Christianity Flashcards
General common belief
Uniqueness of Jesus and that he provided for the redemption of mankind by his death and was himself ressurected from the dead
largest religion in the world
2 billion followers
34,000 denominations
Virgin birth
“Immaculate Conception”
- Source of contention
Sadducees
Wealthy aristocrats who held powerful positions. The majority of the 70 seats of the Sanhedrin were Sadducees
Denied the resurrection of the dead, the after,ice and the existence of the spiritual world. Didn’t believe in spiritual things. Self-sufficient
Pharisees
Popular middle-class businessmen Held a minority number of seats in the Sanhedrin, but were powerful because of the support of the people
Zealots
Group of Jews who were passionate upholders of a policy of armed rebellion against Rome. Believed that meek submission to Roman slavery meant forsaking God
Paul
- Important missionary
- miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus
- Wrote 14 of the books in the NT
- “the Second Founder of Christianity”
- organized the beliefs of early Christianity
- provided guidance for new churches
Judaism vs. Christianity
For Christians, a belief in Jesus replaced the need to follow the laws of Moses (Judaism)
Christians allow Gentiles to become Christians without first becoming Jewish
Eucharist
At first it was a simple event of commemoration of the death of Jesus, but it evolved into a symbolic ritual in which the bread and wine represented the body and blood of Christ
Gnostics
- Believed that divinity existed within all human beings and that a redeemer figure would come to reconnect humanity’s divinity with its maker
- Labeled as heretics since they denied the humanity of Jesus, saying rather that he was purely spirit
Nag Hammadi library
- Nag Hammadi is a city located on the West Bank of the Nile in Egypt
- most famous book in the library = the Gospel of Thomas
Augustine
Confessions & City of God
Original sin, the fall of man, and predestination
Early Christians in Roman Empire
Persecuted because they didn’t accept and worship the Roman gods
Thomas Aquinas
Reconcile faith and reason
Said there is a point when you need divine revelation
–> book “Summa Theologiae”
Reformation
16th century movement
–> Martin Luther
• founder of the Protestant Reformation
• 95 Theses
–> John Calvin
• the greatest and most influential mind of the movement
–> Ulrich Zwingli
• Switzerland
• theology = simpler (when compared to Luther and Calvin)
• said the Bible was the absolute authority
Catholic Counter-Reformation
• reaffirm principles that had been under Protestant attack…
- -> role of good works in salvation: grace is NOT enough for salvation. Need works too
- -> seven sacraments: Protestants accept 2 only
- -> transubstantiation: the changing of bread and wine INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS
- -> purgatory: the place where the souls of sinners are purified after death and before entering heaven
7 sacraments
Baptism, confirmation, penance, Eucharist, extreme unction, marriage, & holy orders
Immaculate Conception
–> Catholics
• Mary not only conceived as a virign, but was born without the taint of original sin
• controversial topic
Methodist Church
John Wesley
Ecumenical movement
Attempted to close the gap between the various Christian branches and move towards a reunification of Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Church
- Allows its priests to marry
- doesn’t consider itself under the authority of the church
- use icons to decorate church
- doesn’t believe that Mary was born sinless
Pentecost
- Commemorates the Holy Spirits descent upon the disciples fifty days after Jesus’ Ressurection
- also recognized in Judaism, though they use the holiday to commemorate the giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai
3 main branches
1) Roman Catholic Church
2) Eastern Orthodox Church
3) Protestant Denominations
Orthodox Church
- do not recognize the pope’s supremacy
- do not accept the Holy Spirit to be on the same level with the other 2
- priests may marry
- allow infants to receive communion
- churches highly decorated
- believe in transubstantiation
- combination of grace and works (like Catholics)
Protestant denomination
- Grace alone as the source for salvation
* Jesus is present only symbolically in the Eucharist
Catholics
- Combination of grace and works for salvation
* transubstantiation in the Eucharist
