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Religious Studies: Christianity > 1A: Jesus - His Birth > Flashcards

1A: Jesus - His Birth Flashcards

1
Q

Messiah

A

anointed one sent by God to save his people. said to be a descendant of King David

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2
Q

Fulfillment Citation

A

a quote from the Hebrew prophetic writing uses in the NT with the claim that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy

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3
Q

Redaction Criticism

A

a form of Biblical criticism which tests the theory that the gospel writers were like editors, selecting and using their source materials to serve a ‘theological agenda’

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4
Q

Doctrine

A

an official approved belief within a religious tradition

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5
Q

Incarnation

A

the Christian doctrine that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human

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6
Q

Hypostatic Union

A

the combination of the divine and human nature in the person of Jesus Christ as expressed in the doctrine of incarnation

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7
Q

Christology

A

the study of the nature and role of Jesus

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8
Q

Substantial Presence

A

the total and complete one person of God the Son made man fully human and divine. objectively present in the incarnation

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9
Q

Kenosis

A

the self-emptying of the Son of God

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10
Q

Council of Nicea

A

a meeting of church leaders held in 325CE when the doctrine of incarnation was first expressed as a hyper static union

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11
Q

Quotes from Matthew’s gospel that emphasise Jesus’ humanity

A
  • “the birth”
  • Mary will “give birth to a son”
  • “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem”
  • “they saw the child with his mother Mary”
  • when the Herod threatened the children, Jesus’ parents took him into safety because he was a helpless boy
  • “he went and lived in a town called Nazareth”
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12
Q

Quotes from Matthew’s gospel that emphasise Jesus’ divinity

A
  • “he will save his people from their sins”
  • “King of the Jews”
  • “have come to worship him”
  • “they bowed down and worshipped him”
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13
Q

Quotes from Matthew’s gospel that emphasises Jesus’ divine presence (substantial)

A
  • Mary was “found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit”
  • “the virgin will conceive”
  • “King of the Jews”
  • “they bowed down and worshipped him”
  • even though Jesus faced danger a lot he ended up safe
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14
Q

Supernatural elements from Matthew’s gospel

A
  • “she was found to be pregnant through the holy spirit”
  • “an angel of the lord appeared to him in a dream”
  • “the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was”
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15
Q

Was the writer of Matthew writing for a Jewish or Gentile audience?

A

Jewish

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16
Q

Moments in Matthew’s gospel that suggest he was writing for a Jewish audience

A
  • Joseph was faithful to the law and planned to divorce Mary quietly
  • Jesus was born in Bethlehem: King David’s hometown, link to OT
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17
Q

Does Matthew support the kenotic model or substantial presence?

A

substantial presence

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18
Q

Quotes from Luke’s gospel that emphasise Jesus’ humanity

A
  • “you will conceive and give birth to a son”
  • “the baby leaped in her womb” (kicking?)
  • “she gave birth to her firstborn, a son”
  • “you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”
  • “it was time to circumcise the child”
  • “every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the lord”
  • “the child grew and became strong”
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19
Q

Quotes from Luke’s gospel that emphasise Jesus’ divinity

A
  • “he will be great and will be called the Son of the most high”
  • “so the Holy one to be born will be called the son of God”
  • Mary’s song
  • “he is the Messiah, the Lord”
  • “the child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel”
  • “the grace of God was on him”
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20
Q

Quotes from Luke’s gospel that emphasise Jesus’ divine presence (substantial)

A
  • “you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus”
  • “‘how will this be […] since i am a virgin?”
  • “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you”
  • mentions of Anna and Paul
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21
Q

Supernatural elements from Luke’s gospel

A
  • “God sent the Angel Gabriel to Nazareth”
  • “the power of the most high will overshadow you”
  • “the baby leaped in her womb”
  • “the glory of the lord shone around them”
  • “the Holy Spirit was on him”
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22
Q

Was the writer of Luke’s writing for a Jewish or Gentile audience?

