1A:Jesus And The Early Church

Question 1

At the time that Jesus was born, the Jewish people _____

Answer 1

no longer ruled their own homeland.

Question 2

After 334 BCE, Alexander the Great from Macedonia had ____________

Answer 2

conquered much of the eastern Mediterranean including Judea;
-later on this area became part of the Roman Empire following Greek military losses to the Romans after 146 BCE.

Question 3

what happened when Alexander the great conquered an area

Answer 3

a city state was created to govern the locals, xposing them to Greek language, culture and customs that persisted under Roman rule

Question 4

what is hellenism

Answer 4

the term for Greek culture

Question 5

While Hellenism (the term for Greek culture) had originally not been forced upon the Jews, steps taken by Antiochus IV Epiphanes after 170 BCE _____

Answer 5

pushed for conformity and made Hellenism a civic duty

-note, logically, Jesus and his immediate community would have been exposed to Hellenistic ideas –even if nothing more than interacting with the neighbouring peoples of the Roman Empire.

Question 6

Before and during the lifetime of Jesus, ______ was the religious andcultural centre of Jewish life.

Answer 6

TheJewishTemple

Question 7

Hebrew for god

Answer 7

yahweh

Question 8

what is the sabbath

Answer 8

he Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, which according to the Old Testament, God set aside as a holy day of rest

Question 9

Before the Roman Empire controlled the area, Antiochus IV Epiphanes caused an uprising by doing what?

-what is celebrated at Hanukah?

Answer 9

when he outlawed observance of the Sabbath,

• circumcision of males according to Jewish law,
• ordered sacrifices be made to Zeus in the Temple.

TheJewishMaccabee familysoonled a revolt that ousted Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the ruling Seleucids from Judea, allowing the Temple to bereclaimed. It is the cleaning and rededication of the Temple that are still celebrated today in the Jewish feast of Hanukkah

Question 10

The Maccabee’s were conquered by who and when?

-how was the new leadership distributed

Answer 10

in 63BC by Pompey

• power was redistributed among supporters of Rome
• -This arrangement had deteriorated by Jesus’ birth so that the region was divided into areas under governors or ‘client kings’ who maintained their status through Roman support.

Question 11

The temple would end up being completely destroyed by who

Answer 11

Roman General Titus following an unsuccessful rebellion on the part of the Jewish community against Roman Empire rule

Question 12

Messiah

Answer 12

Annointed one in hebrew

“Chrstos” in Greek

Question 13

One description described the messiah as a great military leader, and another as one who wold die and come back to life, as a result_______

Answer 13

t when Jesus was born it was not universally clear that he was the Messiah

Question 14

According to the gospels of the New Testament (Matthew 1.18; Luke 1.26-38, 2.5-7), Jesus was conceived by the power of the ____ in the womb of his mother, ______

Answer 14

Holy Spirit, Mary

Question 15

The angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would bear the Son of God and name him Jesus, while she remaineda virgin. This event is still celebrated in the Churchas ____

Answer 15

the Annunciation.

Question 16

Mary was then promised to a carpenter from Nazareth, named ______, who was likewise informed by an angel of Mary’s pregnancy in order that he not consummate the marriagesexually.

Answer 16

Joseph

Question 17

Mary gave birth to Jesus in the town of ___; a small town 6 km from ___

Answer 17

Bethlehem, Jerusalem

Question 18

The tradition is that Mary gave birth in a manger because there was no room at the inn, though some traditions relate that the birth occurred in a cave. This event is referred to as _____

Answer 18

the Nativity.

Question 19

Jesusgrows up to bean______who gathered together a small band of disciples who were also observant Jews. In fact, virtually all of those attracted to Jesus and his message in his lifetime were Jewish –areligious and cultural minority in the Roman Empire (there were hundreds of differing religion and philosophies in the ancient empire)

Answer 19

itinerant Rabbi (a teacher)

Question 20

His history in Christian scriptures outlines a number of miracles and events which gain him a growing number of people who were called ________ of Jesus–the term “Christian”will not be used until long after Jesus’ death.His movement was just one of several sects within Judaism

Answer 20

“Followers of the way”

Question 21

In hisSermon on the Mountin particular, Jesus ______

Answer 21

outlined eight Beatitudes that would help people to live the Jewish law with greater love

Question 22

He was also able to verify the authority given to him by God how? t

Answer 22

through his abilities to perform miracles and live as a man, though he was in essence part of the Trinity.

