperor Nero. His Gospel is also meant to
inspire those who were suffering at this time to keep their faith. It is the shortest
gospel and was the first written
Author: Luke – a Greek Physician
When: Written between 70 – 90 CE
To Whom: A Gentile audience (non-Jewish) – a companion of St. Paul who
traveled throughout the gentile world.
Portrait of Jesus: Jesus is a merciful and compassionate Saviour. Luke’s Gospel
emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life. It also stresses that
Jesus’ message is a message for all people, Jews and Gentiles
Author: John (Apostle) or one of John’s disciples
When: Written between 90 – 100 CE most likely in Ephesus which after the
destruction of Jerusalem became the center of Christian life. It was the last Gospel
written
To Whom: an already Christian community
Portrait of Jesus: Written to show that Jesus was the Son of God. Like Mark’s
Gospel which focuses on Jesus’ humanity, John’s Gospel focuses on his divinity.
Contains five great discourses of Jesus.
MARK
Q
SOURCE
JOHN
MATTHEW
LUKE
MARK, MATTHEW AND LUKE ARE THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS – “TO SEE
TOGETHER”
There are 3 stages that outline the “Growth Process” of the Bible. List them in order and briefly
explain each. (9 points)
Stage
Description
Jesus’ life, his teachings and parables, his death and his
JESUS’ MINISTRY
resurrection.
ORAL TRADITION
WRITTEN
TRADITION
The Apostles and disciples did not write down the events right
away choosing instead to spread Jesus’ message through word of
mouth (oral tradition). There are reasons why they did not
immediately write it down. First, they thought that Jesus would
return in their lifetime. Jesus promised that he would return again
to “judge the living and the dead” (PAROUSIA) and they thought
that it would happen in their lifetime. Secondly, Jesus instructed
them to spread the Good News throughout the world baptizing
people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As a
result, they went around preaching about Jesus and his impact on
the world rather than writing down the events of his life.
Things began to change:
1. The followers of Jesus realized that Parousia – his second
coming, might not happen in their lifetime. As a result, they
wanted to record the events of Jesus’ life for future
generations.
2. Christian communities had a need for continuous
instruction. They wanted the stories of Jesus’ life and
ministry recorded to help with the ongoing development of
the new emerging Christian communities.
3. Under Emperor Nero, Christians were being persecuted and
killed. It was important to record the events so that they
would not be lost as the original Apostles and disciples were
dying.