A

Gentile

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23
Q

Moments in Luke’s gospel that suggest he was writing for a Gentile audience

A
  • “every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”: a Jewish law, the writer is telling his Gentile audience this because they won’t know the context
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24
Q

Does Luke support the kenotic model or substantial presence?

A

Kenotic model

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25
Q

Whose role does Matthew’s birth narrative focus on?

A

Joseph

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26
Q

According to Matthew, who does the unnamed Angel announce Mary’s pregnancy to and where?

A

Joseph, in a dream

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27
Q

What does the angel tell Joseph in his dream? What does Joseph decide to do as a result?

A

to not doubt Mary. he decides to marry her

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28
Q

According to Matthew, where is Jesus born?

A

a house in Bethlehem (not a stable)

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29
Q

Who visits Jesus in Matthew?

A

the Magi (never specified how many, only that they bought 3 gifts)

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30
Q

What does Herod do in Matthew as a result of the Magi’s tricking?

A

he kills all male children under the age of 2 who lived in Bethlehem at the time

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31
Q

Where does Joseph take his family during Herod’s killings?

A

Egypt (they stay there until Herod’s death)

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32
Q

Whose role does Luke’s birth narrative focus on?

A

Mary

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33
Q

According to Luke, who announces Mary’s pregnancy to her?

A

Angel Gabriel

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34
Q

What hymn does Mary sing when finding out about her pregnancy?

A

Magnificat

35
Q

What is the name of Mary’s cousin in Luke’s gospel who is also pregnant?

A

Elizabeth

36
Q

Who does Elizabeth give birth to?

A

John the Baptist

37
Q

What is the name of Elizabeth’s husband?

A

Zechariah

38
Q

What prophecy do Elizabeth and Zechariah invent?

A

Benedictus

39
Q

Who recorded the census in Luke’s gospel?

A

Caesar Augustus

40
Q

Where was the census registered?

A

Bethlehem

41
Q

Where do Mary and Joseph live in Luke’s gospel?

A

Nazareth

42
Q

Why does Mary have to give birth in a manger in Luke’s gospel?

A

because there was no room in the inn

43
Q

Who visits Jesus in Luke?

A

shepherds (informed by a host of angels)

44
Q

In Luke, how many days after Jesus’ birth is he presented in the temple?

A

8 days

45
Q

What is the name of Simeon’s hymn?

A

Nunc Dimitis

46
Q

The role of the Angels in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- unnamed angel speaks to Joseph in a dream and confirms Mary’s pregnancy is through the Holy Spirit. urges Joseph to marry her
Luke:
- Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces the pregnancy, confirms it is a virginal conception through the Holy Spirit

47
Q

The role of Mary and Joseph in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- focuses on Joseph’s pov
- (before the dream) Joseph wanted to split up with Mary
- Joseph willingly marries Mary after his dream
Luke:
- Mary and Joseph described as ‘bethroted to one another’
- Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and praises God with Magnificat
- travels to Bethlehem

48
Q

The role of the visitors in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- magi follow a star from the east to Bethlehem
- at first they go to herods palace to look for the ‘king of the Jews’
- bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh
Luke:
- shepherds keep watch over their sheep and are terrified when an angel appears to them, telling them a baby has been born and is both ‘Messiah and saviour of all people’
- they visit the manger and praise god

49
Q

The role of the temple in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- no mention of the temple
Luke:
- tells of the blessing at the temple
- recognises Jesus’ importance by Simeon and Anna
- Simeon praises god through the Nunc Dimitus

50
Q

The role of the return journey in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- Joseph first takes the family to Egypt to keep Jesus safe from Herod’s slaughtering of baby boys
- later on they return to and settle in Nazareth
Luke:
- the return journey is from Bethlehem to Nazareth (where they started from)

51
Q

The chronology in Matthew’s gospel vs Luke’s gospel

A

Matthew:
- Jesus was born during the time of King Herod
- seems to span about 2 years based on Herod’s decree to kill boys aged 2 and under
Luke:
- the birth of Jesus happened when Augustus was Roman emperor and Quirinus was governor of Syria
- earlier in chapter 1 the pregnancies of Elizabeth and Mary were in the times of King Herod

52
Q

What does credibility mean in terms of the birth narratives?

