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RELG class notes

The document discusses the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, highlighting shared beliefs and the Jewish roots of Christian faith. It outlines key aspects of Jesus' life as a Jew and the continuity of Hebrew Scriptures in Christianity, alongside the creedal statements defining Christian beliefs. Additionally, it touches on contemporary themes in Christianity, emphasizing the personal connection to faith and the distinctive features of the New Testament.

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3 views7 pages

RELG class notes

The document discusses the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, highlighting shared beliefs and the Jewish roots of Christian faith. It outlines key aspects of Jesus' life as a Jew and the continuity of Hebrew Scriptures in Christianity, alongside the creedal statements defining Christian beliefs. Additionally, it touches on contemporary themes in Christianity, emphasizing the personal connection to faith and the distinctive features of the New Testament.

Uploaded by

pkass727
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 2: Searching for Christian Foundations (Feb 12)

●​ Judaism & Christianity


●​ Religious Genealogies

Jewish perspectives on christianity

Dabru Emet - Speak the Truth (Sept 2000): A Rabbinic Statement on Christianity and Christians
1.​ Jews and Christians worship the same God
2.​ Jews and Christians seek authority from the same book
3.​ Christians can respect the claim of the Jews on the land of Israel
4.​ Jews and Christians together accept the moral principles of the Torah
(Pentateuch)
5.​ The religious differences between Jews and Christians will not be settled until
God redeems the entire world as promised in scripture and no-one should be pressed into believing
another’s belief
6.​ Jews and Christians must work together for justice and peace

Jesus and Judaism

-​ Born of a Jewish mother


-​ His genealogy was Jewish
-​ Lived in Palestine/Israel
-​ Circumcised and presented to the temple
-​ All his relatives and disciples were Jewish
-​ Regularly worshipped in synagogues
-​ Preached from the Jewish scriptures
-​ Referred to as a “rabbi”
-​ Celebrated the Jewish festivals to the very end of his life
Judaism as the “root” of Christian Faith

“And you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree,do not
boast over the branches.
If you do boast, remember that it is not you that supports the root, but the root that supports you.”
(Romans 11:17-18)

Christianity as an Extension of Judaism


Late medieval painting portraying how the Church represents an extension of the Jewish Synagogue or
Temple.

Jewish-Christian Continuities
●​ Hebrew Scriptures
-​ The canonical authority of the Hebrew Scriptures as an integral part of the Christian
scriptures.
-​ Defined as “Old Testament” pointing towards the “New Testament”

An “old testament” of christianity is the Hebrew scriptures.

Fulfilling the Message of the Hebrew Prophets


“All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet…”
“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…”

Torah
●​ Jesus comes to fulfill the law
→ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish
but to fulfill. Matthew 5: 17
●​ Jesus is the “culmination (telos) of the law (torah-nomos)” Romans 10:4

New Moses
Transfiguration of Jesus
Creedal Statements:

1.​ Belief in God the Father


-​ Its putting your faith in something
-​ Personal and also communal
-​ Sense of kinship with the divine

2.​ Belief in God the Son


-​ One Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of god
-​ They believe: Jesus is the entry of God into history

3.​ Belief in Incarnation


-​ “He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”
-​ God entering into human condition
-​ Mary, the vessel of that incarnation

4.​ Crucifixion
-​ Last days of his life, his arrest, his trial, his crucifixion, his suffering, his death, his burial

5.​ Resurrection
-​ He descended to the dead
-​ On the third day he rose again
-​ The resurrection is not just re-animation, but christ comes back to life in a new way,
re-born
-​ Continuation of the fusion of humanity with divinity is from here on now till eternity;
humanity is embedded with the divine
-​ Almost a cosmic significance

6.​ Ascension
-​ Ascension of Christ into heaven
-​ He is seated at the right hand of the Father
-​ Means: the presence of Christ now continues, his presence is still active, combining
humanity with divinity
-​ Beginning of his heavenly reign
-​ Right hand: position of honour, authority

7.​ Second Coming and Last Judgement


-​ “He will come again to judge the living and the dead”
-​ Christians believe: we’re not just living in secular history, but salvation history.

8.​ Holy Spirit


-​ “I believe in the Holy Spirit”
-​ The belief of God as father, son and holy spirit
9.​ Holy Catholic Church
-​ The communion of saints
-​ That's where we believe in God and Jesus

10.​ Communion of Saints


-​ The forgiveness of sins
-​ “We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins”
-​ We come into the spiritual jounrey as sinners, in need of redemption

11.​ Resurrection
-​ The resurrection of the body
-​ Referring to our own existence as humans. We are going to transcend
-​ Radical emphasis on the significance of our body after existence

12.​ Eternal Life


-​ And life everlasting
-​ Life beyond life

What is missing in these Creeds?


-​ There is no reference to any scripture, the bible, the book of revelations?

Themes in Contemporary Christianity: Personalizing Christian Faith

●​ The modern quest for personal connection


-​ Historial Mark Noll describes major movements in modern Christianity as: “a symphony
of variations on a common theme”.
-​ “The need to move beyond sterile formulas about God to a more intimate experience
with him.”
-​ Charles Taylor, A Secular Age: “At the heart of [modern] reform movements in Western
religion is the notion that the relationship to faith needs to be “personal”, “I have to
adhere, in a personal commitment, to God, to Christ, to the Church.”
●​ Mainstream protestant christianity
-​ “Man is by nature constituted for personal union with God, and in that sense, he is
naturally spiritual, but he is not actually spiritual until or unless he has actually entered
into the union with God for which his nature has constituted him...human nature is
constituted for such personal relationship with God.”
●​ Evangelical protestant christianity
-​ “My one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which
comes from knowing Christ.” Billy Graham
●​ Catholic Christianity
-​ Christianity is not an opinion, nor does it consist of empty words. Christianity is Christ! It
is a Person, a Living Person!”
-​ To meet Jesus, to love him and make him loved: this is the Christian vocation. .. to enter
into a more authentic and more personal relationship with Jesus.
Lecture 3: New Testament Foundations (Feb 14)

The New Testament

Distinctive features of the christian scriptures:

●​ Clear recognition of human authorship in the text itself (or attributed by tradition)
●​ Text written in koine Greek, not Hebrew or Aramic (the languages used by Jesus)
●​ Translatability of Scripture (today close to 3000 translations)

Centrality of the Gospels

-​ 4 gospels
Structure of the Gospel Narratives

-​ Prologues
-​ Life and ministry of Jesus
-​ Passion narratives

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