T6: Incarnation Flashcards
Incarnation
God came to Earth as human flesh.
What is the Annunciation?
The announcement to Mary that she will be the Mother of Jesus.
Summarise The Annunciation - Luke
- Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive and give birth to a son, named Jesus, who will be the Son of God.
- Free will is important so he gave Mary the choice and she agrees saying ‘Let it be with me according to your word’
- Gabriel’s message is for all believers, as through Jesus’ birth, God is fulfilling his promise to the Jews.
- Jesus is fully human and fully God.
Summarise the Virgin Birth - Matthew
- Tells the story of how Joseph was going to break up with Mary because she was pregnant before they were married.
- But an angel visited Joseph, telling him the news that she was conceived by the Holy Spirit and confirms that Jesus is being sent down to Earth by God to save humanity from sins.
- The angel called Jesus ‘Emanuel’ meaning ‘God with us’ confirming Jesus is the Son of God.
Compare Luke and Matthew’s accounts of The Annunciation
- Luke’s account focuses on Mary’s role in the incarnation but Matthew’s account focuses on Joeseph’s role in the incarnation
- Matthew wrote his account for Jewish Christians, Luke wrote his for non-Jewish Christians.
- They both have the same message and points: Mary was a virgin, God worked through humans to bring about his plan for humanity, Jesus was the Son of God and Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
What is the messages of St Irenaeus’ writings?
- Jesus is the meeting point between God and humans.
- Jesus is the Glory of God
- The incarnation is important because Jesus helped humans to come to know God.
Fully Human
It’s dangerous to focus on Jesus’ humanity because there is a tendency to fally into the heresy that Jesus was not really God - Just a very good person.
* ‘Jesus Christ, therefore the word made flesh, was sent as a man to men’ - Dei Verbum 4 (2nd Vatican Council)
Fully God
It’s Dangerous to focus on Jesus’ divinity to much because there is a tendency to fall into the heresy that Jesus only appeared to be human - that he was God in disguise.
* ‘The eternal word become small - Small enough to fit into manger’
The Word of God
- God the Father is expressing himself through Jesus - just as humans use words to express themselves meaning humans can get to know God through Jesus
- ‘In the beginning was the word - The word (Jesus) has always existed’
The Beattitudes
- First part of the Sermon on the Mount.
- 8 Attitudes that are holy (blessed by God)
- Jesus fulfilled the law, following it and making it better.
- In the Old Testament, the law mainly focused on the actions people should or shouldn’t do but Jesus taught that it is more important to focus on people’s attitudes. E.G ‘Do not commit murder’ —-> Do not even get angry at someone.
- The Beattitudes are a series of statements in which Jesus blessed certain attitudes/approaches to living and said how people will be rewared for them. E.G ‘Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the Earth’ and ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God’
What is the message of The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat?
This is a story in the Bible in which Jesus tells his followers that in serving and caring for people, they are serving God. This shows christians how they should respond to those in need. Jesus teaches caring for people is extremely important. By showing love and kindness, christians will be judged favourably by God and rewarded with eternal life in heaven.
What does the Ichthus symbol represent?
- Letters represent the Greek words which say: Jesus Christ, Son of God, and the Saviour.
- In early christianity, the ichthus was used by christians as a declaration of their faith, as it showed they believd Jesus christ was the Son of God and the Saviour.
What does the Alpha and Omega symbol represent?
Alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter representing the belief that God is involved in everything from beginning to end of life and God is eternal.
What does the Chi-Rho symbol represent?
- First two letters of the greek word for ‘Christ’ (X and P)
- This represents the belief that Jesus is God and through his death, he saved all humans - brought them back into relationship with God.
What does the Christ the Redeemer statue represent?
- The outstretched arms are a reminder of the cross in which Jesus accepted death and a symbol of Jesus’ eternal love and obedience to God the Father.
- Also shows that Jesus’ love takes in all people; no one is excluded from God’s love.
