Exploring the Religions

of Our World
Chapter 3 Christianity
 Chapter 3 Christianity

Background many
churches

many many
Christianity
doctrines denominations

same
core beliefs
 Chapter 3 Christianity

History
Jesus of Nazareth:
 birth was a fulfillment of Jewish prophecy
 was the long awaited Jewish Messiah
 taught: the kingdom of God was at hand
 was publicly crucified for being an
insurrectionist
 rose from the dead, changing the lives of his
followers
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Periods of Christian History

Page 83
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History – two major and lasting divisions

1. The Great Schism (1054)
Contributing factors:
 Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium
 Increased power of the bishop of Rome
 The spread of Islam in the East
 Differences in customs
 The filioque controversy
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History – two major and lasting divisions (continued)

2. The Protestant Reformation (1517)
Contributing factors:
 interference by kings in Church affairs
 cooperation between church and state
 growth of temporal power in the Western
Church
 the Avignon Papacy
 Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses
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Movements within Protestantism

Fundamentalism – holds that what is written in the
Bible is to be understood in its most literal sense

Evangelicalism – emphasizes a personal faith in

Jesus Christ and the Bible as the sole religious
authority

Pentecostalism – emphasizes the gifts of the Holy

Spirit
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Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures

The Christian Bible includes:
The
Hebrew
The Scriptures
Christian
Bible The
New
Testament
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Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures (continued)

To compose the sacred books, God

chose certain men who, all the while
he employed them in this task, made
full use of their own faculties and
powers so that, though he acted in
them and by them, it was as true
authors that they consigned to writing
whatever he wanted written, and no more.
Dei Verbum no. 11
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Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures (continued)

Gospels Acts of the Apostles

stories of the history of the early
life of Jesus Christian communities
The
New
Testament
Epistles Book of Revelation
letters of the early an apocalyptic work
Christian communities
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Christians Agree On Christians Disagree On

 The authoritative  The authoritative books in
books in the New the Hebrew Bible: 39 vs. 46
Testament
 The interpretation of the
 The thirty-nine
books in the Old Bible: Magisterium vs.
Testament private/personal
 The Bible is the  The “Book of the Church”
inspired word of God vs. the “Church of the
Book”
 Scripture vs. Sacred
Tradition
 Biblical inerrancy
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Beliefs and Practices
Creed – articulates Christian beliefs
The Apostles’ Creed (c. AD 150)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by
the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into
hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into
heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from then
He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
 Chapter 3 Christianity
Beliefs and Practices (continued)
The Nicean Creed (AD 325)
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all
that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light true God from
True God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father, through him all things
were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the
power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our
sake he was he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into
heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the
Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through
the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge
one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and
the life of the world to come.
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Beliefs and Practices (continued)

Jesus
second person of
The Trinity Sin
the Trinity;
one God in three closed the gates
God in the flesh
divine persons of heaven

Redemption
God chose to save The Bible
humanity The Church offers instructions
on Christian living
through Jesus the “new Israel”
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Sacred Times
Ordinar
The Liturgical Calendar y
Time

Advent Jesus:
life, death, Easter
resurrection

Christmas
Lent
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Sacred Times (continued)

Sunday Sacraments
a “little Easter” given by Christ

Prayer
formal and
informal
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Sacred Places and Sacred Spaces

Churches - where the community

comes together for worship and
fellowship
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Other Christian Denominations through a Catholic Lens

 catholic means “universal”

The Catholic Church holds:

 the fullness of Christ’s body
 the fullness of the means to salvation
 the fullness of faith
 the sacraments
 the ordained ministry from the Apostles
 universality
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Vocabulary
 sect  Pope  Incarnation
 denominations  Crusades  Original sin
 doctrines  Magisterium  Church
 Messiah  Transubstantiation  Advent
 blasphemy  rationalists  Epiphany
 Apostles  empiricists  Lent
 Gentile  Apocalyptic  Pentecost
 Council  Canon  Sacraments
 Epistles  Heresy  Icons
 Martyr  Apocryphal  Church Fathers
 Patriarchates  Apologetics  Inerrancy