Question 23

His charismatic and often miraculous teachings attracted a number of disciples that included both men and women. From these, Jesus chose 12working-class men to be his apostles and spread his message because he foretold that he would suffer and die, as had been related in the prophecies (Isaiah 53.12). ______ in particular was distinguished by Jesus to be the leader by the designation

Answer 23

Peter

Question 24

how did Jesus ensue his teachings would be continued after died?

Answer 24

By naming a successor, Peter

• By creating customs/rituals that would represent his teachings
• –i.e baptism

Question 25

what did the Passover meal traditionally commemorate?

Answer 25

commemoration of the last plague sent by God to force the Egyptians to release Israel (Exodus 12.12-13).The plague killed the firstborn of all humans and animals, sparing only Jewish households that had sacrificed a lamb and daubed its blood on the door to indicate to the Angel of Death to ‘Passover’

Question 26

In transforming the wine and bread into his Body and Blood, Jesus transformed the Passover meal into a remembrance ritual, which is why it is known as ____

Answer 26

the Eucharist.

Question 27

After his ______, Jesus also gave the apostles the power to forgive sins in his name through the sacraments of _____ & ________

Answer 27

resurrection

-baptism and penance

Question 28

briefly explain what lead to the crucifixion of Jesus, who was the governor who had Jesus prosecuted?

Answer 28

-The Sanhedrin, priestly ruling class, hated Jesus lack of education
-Teachers revered by whom they had studied under and Jesus lacked formal education.
-
Jesus’ claim that he was one with God –an aspect that the Jewish community found confusing without an understanding of the Trinity.

-The Sanhedrin complained to the Roman governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, and Pilate had Jesus prosecuted for treason for claiming that he was the King of the Jews. His sentence was to be nailed to a cross until death, known as crucifixion.

Question 29

The vision of Jesus that was granted to the apostlesfollowing his death confirmed his teachings and inspired the apostles to spread the‘_______’–the very definition of the term_______

Answer 29

Good news.

= gospel

Question 30

Christians view Jesus’ death as an act of “____” The most common understanding is that, by dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for those whobelieved in him to overcome the separation from God caused by sin and death

Answer 30

atonement.

Question 31

since Jesus was resurrected and his tomb found empty on a Sunday

Answer 31

-his followers changed the day of worship to that Sunday instead of Saturday

Sunday, or dies solis, had been the day to celebrate the Roman’s pagan Sun God and Jesus’ early followers saw no issue with conceiving of Jesus ’resurrection as the light of the world.

-n fact, since none of the gospels recorded the actual nativity of Jesus, his birth was chosen to align with that of the Sun’s festival on December 25, still celebrated on that day for over 2000 years as Christmas.

Question 32

Baptism

Answer 32

an initiation into the faith using water

Question 33

Penance

Answer 33

the act of reconciliation, to repent one’s transgressions or sins)

Question 34

Confirmation

Answer 34

a professionof faith at a time of entering adulthood

Question 35

Eucharist

Answer 35

a communalbread & wineceremony with roots in Passover

Question 36

Annointing of the Sick

Answer 36

blessingthose who are ill or dying

Question 37

Holy Orders

Answer 37

becoming a clergy-person, such as priest, monk, or nun

Question 38

matrimony

Answer 38

the union of a couple in marriage and start of a family

Question 39

Unlike the Jewish faith, the early Church did not _____

Answer 39

follow a hereditary priesthood

. It ordained priests and bishops to be leaders as Jesus did Peter and the apostles. According to the Roman Catholic tradition, Jesus gave those in the hierarchy of the Church an authority to teach on a variety of issues related to salvation. All Catholic leaders since follow in the lineage of St. Peter and the apostles in being called by Jesus to act as pastors to their community. This is a feature of Catholicism and many other (but not all) Christian groups today: Apostolic Succession

Question 40

apostolic Succession–

Answer 40

the belief that Jesus entrusted the power to teach and perform the sacraments to his original apostles, who in turn passed that authority down to the next leaders of the Church, who in turn did the same, generation after generation; creating an unbroken line of ministers that can be traced back to the source of holy authority.

Question 41

four marks of the Church

Answer 41

one, Catholic, holy and apostolic

Question 42

WH/what is the pope

Answer 42

the bishop ofrome – traces itself back to Peter