Beginnings of Christianity

Question 1

Heretical

Answer 1

“Teachings that are declared to be erroneous by the church”

Gnostic

Arian Christianity (believed that Jesus was lesser than God the father)

Cathars of 12th and 13th c.

Fasting female saints

Question 2

Orthodox

Answer 2

Council of Nicaea 325 - Nicene Creed, eunuchs

St. Augustine, prostitutes “necessary evil”

–the Incarnation (God becomes man in Jesus)
human but divine; lives and dies in time but
eternal and timeless; God acts in material world, which is good/world as imperfect derivation of timeless eternal perfection of God
–the Trinity (God, Jesus, Holy Ghost): one,
timeless/immutable, but also three, comes to
earth
–the Resurrection (of Jesus): God who dies in time/ but is timeless and eternal
–the Virgin Birth, Immaculate Conception: of
human origin, yet pure and unstained

Question 3

Matthew, Mark and Luke

Answer 3

Matthew and Mark use Luke and a no longer extant gospel by unknown author “Q”

Synoptic Gospels - “to see together” vs. Gospel of John

Goals: propagate beliefs about Jesus “put boundaries around”

Evangelium “good news” Old English godspell from which we get Gospel

Question 4

Gospel commonality

Answer 4

Jesus lived, preached, was crucified
--preaching is apocalyptic, point to nearness of
   end of all things
--use of parables, humor and irony
--use of Amen (Hebrew and Aramaic) for
   emphasis
--sayings (Sermon on the Mount anthology in
   Matthew and Luke)

Question 5

Jesus of Nazareth

Answer 5

Jesus WAS a Jew, as were most of his early followers

Christianity began as a sect of Judaism

Mosaic law - law of Moses, commands given by God to Israel, covenant with Jewish people

Jesus as Messiah

Born 4 BCE

Question 6

Variety of cults and religions

Answer 6

Roman “pantheon” of gods

City cults

Imperial cults

Private household deities

Druidism (celts)

Judaism - Christianity emerges around 1st c CE

Mystery religions -mysterion:
lesson to be learned, ritual to
be disclosed to adherents)

Mithras - sun god born Dec 25th from a rock, slaying of bull, Banquet with ally

Question 7

Gentiles

Answer 7

No Jewish Christians

Paul (Saul) road to Damascus, “Apostle to the Gentiles”

Question 8

Council of Jerusalem

Answer 8

49-50, CE:

• -no circumcision, not most dietary laws
• -food sacrificed to idols
• -strangled meat
• -porneia (cultic temple prostitution)

Priority: separate from dubious pagan cults,
keep Jewish and Gentile Christians
eating together

Question 9

Divergence on Divinity

Answer 9

Gospel of John (c. 90-100 CE): more clear than
other three gospels
Gospel of Mark: Jesus as man destined by God
to be Israel’s human king (McCullough)
Gospels of Matthew and Luke: Jesus as mortal
king vested with divine power (McCullough)

Arianism: Jesus lesser than God the father

Docetism: Jesus only seemed human and
appeared to die, but actually entirely spirit

Question 10

Gnostic

Answer 10

Traditional definition of “Gnostic”:
–reality of evil, good vs. evil, dualist
–spirit rather than body, material world, is man’s
true home
–rejection of mortal body, and hence of
Incarnation
–gnosis, “knowledge,” shared only by a few
–often pre-destinarian

Mary, Thomas and Judas