Incarnation - Paper 1 Flashcards
1
Q
Stories of Jesus’ birth : Luke’s account
A
- Focuses on Mary’s role in the incarnation
- Tells the story of when the angel Gabriel visited Mary
- Shows that it is important to God that humans have free will
- Mary gives consent “let it be according to your word”
- Through Jesus’ birth God is fulfilling his promises to the Jews
2
Q
Stories of Jesus’ birth : Matthew’s account
A
- Focuses on Joseph’s part in the incarnation
- Tells the story of how Joseph planned to end his relationship with Mary as she was pregnant before marriage
- An angel tells Joseph in his dreams that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit
3
Q
Stories of Jesus’ birth : Main Points
A
- Mary was a virgin
- God worked through human beings to bring about his plan for humanity
- Jesus was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit
- Jesus was the Son of God
4
Q
Jesus as the Word of God
A
- “And the Word became flesh and lived among us” - John
- Shows Jesus is the Word and had always existed and he came down to earth to guide people closer to God and to teach them how to share his love.
5
Q
How is Jesus considered fully human?
A
- He lived a complete human life filled human experiences and emotions
- Jesus taught that “the Son of Man must undergo great suffering” showing that Jesus was fully human as he knew that, as a human, his crucifxion would cause him great pain
6
Q
How is Jesus considered fully God?
A
- Jesus acknowledged he was the Son of God saying “I am” when the high priest asked if he was the Son of God.
- God is eternal meaning Jesus’ resurrection proves that Jesus always was God
7
Q
Moral teachings of Jesus : The Beatitudes
A
- Jesus taught that it is more important to focus on people’s attitudes.
- The Beatitudes are statements which Jesus blessed certain attitudes or approaches to living.
- “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” and “Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy” and “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God”
8
Q
Moral teachings of Jesus : the parable of the Sheep and the Goats
A
- A story that shows that in caring and serving other people, they are serving God.
- ‘I was hungry and you gave me food’, ‘I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink’ - Matthew
- It also teaches us that Christians will be judged favourably by God if we are kind
9
Q
St Irenaeus’ teachings about Jesus
A
- God is invisible: he is beyond human sight and understanding
- But Christians can get to know what God is like through Jesus
- Because Jesus is the Son of God, he displays qualities of God
- Jesus ‘revealed God to men’
- Christians can develop a better understanding of God’s nature through Jesus’ actions and life
10
Q
Ichthus (fish) symbol
A
Used as a decleration of their faith in the early days of Christianity.
11
Q
Alpha and Omega symbols
A
- Indicates that God and Jesus are involved in everything from beginning to end
- Used in many places in churches, vestments etc.
12
Q
Chi-Rho symbol
A
- Reminder of the death of Jesus
- Reminds Christians that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity through his death
13
Q
Reasons against religious art
A
- It isn’t possible to portray God accurately because an infinite God cannot be accurately represented using finite human means.
- Art can mislead people about what God is like.
- It is against the second commandment “You shall not worship false idols” as some may get the impression that the image or statue is being worshipped as God.
14
Q
Reasons for religious art (Catholic beliefs)
A
- Jesus was fully human so it makes it acceptable to show Jesus in human form.
- Jesus was fully God so it makes it acceptable to show God in human form.
- Jesus died for all of humanity so he can be shown as a member of any ethnicity because all the people in the world were affected by his death and resurrection.
15
Q
The Sacred Heart statue features
A
- An expression of peace and love
- A crown of thorns surrounding the heart to represent the crown placed on Jesus’ head
- Flames coming from the heart which represent the burning love that Jesus has for all people