A

whether they can be believed

53
Q

What does historicity mean in terms of the birth narratives?

A

we must consider the historical evidence for whether the events in the birth narratives happened

54
Q

What are the historical errors in Luke’s birth narrative?

A
  • Roman records show that Quirinus did not order a census in 6 or 7 CE
  • Luke claims that Herod was king when the census took place, but he died in 4CE. at that time, the Roman governor of the region where Jesus was born was Saturninus
  • some scholars suggest that Quirinius served a previous term of office
55
Q

What are the historical errors in Matthew’s birth narrative?

A
  • there is no other historical reference for Herod’s edict about slaughtering baby boys aged 2 and under. there is no evidence of such an event
  • however there is evidence that herod was violent and inclined to punish people harshly if he felt threatened
  • HOWEVER Matthew might have been writing theology instead of history? aimed to make Jesus’ story like Moses’ to convince the Jewish readers that Jesus was the Messiah?
56
Q

What are some errors of credibility (supernatural errors) in Luke’s birth narrative?

A
  • the angels
  • recognition of Jesus’ identity by Elizabeth’s unborn baby and by Simeon and Anna
  • the virgin birth
57
Q

What are some errors of credibility (supernatural errors) in Matthew’s birth narrative?

A
  • dreams that relate to reality
  • a star which behaves oddly
  • the virgin birth
58
Q

Could any of the ‘supernatural elements’ could have natural explanations?

A

‘a star which behaves oddly’ - could be caused by a specific pattern of constellations or the appearance of a phenomenon eg a comet

59
Q

Is the virgin birth being claimed literally as a historical event or could there be another way of understanding it?

A

God had to bring Jesus to earth without a force. a virgin pregnancy implies that we have to trust in a supernatural force for supernatural rewards

60
Q

What might a fundamentalist Christian say about the accounts?

A

they are inerrant (incapable of being wrong). they believe in an omnipotent god who can break laws of nature and can make anything possible

61
Q

What might Calvin’s doctrine of accommodation say about the accounts?

A

the writers used the understanding available to them at their stage of human history, and gods inspiration of the writers accommodated itself to human understanding

62
Q

Suggestions that the two narratives can be harmonised

A
  • they don’t directly contradict each other, so there’s no reason why they both cannot be true. one writer may have had access to more information that the other?
  • some believe Luke directly received the account of Jesus birth from mary, which is why it focuses on her perspective. whereas Matthew had no first had sources
  • why couldn’t Jesus have been visited by the shepherds and the magi?
  • Mary and Joseph could have fled to egypt after Jesus’ presentation in the temple
  • both assert that Jesus was born in Bethlehem at the time of Herod to Mary and that it was a virginal conception
63
Q

Suggestions that the two narratives cannot be harmonised

A
  • there are different perspectives: Matthew = Joseph and Luke = Mary
  • different locations: Matthew went from bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth, Luke went from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Jerusalem and back to Nazareth
  • difference time scales
  • different characters: Matthew = Herod & the magi. Luke = Elizabeth, Zechariah, shepherds, Simeon and Anna
  • different target audiences: Matthew = Jewish and Luke = Gentile
64
Q

What is redaction criticism?

A

the theory that NT writers altered existing material about Jesus to suit their own theological interests

65
Q

When did historical criticism of the bible arise?

A

late 18th century

66
Q

What was the traditional way of seeing the bible?

A

god -> text -> church -> us

67
Q

What was the enlightenment approach to the bible?

A

author -> text -> interpretative science -> us

68
Q

When and where did redaction criticism start?

A

Germany, late 40s

69
Q

What is the redaction criticism of Matthew?

