1B - Defining the Church Flashcards
How was Jesus resurrection perceived by his followers?
Jesus’ resurrection was understood by his followers as validating the authority of his message
Who betrayed Jesus? how? What did this make possible?
Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus by identifying him to the soldiers that had come to arrest him with a kiss, had died shortly after.
- His death made it possible to consider Apostolic successionor the replacement of an apostle by the others to continue the leadership defined by Jesus
Apostolic Succession
the replacement of an apostle by the others to continue the leadership defined by Jesus
who was chosen to succeed Judas? How was he consecrated
Mathias, consecrated him to this role through prayer and the laying on of hands
Sacrament of holy orders
The apostles chose Matthias to succeed Judas and consecrated him to this role through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 1.23-6). Today this process is known as the sacrament of Holy Orders and, in imitation of Jesus’ consecration of the original 12 apostles, bishops are still
-consecrated through the laying on of hands and through prayerfrom another bishop
In the Catholic tradition, the roles of priests and bishops are reserved to men only. Why?
because, through the example of Jesus being male and by virtue of only men that Jesus originally consecrated to this role
What happened following the resurrection of Christ
According to the New Testament, Jesus ascended into Heaven after instructing his apostles that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and that they should spread his message to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8-9).This group was gathered together with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and other disciples in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecostwhen the Holy Spirit visited them
What does Pentecost commemorate
commemorates God’s gift of the Torah to the people of Israel.
How many days after Jesus’ resurrection is Pentecost?
It had also been 10 days since these disciples had witnessed Jesus ascend to heaven or 50 days (Pentecost in Greek) since the resurrection itself
What happened at the first Pentecost celebration
- The Holy Spirit is described as a strong wind coming through the house, people speaking in tongues
– It grew so loud that it attracted a crowd of people who were likewise celebrating the festival.
- Peter preached to them that the prophecies had come true; that Jesus was both Lord and Christ and that he had given the Holy Spirit to them to give to others through baptism.
- Thousands were baptized after the sermon, though the confidence that the Holy Spirit instilled in them led the apostles to evangelize even more
As more people converted what happened to the jewish community
the community deviated more and more from its Jewish roots.
- followers of Christ more regularly began to hold separate worship.
- Didache* describes the early liturgical services of these congregations establishing their similarity to the practices that are still followed
where were early services often held?
Services were often held in the homes of a community leader, as they had been held in the house of Peter and his wife prior to Jesus’ death
Sometimes the size led a congregation to do what?
to purchase a house that would be registered to the episcopus or custodian of the congregation
note: This is the same Latin term used for bishops today. Many would sell their property, distribute their wealth to the poor and live together in a communal setting, following a lifestyle that involved doing good works, prayer and worship. In fact, many orders of men and women who have taken Holy Orders still abide by these practices
who disliked practices diverging from Jewish observances and felt that all converts should follow Mosaic Law
Judaizers
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Since nearly all of those who followed Jesus during his lifetime were Jewish, Judaizers believed that someone interested in joining the “way of Jesus” should do what?
first follow the traditional Jewish rituals. This would mean that new followers who were not originally Jewish would have to learn Hebrew, follow Jewish dietary laws, and even (for males) be circumcised according to Law of Moses.
Other followers of the way of Jesus such as ________ disagreed with these requirements (Judaizers ) and so dissension and controversy arose between the two camps
Paul and Barnabas
One of the most unlikely and yet famous conversions was that of____, formerly ____… Why?
Paul,
Saul of Tarsus
- Paul was a Greek-educated Jew who had been involved in Christian persecutions, including that of the first martyr for the faith
- (a deacon named Stephen who was stoned to death by a Jewish mob)
Why did Paul convert?
As he travelled to Damascus for just this reason, Paulreceived a vision from God and was struck blind. A Christian priest then received a vision of Jesus with the instruction to visit Paul and restore his sight after which Paul waswelcomed into the community of believers.
