Christianity Flashcards
Canonical/New Testament image of Jesus
-born a jew 2000 years ago
-Jesus is the flesh of God
-born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph
-Baptized at age 30 by John the baptist
-crucified. tomb empty on the following Sunday, proved himself resurrected to a group of women. 40 days later ascended into heaven
Teaching of Jesus
-Love and equality
-God is forgiving
-No discrimination, no one is left behind
-Selfless service to everyone
-universal love
-communicated message through parables
The Last Supper
-Romans worried Jesus would stir up the people and overthrow the government
-The last supper was a seder meal (Passover food)
-Warned disciples that the end was near
-Instructions on ceremony with the bread and wine –> transubstantiation
Apocryphal/Non-canonical (Gnostic Gospels)
-not included in the New Testament
-Ex. Mary Magdalene’s Gospel consoling the disciples after Jesus’s death
-resurrection is rejected
-belief in the supreme divinity (not God)- described as the “infinite light”, beyond gender, no pronouns used
-pleroma, aeons
Pleroma
Related to heaven
Aeons
lesser divinities, metaphorical sexes for reproduction purposes
-not allowed to reproduce with themselves
-males provide the form
-females provide the matter/spirit
Aeon Sophia
-reproduced with herself
-Birthed Yaldabaoth - had a big temper, created archons (evil birds), caused too much chaos so he was tricked by other divinities into losing power
-he had no form, only spirit
*god: Yaldabaoth
*Angels: archons
Non-canonical view of Jesus
-an aeon in disguise
-sent down to tell us the message that all we need it gnosis (“knowledge”)
-gave people knowledge that they were divine and need to stop worshipping Yaldabaoth
-when you die your spirit transcends and returns to pleroma
The Pentecost
-50 days after Easter
-commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles - caused them to speak in tongues and share the message with anyone they could speak to
-after the crucifixion, resurrections, and ascension
Councils
meetings over beliefs, make creeds to give to bishops who would read them to his people
Council of Nicaea
2 schools of thought are presented:
1. Arius: God is greater than Jesus. God is eternal but Jesus was a manifestation of God that was lesser than God.
2. Jesus and God are one in the same. Never a time when Jesus did not exist
*thought 2 wins. Arius and his followers are excommunicated
*results in the Nicaean Creed - Jesus was “begotten”
Council of Ephesus
-Who is Mary?
-Did she birth a man or divinity?
-Was she divine?
*Verdict: She birthed a God
Council of Trent
-Response to Martin Luther
-Outlined Catholic teaching
-Reaffirmed: the transubstantiation, Latin as the only language, and the sacraments
Paul
-a pharisee (member of the orthodox Jewish sect, very strict)
-Troubled by Jesus
-Persecuted Jews
-Vision of Jesus telling him to stop persecuting His followers and join them. He converts and becomes the biggest advocate
-focused on converting gentiles
-got rid of the circumcision rule
-claimed you only need to identify with Jesus, not convert
Constantine
-Px symbol seen in dream with the message “in this sign, conquer”
-put this sign on a battle flag, goes to war, is victorious
-2 letter of christ name in greek
-soon people forced into Christianity
Martin Luther
-exposes church for selling of indulgences - not in the Bible
-troubled by transubstantiation, Christian mass, and the pope
-argues for sola scriptura/sole fide - rejects the idea of sacraments, only receives them through GRACE and faith alone
-You don’t need a priest, you are your own priest
-95 theses
-excommunicated by Pope Leo x
Priesthood of all believers
You don’t need a priest to meet God, you are your own priest
95 theses
-by Martin Luther King
-95 problems with the church
-nails document to the door of the church
-written in German
-beginning of the Protestant Reformation
Pope Leo x
-excommunicated Martin Luther
-translated new testament into german
John Calvin
-Wanted to introduce Switzerland to new ideas
-Break from Catholic Church and create Calvinism
-believed in predestination - God knows where you are going when your born