A
  • aimed at Jewish readers
  • tells the story of Jesus’ birth from Joseph’s POV
  • Jesus shared a familial link with David through Joseph
  • if true, Jesus could be proved to be the fulfilment of the OT revelation of god - the prophesies Messiah
70
Q

What is the redaction criticism of Luke?

A
  • aimed at Gentile readers (has to explain Jewish laws to the readers as they won’t understand)
  • suggests Jesus is good news for salvation, women, the poor and the ‘outsiders’
  • dedicated to Theophilius
  • greek in fashion, quotes the septuagint
  • less focused on link between Joseph and David
  • sympathises for those marginalised by society at the time (links to Jesus bringing salvation to the poor)
  • Jesus was born into a poor family (Mary and Joseph sacrifice two turtle doves/pigeons, a sacrifice of the poor)
  • emphasises connection between Jesus and Judaism ( birth of John the Baptist)
  • John the Baptist represents the last OT prophets, but Jesus is the true fulfilment of the OT revelation of god
  • the overall message: Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and the saviour of the Gentiles/poor/ marginalised
71
Q

What does incarnation mean?

A

becoming flesh

72
Q

What does the doctrine of incarnation hold?

A

that Jesus was god in human flesh. Jesus was both fully man and fully god

73
Q

What does the Nicene Creed state about incarnation?

A

“we believe in one Lord Jesus being made of one substance with the father”

74
Q

What is the hypostatic union?

A

the belief that Jesus is both fully human and fully God

75
Q

How does Christology suggest that Jesus is fully god?

A

he is thought to have existed from the very beginning with god. his human life was a very brief period and after his ascension, he returned to his father

76
Q

How does Christology suggest that Jesus is fully human?

A

he was born as every other human is born - as a baby of flesh and blood. he had experiences like any other human and also died like any other human

77
Q

What is the substantial presence model?

A
  • Jesus is both fully human and fully divine
  • God is substantially present in Jesus
  • emphasis on the divine nature accepting human nature
  • Jesus had all of God’s attributes at birth
  • argues that God assumes the material world as part of God’s plan
  • parts of the birth narrative in which Jesus appears fully protected and under no threat by events around him emphasise this model
78
Q

What is gnosticism?

A

suggesting the material world was evil and salvation was a purely spiritual matter

79
Q

What is the kenotic model?

A
  • Jesus is both fully human and fully divine
  • kenosis = emptying (Philippians 2:6-8)
  • seen in Luke’s gospel
  • emphasises gods humanity
  • the son voluntarily emptied himself of some of his divine attributes (ie omnipotence) just prior to the incarnation
  • Jesus’ suffering was real: he was fragile and at risk in the incarnation
  • indication of gods will and Jesus’ ethic of sacrifice
  • seen as heretical by some because it suggests part of the trinity can change
  • St Paul’s letter: “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death”
80
Q

Suggestions that the birth narratives DO establish the incarnation

A
  • Matthew 1:23: Jesus is called ‘Immanuel’ (god with us)
  • Luke: Jesus is called ‘Son of God’
  • Nicene Creed approved of the wording ‘son of god, begotten of the father’. shows that by 325AD Jesus was believed to be divine
  • promises made about Jesus (his kingdom will have no end and he will save people from sin) make sense if he is believed to be divine
  • both narrative claim his conception was through the holy spirit
81
Q

Suggestions that the birth narratives DO NOT establish the incarnation

A
  • Jesus is not directly called ‘god’ in the birth narratives
  • ‘son of god’ could be used of leaders without meaning ‘divinity’
  • biblical writers were unaware of this doctrine
  • Jesus is of humble origins and the birth is entirely natural
  • Jesus is born through Mary and the holy spirit. a half human and half divine being does not equal incarnation
82
Q

What is the name of Raymond E Brown’s book?

A

The Birth of the Messiah

83
Q

What did Raymond E Brown state about gospels?

A

1) they were not intended to be historical biographies but instead proclamations of the good news of salvation in Jesus’ life
2) all gospels were completely created in its faith community and their experience of the church during the 1st century

Religious Studies: Christianity (25 decks)

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