HUMSS 302: Christianity

• CHRISTIANITY

  • World’s largest religion

  • Religion based on the teachings of

  Jesus Christ

  • Followers are Christians
• Jesus Christ

  • Born in Nazareth around 7BCE to 30 CE

  • Named Jesus Christ being the Messiah

  • Christ is Greek for “The Anointed One”

  or “Messiah” in Hebrew

  • Born human and divine
• JESUS CHRIST

  • Four Gospels (Matther, Mark, Luke, John)

  • Conceived through the Holy Spirit

  • Born in Bethlehem

  • Age 12, conversing with Jewish

  Scholars

  • Age 30, began his ministry

  • Baptized at the Jordan River

  • John the Baptist announced the

  coming of God’s Kingdom

  • Proclaimed as the prophesized Messiah

  • Jesus overcame temptations of Satan

  • Preached with his 12 apostles
• THE HOLY BIBLE

  • Divided into two parts: Old Testament and New Testament

  • Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible

  • New Testament contains the life and

  teachings of Jesus

  • New testament is divided into four: 1. The Gospels

  2. Acts of Apostles

  3. The Epistles

  4. Revelation
• THE GOSPELS

  • Consists of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John

  • Comes from the old English “godspell” which means “good news/tidings”

  • The coming of the Kingdom of the Messiah is the good news of the gospel

  • The authors were followers of Christ known as the Four Evangelists

  • Mark, Matthew and Luke are Synoptic Gospels

  • John is non-Synoptic Gospel

  • Each book focuses on different aspects

  and audiences
• ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

  • Describes the early stage of Christianity • Believed to be written by Luke
• THE EPISTLES

  • The 21 Letters in the Bible

  • Comes from the Greek “epistole” which

  means letter or message

  • Talks about God’s saving works

  • Written by an apostle or a family

  member of Jesus

  • Divided into two: 1. Pauline Epistles 2. General Epistles
• PAULINE EPISTLES

  • Consist of thirteen letters written by Paul

  • Addressed to individuals or a church

  • Pastoral Epistles are addressed to a

  church with ministerial matters
• GENERAL EPISTLES

  • Consist of the eight letters written y other apostles

  • Written for a general audience

  • Catholic Epistles
• PAULINE

  • Romans
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Ephesians
  • 2 Timothy
  • Titus
  • Philemon
  • Hebrews
  • James
  • 1 Peter
• GENERAL

  • Philippians
  • Colossians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians
  • 1 Timothy
  • 2 Peter
  • 1 John
  • 2 John
  • 3 John
  • Jude
• REVELATIONS

  • The last book of Christian Bible

  • Describes the battle between good and

  evil (on how Satan’s army will be defeated and the reign of God’s Kingdom)

  • Apocalyptic literature

  • Authored by John of Patmos

  • Divided into two: First and Second Parts

  • First: Letters to Christian Churches in

  Asia

  • Second: contains visions and

  symbolisms
• NATURE OF GOD

  • Monotheism

  • God is a pure spirit, eternal, all-

  powerful, all-knowing, all-good, just

  and caring

  • God has three persons: God the Father,

  God the Son, God the Holy Spirit

  • Holy Trinity is a mysterious truth

  • God who creates, saves, and empowers
• NATURE OF JESUS

  • Jesus is God

  • Jesus is Human

  • Jesus is not a demigod but He is

  wholly God and wholly Human

  • Jesus is the Messiah

  • Jesus was conceived through virgin

  birth

  • Jesus was sinless

  • Jesus resurrected from the dead

  • Jesus ascended to heaven
• THE HUMAN CONDITION

  • Humans are created in the image and likeness of God

  • Humans resemble God’s spiritual and eternal nature through immortal souls

  • Humans resemble God’s wisdom through reason

  • Humans are accountable for their actions

  • God’s rewards and punishments extends to the afterlife
• RESSURECTION OF THE DEAD AND LAST JUDGMENT

  • Humans undergo a judgment after death

  • Last Judgment at the second coming • Salvation and resurrection
• ANGELS

  • Spiritual beings created by God

  • Possess free will (good or bad angels)

  • Bad angels are called devils

  • Good angels like Michael and Gabriel

  • Seraphim – highest angelic class

  • Cherubim – guardians to the tree of

  life

  • Thrones – living symbols of God
• THE TWO GREAT

  COMMANDMENTS

  • Ethical teachings of Jesus

  • “Love the Lord your God with all

  your heart and with all your soul

  and with all your mind”

  • “Love your neighbor as yourself”

  • These commandments help man to

  inherit eternal life
• PRIMACY OF LOVE

  • Love is the proper attitude towards God and our neighbors

  • Do not just follow certain rules but do it out of love

  • 1 Corinthians 13:1-7
• BAPTISM

  • Ritual for moral purification

  • Initiation rite

  • Commitment to repent from sins and

  ready to receive the Kingdom of God

  • Different forms of baptism:

  • Immersing body in water

  • Sprinkle water on the head • Age of Baptist

  • Sacrament of Confirmation for completion of baptismal grace
• THE LAST SUPPER AND THE EUCHARIST

