Christology Midterm

• Principles of understanding Jesus Christ

  • Recognizing knowing Jesus is a life-long task
  • Knowing Jesus is a living, changing, growing, and deepening experience
  • Knowing Jesus as both the historical earthly Jesus and the Risen Christ of faith
  • Being committed to following Jesus, being His disciple
  • Knowing who Jesus is from what he did, his salvific mission
• Christology

  Study of Christ, concerned with the details of Jesus' life and teachings to understand who He is in His person and His role in salvation
• The Nativity of Jesus

  Refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in the Canonical gospels and various apocryphal texts
• In Luke, Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for a census, Jesus is born and laid in a manger, angels proclaim him a savior, shepherds adore him
• Topics covered in the course

  • The person of Jesus Christ as portrayed in the Gospels
  • Historical context of Jesus' life
  • His life, mission, and religious significance
  • Filipino Catholics' faith in Jesus Christ
• Accounts of the Nativity of Jesus

  • The Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 1:18-2:23
  • The Gospel of Luke: Luke 2
• The center of Christian Faith is Jesus Christ
• Two ways of studying Christ

  1. History - through bible, books, teachings, writings

  2. Theology
• In Matthew, wise men follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, King Herod tries to kill Jesus, but the holy family flees to Egypt and settles in Nazareth
• Sources of knowledge about Jesus include the four Gospel versions: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
• Details about the four Gospel versions

  • Gospel: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
  • Evangelist: Secretary of Peter, Tax Collector, Beloved Physician, Beloved Disciple
  • Date of Composition: ca. 64 A.D., ca. 70-75 A.D., ca. 80-85 A.D., ca. 90-100 A.D.
  • Place of Composition: Rome/Syria, Syria, Greece/Rome, Ephesus
  • Intended Audience: Persecuted Christians of Rome, Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians, First century Christian churches established around the Roman empire
  • Purpose: To present Jesus as the Suffering Servant of God, To present Jesus as the fulfillment of promises in the OT, To present Jesus as the universal Savior, To present Jesus as the Incarnate Word of God
  • Symbol: Winged Lion symbolizing Jesus' Kingship, Winged Man symbolizing Jesus' Humanity, Winged Bull symbolizing Jesus' Sacrifice, Eagle symbolizing Jesus' Divinity
• Two kinds of Christology

  1. Christology from Above - focuses on pre-existent Logos who became man, emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus Christ

  2. Christology from Below - flows from examination of Jesus Christ in the synoptic gospels, emphasizes the study of His life, mission, and message of salvation
• The Massacre of the Innocents signifies that Jesus' life will be a life of persecution. The prophecy that “Mary's heart will be struck by a sword” means that she will participate intimately in her Son's suffering and saving mission
• Jesus is virginally conceived in the womb of Mary
• The Flight to Egypt recalls God's people's exile and anguish in the past, in the land of Egypt. Later, Jesus' exodus from Egypt presented Him as the New Moses who was to be the ultimate liberator of God's people from their slavery to sin
• Jesus is born in Bethlehem, a town of the province of Judea
• The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is a Jewish ritual of consecrating the first-born male child. Jesus, as the first son of Mary and Joseph, should be offered to the Lord. Simeon and the prophetess Anna, two righteous Jews, waited for the coming of Jesus. Jesus was for them the Messiah, the glory of Israel, a sign to be contradicted by many and one who was destined as the cause for the rise and fall of many in Jerusalem. At the same time, He was to be the light to the nations
• The Losing and Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple shows Jesus' total consecration and obedience to His mission that flows from His divine sonship
• The Visits of the Magi and the Shepherds manifest Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God and Savior not just for the Jews but for all peoples of the world. The magi or wise men were led by the star and they brought Jesus gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh representing the kind of person He was and the mission He would have
• The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth begins the hidden years of Jesus as an ordinary Jew who was obedient to the Law of God and a member of good standing of the Jewish community. Through this experience, Jesus teaches us the lessons of silence, of family life, and of work
• Matthew: 'clearly presents Jesus as the expected Messiah the whole Israel was waiting for'
• The Mysteries of the Infancy Narratives

