Incarnation Flashcards
The meaning of incarnation (2)
- The fact that God was prepared to experience being human shows how much God loves the human race
- God knows what it is like to be human, and this helps christians to value God’s love
God’s message to Joseph (4)
- Shown in Mathew’s gospel
- The angel confirms that Jesus is being sent to earth by God to save humanity from its sins
- The angel also calls ‘Emmanuel’. This is a Jewish name meaning ‘God is with us’ confirming that Jesus is the son of God
- “…for the child conceived in her is from the holy spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”
Jesus as the word of God - “And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seem his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace” (3)
- This verse confirms that Jesus is the Word (or Son) of God. The word has always existed, but took on human nature to live on earth as jesus
- The word came to earth to guide people closer to God, and to teach them how to share in his love
- The word ‘grace’ means ‘free gift’. Jesus is God’s free gift to the human race and is an expression of God’s love for humans
Jesus as fully human
Catholics believe Jesus was fully human, as he lived a complete human life filled with human experiences and emotions - this emphasised in the phrase ‘son of man’
Jesus as fully human - phrase ‘son of man’ (3)
- As a general title that any person might use to refer to themselves; in this sense, it is a title that just refers to a normal human being
- As a title for someone who has been given power and authority by God
- Jesus used this phrase when he talked about the suffering he would have to endure during his crucifixion - jesus knew his death would be great agony shows he is fully human
Jesus as fully God (son of God) (3)
- When asked if he was the “son of the blessed one?” He replied “I am”
- Jesus then went on to say “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power” - here Jesus used the title ‘son of man’ to emphasise his humanity also he said he had a share in God’s power, emphasising his divinity
- God is eternal, so has no beginning or end - so the resurrection proves that Jesus always was God
Ichthus (fish) (3)
- The letters represent a series of greek words that make up the following saying: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour
- In the early days of christianity this was a symbol of a declaration of their faith as it showed they believed Jesus Christ was the son of God and the saviour
- They also indicated that Christian meetings were being held at a time when Christians could be persecuted for their faith
Alpha and Omega (3)
- Alpha (A) is the first letter of the greek alphabet. Omega is the last
- They are used to indicate that God and Jesus are involved in everything from beginning to end
- The symbol is on the paschal candle which represents the risen christ
Chi-Rho (4)
- The symbol is a reminder of the death of Jesus
- It reminds Christians that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity through his death
- The symbol has great power to inspire Christians
- Worn as an alternative to the crucifix as an expression of their faith
Catholic attitudes towards religious art (5)
The catholic church approve it as they believe it can:
• Inspire people
• Give people something to focus on as they pray
• Help people to learn about aspects of God’s work
• Have a positive role in religious life
How does the incarnation affect Catholic attitudes towards religious art (4)
The catholic church approves of it because:
• Jesus was fully human - making it acceptable to show Jesus in human form to capture his human qualities even though know one knows what he looked like
• Jesus was fully God - makes it acceptable to show God in human form as God revealed himself on earth in the form of a human
• Jesus died to save all humanity - means jesus can be shown as a member of ethnicity as all people were affected by his death and resurrection
Reasons against religious art (4)
- It isn’t possible to portray God accurately - an infinite God can’t be accurately represented using finite human means
- Art can mislead people about what God is like - can give people the wrong ideas about what God is like
- Praying in front of an image or statue may mislead people - that the image or statue is being worshipped as a God
- It is against the second commandment - “you shall not make for yourself an idol”
Feature of the ‘sacred heart’ statue (4)
- Flames coming from the heart, which represent the burning love that Jesus has for all people
- A hole or piercing through the heart to represent one of the soldiers piercing Jesus’ side with a spear after he died
- A crown of thorns surrounding the heart to represent the crown that was placed on Jesus’ head when he was mocked by soldiers at his crucifixion
- The statue is a reminder of the total love that Jesus has for all people
Different Christian attitudes to art that portrays Jesus (4)
Some christians are against depicting Jesus because:
• The second commandment indicates it is wrong to worship images and some people may believe that Christians are worshipping statues
• Depicting Jesus can be misleading as it ignores the fact that he was fully God
• No one knows what Jesus looked like so its wrong trying to depict him through art
What are the beatitudes
Are a series of statements in which Jesus blessed certain attitudes or approaches to living, and said how people with those attitudes would be rewarded
The idea of the beatitudes
- Christians believe that Jesus ‘fulfilled’ the law - means that he generally followed the law, but he also developed it to make it more perfect
- Jesus taught that it is more important to focus on people’s attitudes because if people start with the right attitude than they will do the right thing
- E.g Jesus taught that instead of just avoiding murder, people should have a loving attitude and should avoid getting angry with others
Quotes about the beatitudes (3)
- “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”
- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”
The parable of the sheep and the goats (2)
- Is a story in the bible in which Jesus tells his followers that in serving and caring for other people,they are serving God - shows how Christians should respond to those in need
- Jesus teaches that caring other people is important because by showing love and kindness to others, Christians will be judged favourably by God and reward them with eternal life
Quote for how Jesus expects Christians to care others
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me”