Paul went on to preach under Peter’s tutelage (Acts 7.58, 9.1-29) and Paul’s interpretation of Jesus’ message that _____?
it was less important to follow Mozaic law than to believe in Jesus as the Christ has had a prominent influence ever since
In 50 CE, a Council was called at ______ to resolve the debate surrounding what?
Jerusalem,
–the question as to whether followers had to become Jewish in order to follow Christ.
By this time, disciples had spread belief in Jesus to several other parts of the Roman Empire and had attracted many new converts. At the Council, Peter shared that he had preached to gentiles (non-Jews), including a Roman official, and that since he had seen the Holy Spirit enter them, they should be welcome. Both he and Paul began eating meals with gentiles which led to the decision at the Council that_________
hough new converts did not have to be circumcised, they should not eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols, eat the blood or meat of strangled animals, or enter into unlawful marriage
The outcome of this early Church Council was extremely important to the development of Christianity, why?
it made it more inclusive of believers of different cultural backgrounds.
-the manner of resolving the debate over whether followers had to become Jewish in order to follow Christ would provide a model of dispute resolution for future Church Councils
– for the next two-thousand years, the Church would call councils to discuss, form, and adapt doctrines, rules, as well as condemn false ideas or theologies which threatened Christianity
Within twenty years of this 1st Church Council, Jerusalem was a different city. In Judea, Jewishuprisings beginning in 67 CE…. what was the result/how was the city different
In Judea, Jewishuprisings beginning in 67 CE were brutally suppressed by the Roman Empire a few years later.
-The Temple, which had been central to Jewish culture and worship, had been looted and destroyed,
-The Roman authorities decreed that a majority of the Jewish population had to leave Judea, displacing many
The destruction of the Jewish Temple results
Thedestruction of the Jewish Temple heralded the end of the Judaizers who soon perished as a group. By the year 70 CE, in the city of Antioch (the third largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria)the followers of Jesus were first labeled as Christians
Because followers of Christ had centered their worship on Jesus, and not upon observances at the Temple ______________
v they were able to leave Jerusalemand their movement continued to grow. This displacement was helpful in spreading the gospel to other parts of the world. Moreover, it became unnecessary for Jewish followers of Jesus to remain in Jerusalem; those who believed Jesus was the Messiah were being asked to leaveJewish community, to stop attendingthe synagogue,and were widely condemned by the Jewish Rabbis at Yavneh in 90 CEas followers of a new faith.
he rapid spread of Christianity in the first century was made possible by _____
the structure and organization of the Roman Empire
– Followers could travel to new cities and preach, knowing that their use of Greek terminology and texts would be understood
Followers could travel to new cities and preach. This occurred during what time period?
These events occur during the Pax Romana, the “Peace of Rome”, (27 BCE–180 CE) and the focus of Christianity soon shifted from Jerusalem to the Greco-Roman world
.The New Testament had always been written in Greek but followers of Jesusalso brought with them the Old Testament, which had ____
been translated into Greek before Jesus’ birth in Alexandria
what was One of the biggest challenges to the early Christian community
the vast distances between believers and so the apostles relied upon letters to ensure the continuity of practices taught in disparate communities. Most of these letters have not survived but some that did were included in the New Testament under the names to whom they were addressed
letters were used due to the vast distances created between christian communities. some of these were included in the New Testament. what was the general message of these letters?
what sins to avoid
- prayer/good work
- unity with other communities
- service on Sunday/eucharist
–The lettersare valuable because they have preservedsome of the traditions that were first practiced by Jesus and his apostles before the deaths of the early followers
Despite the exemplary conditions for the spread of Christianity, early followers of Christ were being persecuted for refusing to adhere to Roman traditions and for assembling followers.The Roman emperors were extremely suspicious of this newly formed religion as________
- followers of Jesus refused to pay homage to the many Roman gods and goddesses,
– refused to participate in traditional military service and celebrations, or to worship the emperors themselves.
All of the apostles, with the exception of John, are believed to have suffered martyr’s deaths
