Grade 10 Religion
Jesus of History / Christ of Faith
Sacraments and Sacramentality
Syllabus
Jesus of History/Christ of Faith
Ch. 1 Who is Jesus?
Ch. 2 The Gospels
Ch. 3 The World of Jesus
Ch. 6 The Kingdom of God
Ch. 7 The Parables
Ch. 10 The Resurrection
Celebrating Sacraments
Ch. 1 Sacraments
Ch. 2 Symbols
Ch. 3 Rituals
Ch. 4 Prayer
Ch. 9 The Eucharist
Ch. 10 Anointing of the Sick
 How do you know that Jesus existed as a person?
 What evidence is there to suggest that Jesus is God?
 How can Christians encounter Jesus today?
 What are the essential elements of sacramentality?
 What are the seven sacraments and how they are
rooted in Jesus’ life and teachings?
 How is Jesus the fullest, most complete sacrament
of God to the world?
Who Is Your God?
Below are a number of possible definitions of God. Place a check mark in front of any
of the definitions with which you can agree. God is...
The only person who loves me for myself.
The computer that programmed the universe.
A puppeteer who manipulates people like toys.
An energy hinted at when a baby is born or when we fall in love.
An unseen “world soul” we are all part of.
A creator who believes all of creation is very good.
A force that became inert (inactive) sometime between creation and today.
A father who loves his children selflessly.
Someone who forgives the mistakes he lets us make.
A being so beyond me that words fail to describe him.
Someone who loves us enough to die for us.
An eccentric being who created the world and forgot it.
A being who gave me life
A lawgiver whose commands urge me to do right rather than wrong.
The future, the end of all human striving.
Who Is Your God?
Below are a number of possible definitions of God. Place a check mark in front of any
of the definitions with which you can agree. God is...
A being the human race will evolve to.
A ruler whose power is freedom and love rather than force.
A lover who invites me to the heavenly marriage feast.
An idea created by past generations to explain the world.
The peace that will reign when all persons are brothers and sisters.
The perfect one who says I am guilty and sinful and makes me feel guilty.
The one who cares that I become myself.
A clown who created laughter when he created all persons free.
 Using your top three choices, devise a personal definition of who God is?
 Read Matthew 16: 13-20. In this passage Jesus asks his apostles the question
“Who do you say that I am?”
Matthew 16: 13 - 20
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea
Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people
say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some
say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to
them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon
Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son
of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my
heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail
against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom
of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly
ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was
the Messiah.
Who was Jesus?
Definitions – Chapter 1
Define the following terms:
1. Biblical Scholars
2. Theologians
3. Christian Scriptures
4. Testament
5. Covenant
6. Inspired text
7. Faith sources
8. Historical Sources
9. Christianity
10.Canon
11.Epistle
12.Catholic
13. Gospel
Definitions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Biblical Scholars: those who concentrate on studying the Bible
Theologians: those who study the history, beliefs, and teachings of the church
Christian Scriptures: a whole collection of sacred writings that include the Old
Testament and the New Testament.
Testament: a covenant between humans and God
Covenant: a solemn promise made between people. The Old Testament is about
the covenant or relationship between God and the people of Israel before the
birth of Jesus. It includes 46 different books written by different people over a
period of about a thousand years. The stories, prayers and prophecies contained
in those books are central to the Jewish faith, and have always been a vital part of
the Christian faith. N.B. To have a full, Christian understanding of Jesus, one
must include the Old Testament as a source. Christians believe everything God
promised the people of Israel was promised to Christians and that through Jesus,
God fulfilled or made good on those promises. Jesus represents a new covenant
with God’s people. The New Testament is about the new covenant. The New
Testament has 27 books that speak of the Christian faith. They were written
beginning roughly 20 years after the death of Jesus (from about 50 C.E. to about
100 C.E.). The one unifying theme in the New Testament is that they all deal with
the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus and the impact he had on the
community of those who believed in him – what is referred to as the Church –
the people of God.
Definitions
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Inspired texts: whose authors prompted by the Holy Spirit, convey God’s revealed
truth using their own abilities, words and styles. God therefore is the ultimate
author of the Scriptures, and therefore the truth found in them is reliable.
Faith Sources: the New and Old Testaments were written by believers prompted
by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of proclaiming the work of God that were
found in all aspects of life.
Historical Sources: non-biblical and non-Christian sources that help substantiate
that Jesus actually did exist as a historical person.
Christianity: the movement based on Jesus’ life and teachings.
Canon: derived from the Greek word kanon, it means measuring rod or reed. It
signifies the authoritative list or closed number of the writings composed under
divine inspiration and destined for the well-being of the Church – the people of
God. The whole Biblical Canon therefore consists of the canons of the Old and
New Testaments.
Epistle: a literary form – a letter
Catholic: universal – referring to the universal church
Gospel: godspell – meaning Good News. It is the word that comes out of the
mouth of God. Primarily refers to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
The Historical Jesus
 It begins with the Cross. Some believed
that Jesus spread a dangerous message
that challenged the established social
order (rules to live by, spreading the idea
that God loved sinners and outcasts,
calling people to love their neighbours
and enemies as themselves, saying that
the first shall be last and the last first,
and challenged the political and social
structure – Pharisees and Sadducees).