Kimpa Vita
-Spirit Medium
-African traditional religion
-Vision of St. Anthony at the height of a fever
-Every Friday she would die and St. Anthony would take over he vacant body, speak tongues, and spread messages
-Jesuit Church rejects her and thinks she is possessed by the devil
-reason AIC (african initiated church) was created
Bishop of Constantinople
-Becomes ruler of eastern orthodox church
-rejects purgatory
-only God creates the holy spirit
-excommunicated Bishop of Rome
Bishop of Rome
-demanded to be called the Pope
-Makes Roman Catholic Church
-Jesus and god created the Holy Spirit - Filioque
Sacraments
-Baptism, confirmation, eucharist, reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, matrimony, and holy orders
-bring you closer to God
-Protestants only have Baptism and Eucharist - different than Roman Catholics
Pentecostalism
-Charles Pharm
-pray hard enough and you can experience a baptism in the holy spirit (tongues) - anyone can experience
-rejects water baptism
-God doesn’t care about gender, race, or wealth
AIC - African Initiated Church
-One of the largest
-Jesus was born in Mbanza Kongo, parents were slaves
-Reject European missionaries
-reclaim unity and reject western church (angry after civil war)
-God is upset because of western culture
Protestantism
-rejects transubstantiation
-different from roman catholic and eastern orthodox
-Sole Fide: faith alone
-divine grace
-many denominations
-like equality
Lutheranism
-Theology of Martin Luther
-You are your own priest earn salvation through God’s grace, not sacraments
-Sola gratia/sole fide: rejects sacraments, gods grace alone
-challenges pope –> apostolic succession not in bible
Methodism
-actualized faith in humanity
salvation available for all
-faith in God should lead people into service for others
-very personal relationship with God
Anglicanism
-Slightly reformed, turn into Episcopalians
-One God who exists eternally in 3 persons
-Jesus is completely God and Humans
-Church of England
-Claims apostolic succession
-men and women can serve as leaders in the church
LDS - Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
-Joseph Smith: Visited by angle Malony, told to go to the hill in Palmyra New York, golden plate with unknown writing = Book of Mormon
-recovered OG Christianity
-Next leader Brigham Young - moved them to Utah
-Human souls created by God when he reproduces in the heavenly realm with female divinities –> anyone can become a divinity
-Proxy: if someone in your family won’t get baptized, you can have someone stand in their place and baptize them
Christian Science
-Mary Baker Eddy
-Western medicine is bogus
Healed by the bible –> bible should be read word for word
-Jesus = “Way Shower”
-Death is not real, heaven and hell don’t exist
-The Mother Church: OG church, all churches report back here, preaching and sermons are forbidden
Seventh Day Adventist
-millennialism: Christ will return to rule over earth for 1000 years
-Adventism: The Millenium will happen very soon
-Congregation: William Miller predicted the millennium in 1843. False. Predicted 1892. False Again
-Ellen White said he was right, but Jesus did a fly-by because not everyone was following the 4th commandment. Millenium will happen when everyone follows it
-rejects modern medicine
-death is a state of mind, its spiritual not real
-corn flakes created bc of them
Jehovah’s Witness
-Charels Taze Russel - 2nd coming of Christ in 1874. it was not
-spreads message door-to-door
-reject the trinity and the material world
-no modern medicine, exempt from military service, no pledge of allegiant, don’t respect the flag.
-The material world created by satan. God will destroy everything in the material world
-144,000 people will be saved in the garden of Eden after the battle of Armageddon
Roman Catholicism
-Bishop of Rome
-The West
-Jesus and God create the holy spirit - the filioque
- believes in purgatory - intermediate stage between heaven and hell
-believes in apostolic succession
Eastern Orthodox Church
-Bishop of Constantinople
-Reflects purgatory
-strict
-celebrate x-mas in January or Feb
-Orthodox - “correct”
