Development of Christian Thought - Death and the Afterlife Flashcards
What 3 things can Jesus’ teachings on the Kingdom of God be interpreted as?
.An actual place
.A spiritual state
.A symbol of the moral life for Christians
Explain the Kingdom of God as a present, actual state
.a call for moral and spiritual reform
.presented in the gospels
.Jesus’ parables and moral example emphasizes that now is the time to overcome racial prejudice, discrimination and the failings of established religious practices
Why is the purple significant in the rich man and Lazarus parable?
A royal colour
Why is the mention of Abraham significant in the rich man and Lazarus parable?
Founding father (patriarch) of Judaism
Why is the mention of Hades significant in the rich man and Lazarus parable?
Greek word for hell
What is meant by ‘they have moses and the prophets’ in the rich man and Lazarus parable?
The Torah and the teachings within (ten commandments)
What does the parable of the rich man and lazarus reinforce?
reinforces the message that the Kingdom is something Jesus taught
Define eschatology
discussion of end times/judgement in theology
What is Jesus’ eschatology? What does he preach?
Jesus’ eschatology is traditional and he preaches that the future Kingdom is a state where the righteous live in perfect harmony with God in a redeemed world
What does St Paul say about the future heavenly state?
St Paul says that before Christ humans were only able to see the future heavenly state dimly or through a ‘dark glass’ but now it is possible to glimpse that the future will be like ‘clearly’
What does john the divine say about the future heavenly state?
Jesus’ sacrificial death has washed away sin so that the righteous may live in New Jerusalem and experience the joy of God’s presence
Who is john the divine?
Author of the book of revelation
Isaiah 25:5-6, KoG as a present, actual state
’Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.’ Isaiah 25:5-6
Jeremiah 12:1, KoG as a restoration of Justice
‘Why does the way of the guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?’
Jesus response to Jeremiah 12:1
Jesus argues that the wicked have enjoyed their ‘reward’ ad so as a matter of Justice will be excluded from the future Kingdom
What parable is commonly referred to to illustrate the KoG as restoration of Justice
Richman and Lazarus found in the Gospel of Luke
What was one of the main purposes of the Rich man and Lazarus?
One of the purposes of the Richman and Lazarus was to challenge the common belief that being wealthy and powerful on Earth was a sign of God’s blessing
What did Jesus preach that got you rewarded in the afterlife?
Jesus preached that it was charitable deeds and God’s grace that determined just treatment and reward in the afterlife not necessarily success in life
Some scholars beliefs around a different intepretation of the Rich man and Lazarus
Some scholars have also suggested that the rich man nay have meant to be a wealthy Sadducee. The Sadducees were Jewish priests who maintained the temple in Jerusalem. They did not believe in the afterlife. The story can be interpreted, therefore, as a way of challenging Jewish non-belief in the afterlife during Jesus’ lifetime.
Summarise the KoG as a present, actual state
Jesus has given us teachings to bring about spiritual reform
Summarise the KoG as a future, actual state
The Kingdom of God will arrive at the end of the world when the righteous reunite with God in the ‘New Jerusalem’
Summarise the KoG as a resurrection of Jesus
We are rewarded with the Kingdom of God if we live our lives with kindness and obedience to God
What are Jesus’ teachings on eschatology deeply routed in?
Jewish eschatology
What is pharisaic judaism?
the most popular strain of Jewish thought in Jesus’ lifetime
What did Pharisaic Judaism teach about the death?
the dead were resurrected in the afterlife
that the soul was immortal
that the souls of good people would be reincarnated
whereas the souls of wicked people would suffer eternal punishment
What was central to Jesus’ understanding of his own resurrection?
.it would prompt God to establish a new world order/kingdom
.This is while the saints, martyrs and his followers would be guaranteed a place in this new kingdom
Mark 1:14
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near’
Mark 9:1
‘Truly i tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power’
Luke 11:20
‘But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you’
What does Mark 1:14 suggest the KoG is?
A future, actual state
What does Mark 9:1 suggest the KoG is?
Future, actual state and restoration of justice
What does Luke 11:20 suggest the KoG is?
A present, actual state
In Revelations it says ‘God’s dwelling place is now among the people’ , what does this mean?
