Christianity - The Community of Believers

what does Didache mean

the name for the teachings of the apostles of Jesus

what does Kerygma mean

proclamation, announcement or preaching

what is Pentecost

the event in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, filling them with its power

what does Acts 2:42-47 say

“they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

what are the 2 uses of the breaking of bread

1. the breaking of bread of the sacrament of the Eucharist

2. dividing of loaves at a communal meal (known as table fellowship)

how did they devote themselves to prayer

followed the Jewish custom of 3 daily prayers at the Temple, but also prayed together in private homes

what did the intensity of Pentecost mean

they were constantly seeking fellowship with God, and with each other. they gained strength from it

what did praying at the temple mean

brought them into contact with Jews who they could share their news about the Messiah

what does it mean to say the early church believers ‘had all things in common’?

-they shared what they had and many sold their possessions to help support those in need

-Early Christians had a voluntary, selfless and loving disposition

whats the earliest record of the spread of Christianity in the 1CE

the Acts of the Apostles

when was this period

after Jesus’ ascension, after Pentecost, and before the gospels come to be written down

what was the general agreement

that Acts was written by same author as Luke’s gospel

what is life of the earliest Christian community largely characterised by

enthusiasm under the guidance of the Holy Spirit

after Pentecost, how did early believers feel

felt fired up and brought to new life by the spirit and wanted to share this with others

what were the 4 elements of organised structure shared by the Jerusalem Church

-devotion to apostles teaching and fellowship

-breaking of bread

-prayers

-they had all things in common

what was an important part

teaching and preaching and encouraging people to repent

what did CH Dodd identify about the Kerygma

the heart of the Didache (apostles teaching)

what 6 elements did Dodd identify common to the speeches that he considered to be authentic

1. that Jesus fulfilled the promises of the Hebrew Bible

2. that God was at work in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, which was according to God’s purpose

3. that Jesus has now been exalted and is in Heaven

4. that the Holy Spirit has been given to the Church to form God’s new community

5. that Jesus will soon return in glory

6. that those who hear the message must change their lifestyles accordingly and follow Jesus (repent and be baptised)

how did Dodd distinguish Kerygma from Didache

he understood Kerygma to be a declaration of beliefs, whereas Didache is moral exhortation or teaching

how is devotion to apostles teaching reflected in the contemporary church

all contemporary churches stick closely to the original teachings of the apostles, belief that Jesus was Messiah, he performed God’s work on earth and was crucified, buried and raised

how is fellowship - a special relationship with God and each other reflected in the contemporary church

developed through partaking in sacraments, accepting church doctrine and following a Christian life

fellowship can be developed through sacred worship, charitable works and group Bible study

fellowship with God can be further developed through private worship and prayer

how is breaking of bread reflected in the contemporary church

sense 1 - Eucharist is seen as a sacrament by all churches

sense 2 - churches may help and encourage Christians to share ‘table fellowship’ with others by eating together

how is devotion to prayers reflected in the contemporary church

churches will regularly have public worship that includes prayer. they may encourage followers to pray regularly at home. central importance of Lord’s prayer

how is outreach - growing in numbers reflected in the contemporary church

churches may evangelise, to bring in new members

for example, the missionary movement, and reverse missionary movement

how is sold and gave to those in need reflected in the contemporary church

many churches will actively support charity work (e.g CAFOD, Christian Aid, but most local churches will be involved in their local area)