Christology Flashcards
Do the Gospels give us Jesus’ actual words? Explain your answer
No they don’t, because the Gospels are written based on the communities understanding of Jesus, - his most important thoughts & expressions are what is written down
What two words do scholars agree were used by Jesus in a distinctive way? What was distinctive about Jesus’ use of words?
Abba
He was the only one who called God this - it’s like, calling God: “Dad” - an intimate way of addressing him
Amen
It was a word of confirmation, usually said after something - but Jesus usually started his teachings with it - affirming
what he was about to say
Why do Christians believe they can trust the Gospels to accurately convey the truth if Jesus’ teaching?
Christian’s believe the Gospel were written. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit
In what ways did Jesus follow the traditional Jewish format of public speaking? Why did he speak in these ways?
He spoke politically, using symbolism and hyperbole, because he wanted to properly engage with his listeners.
He also supported his teachings by quoting the Bible, as was the custom because the Bible was like the law book. He demonstrated his knowledge of the Bible by referencing it frequently and often puts his own “twist“ on it, as well as the common practice.
One of his most famous quotes: “turn the other cheek“ is from Lamentations
Identify and briefly define the four main styles of speech that Jesus use in his teaching
Pronouncements - a “punch line” - the main message Jesus wanted to get across, it was often wrapped in a story, labelled: “Pronouncement Stories”
Eg. Picking corn on the Sabbath
Instructions for disciples - instructions for followers, they sometimes incorporate “Short Sayings” or “Pronouncement Stories”
Eg. The Lord’s Prayer
Parables - “parable” comes from the Greek word for “comparison”. They are specifically supposed to refer to Jesus’ stories about the Kingdom of God
Eg. The Prodigal Son
They usually incorporate similes
Explain Matthew’s organization of the Sermon in the Mount
He put them in a collection
Why did Jesus often conclude his parables with a surprise ending?
The other surprise ending to keep the listeners alert, or catch them off guard Dash to make them think about the lesson he was teaching
List and describe the four main themes by which we can categorize Jesus’ parables. What is the common thread that runs through all these themes?
Descriptions of the King – they describe God, his “nature”, his qualities and his attitudes dealing with people and other things
“Kingdom” Responses – tell us how we should act if we want to make heaven
Relationships with Our Neighbors – talk about other peoples relationships with each other and the world
The Fulfillment of the Kingdom – talk about the kingdom coming into its fullness
Why might a parable be used, or even modified, to teach different lessons in different gospels?
Jesus may have used the same story more than once to illustrate different points, so the Gospel authors just chose different stories to write about
List three suggestions that can make the parables more enjoyable and enlightning for us
Look for the key message (moral)
Look for the hidden questions
Compare the answers to the parables we would give, to the ones given in the Bible
Identify and describe the kinds of miracles found in the Gospels
Healing Miracles - Jesus healing people miraculously
Exorcisms - Jesus driving evil spirits out of people
Restorations of Life - Jesus raising people from the dead
Nature Miracles - Jesus exerts control over the elements
Why are Jesus’ miracles of special significance!
They show the power of God manifesting to Jesus - without doing anything his words wouldn’t carry much weight
What is the Fundamentalist response to the gospel miracles?
Taking the Gospel miracles at face value
Why should Christians avoid extreme positions regarding the historical accuracy of the miracle accounts?
It we get too caught up in the logistics, we risk missing the truth behind the story
Briefly summarize the evidence given to uphold the conviction of Jesus did work some miracles
Some non-Christian historians describe Jesus as a wonder worker so he obviously had some impact
What persistent problem regarding the miracles exist even for those who accept them all literally?
The Gospels seem to disagree with each other about the same events
How do the differences be in the modern Western worldview and that of the ancient Jews help to explain the ancient Jews’ understanding of miracles?
The modern world tends to use science to explain the world, whereas the Jews used God to explain everything and he was active in peoples lives daily, unlike how people think today
The conditions they were living in made them more willing to accept the miracles
Why would the engine juice have viewed any cure of illness as overcoming the power of evil?
Sickness & insanity were seen a the direct manifestation of the power of evil
Why should we hesitate to condemn the ancient Jews for the treatment of physically and mentally ill people?
They stayed away from them, cause they were scared of contamination
What did the Gospel writers try to say about Jesus through the miracle stories?
That because God was using Jesus to heal people like this, he was the Messiah
Why can the meaning of the miracles be explained only from a faith perspective?
Significance of the miracles ARE the religious side Jesus said he needed people to have faith in him before he healed anyone
What is the key to understanding the miracles of Jesus? What realities are the core of the miracles?
Acknowledging the relationship the miracles have with the Kingdom of God
The realities at the core of the miracles are:
God‘s promise of unconditional love
God’s commitment to poor people in outcasts of society
God‘s complete control over the power of sin and evil
God’s offer of complete reconciliation
God’s presence incarnated in the Jesus of history
Name two things and motivated Jesus to perform miracles
Love, & God wanted to show his power over creation - especially sin and evil
What happens when people have faith in Jesus and his message? Give an example to illustrate your answer
A real miracle happens in their hearts they are liberated not only from lameless but also for example from legalism