  • The practice of sharing bread and wine or life and death of Jesus

  • Recalls Jesus’ sacrifice

  • Transubstantiation

  • Consubstantiation

  • Transignification

  • Once a week or once a month or every day

  • Host (bread) or hostia

  • Grape juice/water/wine
• LENTEN SEASON

  • 40 days of repentance and preparation for Easter

  • Signifies the 40 days of fasting and praying of Jesus in the desert

  • Do abstinence

  • Starts with Ash Wednesdays

  • Holy Week

  • Palm Sunday

  • Holy Thursday recalls last Supper

  • Good Friday recalls death of Jesus

  • Black Saturday is day of quiet and prayer

  • Easter Sunday recalls the resurrection of

  Jesus
• CHRISTMAS

  • Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus

  • December 25

  • Four-week preparation is Advent

  • January 6 is the Epiphany or Three

  Kings
• ASCENSION

  • Feast of Jesus’ ascension to heaven 40 days after resurrection
• PENTECOST

  • Recalls the first preaching of the apostles

  • Ten days after the feast of Ascension
• OTHER PRACTICES

  • Devotion to Mary, mother of Jesus • Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary on

  September 8

  • Veneration of saints

  • All Saints’ Day on November 1
• DENOMINATIONS

  • Early Christians suffered persecutions from the Romans

  • Christianity became a world religion

  • Christian church maintained its

  structure after the collapse of the

  Romans

  • Western and Eastern churches

  • Western: Catholic Protestant,

  nontraditional churches

  • Protestant: Lutheran, Calvinist,

  Anglican

  • Eastern: Eastern Orthodox, other

  churches
• CATHOLIC CHURCH

  • Roman Catholic Church

  • Catholic means universal

  • Founded by Jesus through Peter who

  is the first Pope

  • Pope is the central authority

  (infallible)

  • Seven sacraments

  • Purgatory, Mary and the saints,

  transubstantiation, celibacy of priests

  • God’s revelation in the Holy Bible and

  Sacred Tradition
• EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH

  • Christian churches that formally separated from Roman Catholic

  • East-West Schism

  • Controversy in an entry in the Nicene

  Creed on the nature of the Holy

  Trinity

  • Holy Spirit came from the Father

  • Filioque clause

  • The use of bread in the Eucharist

  • Concept of Pentarchy

  • Mary was chosen because of purity

  and obedience

  • No purgatory and priests can marry
• PROTESTANT CHURCH

  • Developed from a protest

  • Inspired by Martin Luther

  • Opposed to the sale and purchase of

  indulgences

  • Rejects the authority of the Pope,

  transubstantiation, Mary and saints

  • Believes in salvation by faith alone,

  priests can marry, two sacraments

  • Translation and reading of the Bible
• LUTHERANISM

  • Doctrine of consubstantiation
• CALVINISM

  • John Calvin

  • Doctrine of transignification

  • Predestination

  • God predestined people to be saved

  • Predestination from God’s

  foreknowledge, God knows the future and who will be saved
• PROTESTANT SECTARIANISM

  • Protestant Principle gives every individual the right to interpret the Bible and critically examine Christian beliefs and practices

  • Resulted to division
• ANABAPTIST AND BAPTIST

  • Shares central views

  • Anabaptist developed with

  Lutheran and Calvinist churches

  • Baptist developed with Separatist

  Movement in England

  • Rejects infant baptism

  • Full immersion is the legitimate

  way of baptizing

  • Separation of state and religion

  • Mennonites Amish, Hutterites,

  Schwarzenau Brethren, River Brethren
• METHODIST

  • Began as a society within the Church of England by John Wesley

  • Seeking for reforms

  • Using of logic and reason in

  understanding and interpreting

  matters of faith

  • Missionary work
• QUAKERS

  • Founded by George Fox

  • People should quake or tremble at

  the Word of the Lord

  • No priest and no Eucharist

  • Church service in silence

  • Pacifists that opposes violence/war
• SHAKERS

  • Founded by Ann Lee

  • Shakers is similar to Quakers but they

  have devotional dance

  • Usually farmers and practice celibacy
• PENTECOSTAL CHURCH

  • Baptism with the Holy Spirit

  • Derives from the Feast of Pentecost

  where the Holy Spirit empowered

  the people

  • Apostolic or Full Gospel

  • Divided on the nature of Holy Trinity

  • Trinitarian and Non-Trinitarian

  • Pentecostal Church International

  believes in the Oneness of God (God is a single Person who has three manifestations)
• ANGLICAN CHURCH

  • Originated in England in the time of King Henry VIII

  • King Henry challenged the authority of the Pope and wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine

  • Middleway between Catholicism and Protestantism

  • Doctrines and practices are a blend

  • Anglican Communion

  • Archbishop of Canterbury

  • Book of Common Prayer contains

  major prayers in English
• JEHOVAH’S WITNESS

  • Do not believe in the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus

  • God (Jehovah) has only one person

  • Jesus is the archangel Michael

  • Humans do not have immortal souls

  nor eternal damnation

  • They do not involve in political affairs

  • They refuse to salute the flag

  • They do not allow blood transfusion