God will live with his people
In Revelations it says ‘The new Jerusalem’ , what does this mean?
the Kingdom of God (KoG)
In Revelations it says ‘The Alpha and the Omega’ , what does this mean?
First and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is eternal and so is the new Jerusalem
In Revelations it says ‘Those who are victorious will inherit all this … the idolaters and all liars’ , what does this mean?
It is talking about the restoration of Justice
What is the role of Parousia?
the arrival of Christ after the resurrection – his role is to judge the world and select those who have lived a god life to live eternally in the world, now restored and renewed by God
What did many early Christians think about a new era based on some passages from the New testament?
.Some passages in the New Testament suggest that many early Christians thought that they were living on the threshold of a new era
.They seem to have expected the resurrected Jesus to return shortly and herald in the new glorious state
What is millenarianism and who is it central to?
.Millenarianism is the belief in a future (and typically imminent) thousand-year age of blessedness, beginning with or culminating in the second coming of Christ. It is central to the teaching of groups such as Adventists, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
Mathew quote about who gets what in the kingdom of God
‘Those who are first in this life will be last, and the last will be first’
Summarise the parable of the sheep ad goats
.When the time comes Jesus, king of heaven, is going to judge us all
.Jesus will let the people that helped others into heaven (sheep)
.But banish those that did not help others to hell (goats)
What is the key message of The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
.Do good in this life and help people now as there is no going back on your actions
What does The Parable of the Sheep and Goats teach about heaven
.People who go are blessed
.They receive an inheritance (presumably not money, but a metaphor for the kingdom)
.Only achievable if you are good in this life
What does The Parable of the Sheep and Goats teach about hell
.Cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels
.Didn’t help people and did bad in this life so are punished
Why is Jesus referred to as son of MAN
shows his authority but also his human aspects
What does The Parable of the Sheep and Goats suggest about the KoG
is a future state and a restoration of justice
What is Jesus acting as in the parable of the sheep and goats? How is he going about doing this?
Jesus is acting as a judge, judging who is good and who is bad
Being able to tell the difference between sheep and goats is very difficult, Jesus is not judging based on appearance, but rather what is within them
What does the parable of the sheep and goats teach about being good?
To be good means to be a good person and do good and make good relationships with other people, help the poor and needy
You can’t just help for a reward, it has to be for good
When is the time to take action according to the parable of the sheep and goats?
There is no going back on actions – now is the time to help others
Define predestined
before you’re born your fate has already been decided
Define good works
charity and being kind
What is the traditional jewish teaching on the afterlife
Traditional Judaism has no specific teaching on the afterlife
What is sheol in the hebrew bible
.In the Hebrew bible, Sheol is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of moral choice in life, a place of stillness and darkness cut off from life but no God
Psalm 139:8 and meaning
‘If I ascend to Heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold you are there’, meaning no matter where you go God is there
What are the inhabitants of Sheol like
The inhabitants of Sheol are the ‘shades’ (rephaim), entities without personality and strength
Does the Tanakh reference existence after death?
The Tanakh has few references to existence after death
Where do any notions of resurection of the dead appear in the bible?
Daniel 12 and Isiah 25-26
What do Orthodox Jews believe about Gehenna
Orthodox Jews believe that punishment in the form of the modern concept Gehenna, is not a punishment but rather an act of purification
Where does Dante give his account of hell, purgatory and heaven?
Divine Comedy (1308)
Dante Aligieri basic life facts
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was born in Florence, Italy and was a statesman and poet
What does the Divine Comedy desribe?
Dante’s journey through Hell, purgatory and heaven guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil
Who is Dante’s theology indebted to?
Thomas Aquinas
Describe the Circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno
.As you go down the punishments get worse, from not being in God’s presence to having continuous rain to being placed head first in holes with their legs exposed and burnt
.Lust is at the top and treachery at the bottom
.Each section is for each sin but holds many different types of sinners (the violence layer holds suicide, blasphemers and more)
What does Augsutine say about the parable of the sheep and goats?
.God has predestined those who have ben saved, and those who have been condemmed
.It is Gods grace that saved them
.The sheep and the goats are born that way, they cannot change species