  • The Genealogy of Jesus
  • The Announcement of John the Baptist's Birth
  • The Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary
  • The Visit of Mary to Elizabeth
  • The Birth of John the Baptist
  • The Birth of Jesus
  • The Circumcision of Jesus
  • The Visits of the Magi and the Shepherds
  • The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
  • The Flight to Egypt
  • The Massacre of the Innocents
  • The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth
  • The Losing and Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
• Joseph is the legal (foster) father of Jesus
• The gospel writers' stories were never intended as factual narrations of events but as proclamations of the believers' faith in the birth and life of the Messiah... the purpose of the gospels is theological and faith-inspiring
• The Circumcision of Jesus was done according to the Law of Moses which stated that, on the 8th day after his birth, a male child must be brought to the Temple to be circumcised. The ritual signified Jesus' membership in the Jewish community and Judaism. It anticipated His Baptism in the Jordan
• Mary is the mother of Jesus
• Luke: 'beautifully presents Jesus as the Good News (salvation) for all and, in a special way, for the poor, the underprivileged, the voiceless, and the outcasts'
• Herod massacres all the toddler boys in Bethlehem to kill Jesus, but the holy family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth
• Jesus is a son of Abraham and descendant of David (Davidic blood)
• Jesus spends his childhood and youth in Nazareth, a town of the province of Galilee
• Geography of Palestine

  The Land of Jesus, what we today call Israel and part of Jordan now. Also referred to as Land of Israel, in Jesus’ time, it was called “The Land of Canaan”, “The Promised Land”. Palestine was named by the Greeks after the Philistines who had occupied the coastal area at one time. It is considered the heart of Orient because most biblical events took place here
• Decapolis


  • Region of Transjordan designated as the league of the Hellenistic cities under the administrations of the Romans
• Galilee


  The region in Northern Palestine where most events of Synoptic Gospels occurred. Jesus spent most of his life and ministry here. Galilee is more prosperous and populated than Judea
• Samaria


  • Samaria - Jesus travelled through Samaria from Galilee on his way to Jerusalem
  • Sychar/Shechem - Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman near Jacob’s well
  • Mt. Gerizim - The center of Samaritan cult during the time of Jesus
• Famous Towns of Galilee


  • Bethsaida - Birthplace of the Apostles: Peter, Andrew, and Philip
  • Chorazin - Jesus denounced this unrepentant town
  • Cana - Jesus turned water into wine
  • Capernaum - Jesus began his public ministry here
  • Magdala - Hometown of Mary Magdalene
  • Mt. Tabor - Scene of the Transfiguration of Jesus
  • Nain - Raising to life of the Widow’s only son
  • Nazareth - Scene of the Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
  • Sea of Galilee - Simon Peter’s call and Miraculous Catch of Fish
  • Tiberias - also known as the Sea of Galilee
• Judea

  • Arimathea - Hometown of Joseph
  • Bethany - Birthplace of Jesus’ best friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
  • Bethlehem - Birthplace of Jesus
  • Dead Sea - Known as Salt Sea
  • Emmaus - Apparition of the Risen Lord to His Disciple
  • Gethsemane - Scene of Jesus’ Agony and Arrest
  • Golgotha - Known as the Place of the Skull, Scene of Jesus’ crucifixion
  • Jericho - Hometown of Zaccheus
  • Jerusalem - David captured this city from Jebusites
  • Qumran - Center of Essenes
  • Jordan River - Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist
  • Decapolis - Region of Transjordan
  • Gardara/Gerasa - Where Jesus cured a demoniac
• Historical Background of Jesus’ Time

  • Geography Of Palestine
  • Jewish Political And Cultural Life
  • Jewish Religious And Political Groups
  • Jewish Religious Life And Customs
  • Jewish Religious Feasts
• Phoenicia is a strip of coastland along the Mediterranean from the river Eleutherus to the North and Carmel of the South. The inhabitants were known for their maritime undertakings and famous for shipbuilding and dye making. Tyre and Siddon, two of its famous cities, were known for their deep-seated paganism. Jesus performed miracles condemned these cities along with the Chorazin
• Idumea is the province located South of Judea. Its name was taken after the Edomites, descendants of Esau. Herod the Great, the king of Jews, belonged to a leading Idumean family
• Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (Mt 3:13-17)