RELI 114: Unit 1 Exam

Agape

another word used for the meal known as the "Eucharist" (translates to love)

Catechesis

the process of religious instruction and preparation for baptism

Chrismation

a ritual in Eastern Christian churches where a person is anointed with holy oil to receive the Holy Spirit

Clericalizing

A ritualizing strategy that assigns the performance of specific rituals to authorized authority figures (clergy).

Confirmation

the rite at which a baptized person, especially one baptized as an infant, affirms Christian belief and is admitted as a full member of the Church.

Deipnon

An evening communal banquet; It was used by the apostle Paul to describe the early Christian communal meal.

Didache

a Christian manual (translates to "teaching"); It provides instructions on baptism, including preferences for "living water" (running water) and pouring water if immersion is impossible.

Dura Europas

An early Christian church site that provides evidence of the role visual art played in sacralizing worship spaces.

Elevating

A ritualizing strategy that assigns sacred or transcendent meanings to common actions or objects.

Eucharist

a Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine

Euergetism

A Roman cultural standard encouraging wealthy individuals to support their local community or congregation

Immersion

a method of baptizing whereby the whole person is submerged in water

Infusion

the pouring of water on someone for baptism

Kingdom of God

the spiritual realm over which God reigns as king, or the fulfillment on Earth of God's will

Priene Synagogue

A significant archaeological site mentioned in the context of ancient religious spaces

Messiah

A "promised one" or leader expected to usher in the Kingdom of God. Christians identified Jesus of Nazareth as this figure.

Mikveh

A Jewish ritual bath used for repeated immersion to achieve ceremonial or ritual purity from various "impurities" (e.g., skin diseases or menstruation).

Paedobaptism

the practice of baptizing infants; While controversial in the 3rd century (with some preferring adult baptism), it became the majority practice by the 5th century.

Pagan

a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions

Prescribing

A ritualizing strategy that establishes a specific, required mode of performance for a ritual.

Repeating

A ritualizing strategy that involves the regular and frequent performance of a specific action.

Ritual

Embodied practices involving specific actions, actors, places, times, objects, and languages used to communicate identity or devotion.

ritualizing

The active process of "making" a ritual through strategies like traditionalizing, elevating, or stylizing.

Sacrament

principle rituals of Christian life (used to describe baptism)

Singularizing

A ritualizing strategy that makes an event rare, momentous, or uniquely special.

Situating

A ritualizing strategy that associates a ritual with specific, significant times or locations.

Stational Eucharist

A transition to non-meal gatherings involving a simple distribution of communion, which became the basic form of modern Christian worship

Stibadium

a crescent shape table used for Eucharist

Stylizing

A ritualizing strategy that adds flair, detail, or distinct components to a ritual (e.g., adding a "slap" during confirmation).

Torah

first five books of the Hebrew Bible; The Jewish law which outlines expectations for the "holy people," including monotheism, circumcision, dietary restrictions (kosher), and ritual washings.

Traditionalizing

A ritualizing strategy that claims a practice has ancient origins to grant it authority.

Triclinium

a c-shaped table around which people reclined on couches

Paul

Follower of Jesus who helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman world; he wrote many letters to the church (VERY influential)

Elijah

Prophet in the Old Testament who miraculously crossed the Jordan River with his own follower Elisha before being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire then threw down his hairy cloak to Elisha (spirit of God); he has a lot of similarities with John the Baptist

John the Baptist

Jewish apocalyptic preacher in ancient Palestine who patterned himself after Elijah; originated baptism and baptized Jesus

Jesus

A figure from Nazareth identified by his followers as the Messiah. His death, resurrection, and specific instructions regarding bread and wine became the foundation of Christian ritual life.

Tertullian

An early Christian writer who criticized the practice of infant baptism, suggesting it should be delayed, though he admitted it was necessary in cases of emergency (impending death).

Constantine

The Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity. His conversion and support shifted Christianity from a persecuted "superstition" to a privileged religion.

What are the three major branches of Christianity, and when and how did they become distinct?

The three major branches are Catholic, Orthodox (including Eastern and Oriental), and Protestant. They are distinguished by differences in ritual practice and age of initiation. The Catholic and Orthodox traditions represent ancient lineages, with the Orthodox maintaining practices like infant Chrismation. The Protestant branch became distinct during the Protestant Reformation, when reformers questioned Catholic views on whether rituals like baptism were mystical or merely symbolic, the appropriateness of infant baptism, and the necessity of pouring versus immersion.

Where did the practice of John the Baptist's baptism come from?

Scholars believe John's baptism was an evolution and innovation of the existing Jewish practice of ritual immersion in a mikveh. While traditional Jewish washings were for ritual purity, John extended this to include the forgiveness of sins and the preparation for the imminent Kingdom of God. His ministry was also intentionally patterned after the biblical prophet Elijah, particularly the crossing of the Jordan River to impart God's Spirit.

What made the earliest Christians similar and dissimilar from (other) Jews?

Similarities: Like other Jews, early Christians were monotheistic, worshipped the same God, and believed in the imminent arrival of a supernatural Kingdom of God led by a messiah.

Dissimilarities: Christians identified Jesus of Nazareth specifically as that messiah. Most significantly, Christians sought converts from non-Jewish populations, which disrupted the traditional link between religion, ethnicity, and culture (blood and God).

What are the differences between Jewish ritual washing (mikveh) and Christian baptism?

The differences can be categorized into five areas:

- Performance: Mikveh is performed by the individual on themselves; baptism is performed by another person (a minister).

- Frequency: Mikveh is a routine practice performed repeatedly; baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime initiation.

- Purpose: Mikveh concerns ceremonial/ritual purity; baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit.

- Attire: Mikveh is performed naked; baptism is often associated with special clothing (white robes).

- Setting: Mikveh is typically private, whereas baptism is a public initiation into a community.

What adaptations did early Christians make to baptism?

Christians added several preparatory and ritual elements to the basic washing:

Catechesis: A period of instruction and teaching before the ritual.

Fasting: A spiritual preparation for the initiate.

Anointing: The use of oil to signify the coming of the Holy Spirit.

White Robes: Special clothing to symbolize purity.

Integration: Combining the ritual with the Eucharist and, in some regions, the consumption of milk and honey.

Where does the practice of Western Christian "Confirmation" come from?

In the early centuries, bishops performed all parts of the initiation (washing, anointing, laying on of hands). As Christianity grew, bishops could not attend every baptism. By the 5th century, it was decided that priests could perform the water baptism, but only a bishop could perform the final laying on of hands to complete the ritual. Because bishops had to travel between towns, this "completion" often occurred years after the initial baptism, eventually evolving into the separate sacrament of Confirmation.

What were some of the cons of Christians using houses as gathering spaces?

While the house church model was the earliest gathering pattern, it presented several significant disadvantages:

- Wealth Disparities: The average Roman apartment (insula) was too small for communal banquets; therefore, the church relied on the domus or villas of the wealthy.

- Dangerous Influence: This gave wealthy patrons an extraordinary and potentially dangerous amount of influence over the congregation.

- Social Inequality: House meetings often reproduced the social and cultural inequalities of ancient Roman meals, where status dictated treatment.

- Loss of Sacredness: The meal-oriented banquet setting could lead to a loss of the "sacred atmosphere."

- Unsustainability: The model worked only for small communities; any significant growth through converts or children made the shared banquet framework untenable.

- Transition: These issues led to the mid-3rd-century transition toward the stational Eucharist, a non-meal gathering that allowed for larger, more egalitarian participation.