His death marked a necessary return to
the norm. He was a liability that needed
to be silenced.
The Historical Jesus
 Others associated Jesus’ death to the
end of a message of hope and salvation.
Jesus empowered people, convincing
them that their joys, suffering, trials,
ailments, etc. were known to God and
the Creator took compassion and would
show mercy towards them. His message
was one of love and hope. They had
faith in him and in his promises of
liberation. They were convinced that he
would lead them out of bondage back
to glory and victory. They were heart
broken and yet scared that they would
too experience a similar fate.
The Christ – the Anointed One
He gave a message about a good God
and a proclamation of unlimited,
unconditional love, or generosity, of a
world of peace, brotherhood and
sisterhood. It was a message of hope
amid despair, of joy beneath the tears
and hunger, of freedom from the
chains of oppression, of life in the face
of death. His message of love, joy and
peace threatened many people and the
status quo.
For Christians – followers of Christ –
he was no ordinary man. He was not
just another great religious leader or
prophet but the Messiah, the Son of
God and One with God.
The Historical Jesus
Many people claim that Jesus’
message ended that day outside of
Jerusalem.
They acknowledge that he was a
good man, even a great religious
leader (like Buddha or Moses or
Muhammad), but he was nothing
more. He had great wisdom and
parts of his message are worth
pondering, but he was not the
Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord
of the Universe.
Jesus of Nazareth was a genuine
historical figure, a Palestinian Jew
of two thousand years ago whose
life and message profoundly
influenced the people of his day.
Historical records verify his life
and execution because of the
message he proclaimed and the
effect it had on those who
followed him. Even those who
deny Jesus’ divinity do not deny
his existence. They may even
claim that his life and message are
worth studying, as are those of
other great religious leaders.
These people are referring to the
historical Jesus.
 Called teacher or rabbi
Christians do not believe that Jesus
in some mysterious way became
divine through his Resurrection
from the dead. They believe that
he was divine, that he was one with
God, from the very beginning of
time. They believe that in the
person of Jesus, God took on the
flesh of humanity and became one
with us in order to redeem us from
our sin. Jesus of History was raised
from the dead by God and he is our
Lord and Saviour. Both Jesus of
History and Christ of Faith are one
in the same. Jesus was and is both
human and divine. (Incarnation)
 Called Saviour and Redeemer,
the Lord, the Christ, the Son of God
Jesus of History / Christ of Faith
 Three Questions Addressed in the
Book
o Who was the Jesus of History,
the man who lived nearly two
thousand years ago in a place
called Palestine?
o Why was this man, Jesus, the
crucified one, so quickly
recognized by the early
Christians as the Christ of Faith,
the anointed one sent by God to
free them from all evil?
o How did the church come to the
astounding recognition that
Jesus was not only the Christ or
Messiah awaited by the Jews but
was and is the divine Son of
God, “one in being with the
Father,” who offers salvation to
all humanity?
How do we find out about Jesus?
•
•
•
•
•
Faith Sources
Biblical Scholars
Theologians
Christian Scriptures
Testaments
Historical Sources
Historical Source
Occupation
Time of What they Wrote About
Writing
Josephus
A Jewish Historian
90 CE
-discusses disturbances that Talks about Jesus being a
were caused by the Jews
wise man and doer of
during the time Pontius Pilate wonderful deeds
was governor of Judea
Tactius
Roman Historian
110 CE
-Referred to Jesus in his
account of a fire that burned
Rome in the year 64 CE for
which Emperor Nero blamed
the Christians
Name: Christus the
founder
Pliny the Younger
Governor of one of
the Roman provinces
in Asia Minor
110 CE
Wrote to emperor Trajan for
advice on what to do about
the Christians
Mentions his name.
Suetonius
Roman historian and
lawyer. Compiled
several bio’s on
Roman Emperors
120CE
A bio of emperor Claudius
Chrestus
says that Claudius expelled
the Jews from Rome because
of the Riots they were
causing on the instigation of
Christ
Evidence of Jesus
Gospel Development
Stage 1
• Jesus of Nazareth and His Disciples – Jesus’ ministry,
his life, death and resurrection stage
Stage 2
• What Would You Do? – Oral Tradition Stage
Stage 3
• The Early Community of Faith and the Evangelists Written Tradition
Jesus’ life, his teachings and parables, his death and his resurrection.
JESUS’
MINISTRY
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
Gospel Development
The Gospels
Read pages 39 – 46 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
For each of the 4 Gospels, you must know:
1. What is the definition for the term Gospel?
2. Who wrote each Gospel and identify the approximate
date it was written?
3. For whom was the Gospel written – the intended
audience.
4. What is the author’s portrayal of Jesus? What does
the author focus on when describing Jesus’ message?
Attempt to find an example from Scripture.