PoJ Paper Flashcards
Tolstoy
Russian
Literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centring on the Sermon on the Mount
Christian anarchist and pacifist
The Gospel in Brief
The significance of Jesus’ life lies in his moral teaching, which can be summarised as:
- Do not be angry
- Be at peace with all men
- Do not seek delight in sexual gratification
- Do not swear anything to anyone
- Do not judge
“The true meaning of Christ’s teaching consists in the recognition of love as the supreme law of life”
Wittgenstein
Read Leo Tolstoy’s Gospel in Brief
Jesus’ teachings on life were the most significant part of the Gospels, rather than his divinity
Impressed with Jesus’ commitment to the Truth and his courage to speak out against hypocrisy
Jesus was not an abstract idea but the “Living Word” - the embodiment of the external moral and inner spiritual life
Aslan
Jesus’ followers reinvented him as a gentle spiritual teacher who taught love not revolution
Most of the biblical accounts are not historically accurate, and were only changed to help spread Christianity
“His words and his teachings have been stripped of their context and transformed into abstract ethical principles that all people can abide by.”
Jesus was merely a teacher of revolution, not the son of God
Palm Sunday and the Clearing of the Temple show he was a political revolutionary
He was a hero even though his revolution failed
“Took on the religious and political powers of his day on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed, the marginalized and the weak”
Liberation (Include SGF Brandon, Leonardo Boff, Gerald O’Collins in paragraph, but they are on separate cards)
Liberation theology explores the relationship between Christian theology and far-left political activism, especially in relation to economic justice, poverty, and human rights
Jesus’ preference towards the poor sets an example for Christians
Jesus’ actions show favour towards the poor and exploited – those who were the ‘underside of history’
St Oscar Romero
Bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador and Archbishop of San Salvador
Spoke out against social injustice amid growing war between left and right wing forces
Condemned the repression and challenged those in power
“The word of God is like the light of the sun, it illuminates beautiful things but also things which we would rather not see.”
Injustice in El Salvador: women treated as second class citizens, unfair elections, imprisonment for government criticism, vast economic inequality, civil war
“We know that every effort to improve society … God demands of us”
Never publicly identified as a liberation theologist, but said it was a Christian’s duty to live in the example of Christ
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
Teachings on the afterlife
Suggests that the Kingdom of God is a future state and a restoration of justice
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
There is no going back on actions – now is the time to help others
Mark 12:17
“Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus himself showing he is not here as a political leader or liberator, but as a religious figure
Augustine
Jesus is all God and all human - the hypostatic union
Ressurection
Catholic Church sees the resurrection as so miraculous and full of meaning that they call it a mystery rather than just a miracle
It’s not just a symbol but that it really happene
“The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is a real event.’ (CCC 489)
How the disciples died demonstrate their faith in the resurrection, they would not have martyred themselves unless this was a unique event
Garden of Gethsemane
All three synoptic gospels use a detailed account of Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
Shows just how truly human Jesus was
He seemed afraid of death, which goes against the image of him being divine
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Healing of the Blind Man
Walking on water
Jesus’ miracles are signs of his divinity
Help to assure people of the truth of Christianity, and especially Jesus’ status as son of God
Especially true of the miracles reported in the Gospels
Signs that Jesus is someone special- someone distinctive
“The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him … so miracles strengthen faith in the one who does his Father’s works; they bear witness that he is the son of God”
The Gospel of John
Not always a straight forward, historical account of what Jesus said
Many New Testament Scholars, like E.P. Sanders, would regard the writing within John not to be a historical account, but a theological discussion
The words of the Gospel belong more to John than Jesus
This would mean that miracles such as raising Lazarus from the dead, may not be accurate
John Hick
Pluralist - saw all the great religions as equally having insight into God
The idea of Jesus being God is too exclusive, it implies that Christianity ought to be regarded by Christians as having a unique status
Wanted Christianity to have a God centred vision rather than a Christo-centric one
Hick didn’t believe Christianity was special, one of his books was even titled ‘The Myth of Christian Uniqueness’
The idea of incarnation just makes no sense
A man being human and divine is like “squaring a circle”
Leonardo Boff
A founding member of Liberation Theology
Christianity does not teach that we accept suffering and wait for heaven, but that we try and confront the political authority and change society, so it becomes fair
Theology must be ‘A Christology that proclaims Jesus Christ as liberator’
Christianity should engage with Marxism as it is a good tool for theology but liberation theology is not the same as Marxism
“Marx is a useful ‘companion on the way’, there is only one teacher, Jesus Christ.”
If the Christian message of Jesus remains the main priority then Marxism should be engaged with
SGF Brandon
Jesus and the Zealots (1967)
The historical Jesus was a politically driven freedom fighter but later representations of him in the gospels toned this down and rewrote passages to make him a pacifist
