CHRISTIANITY (y12) - Sources of Wisdom and Authority

Give 3 views on the Bible’s authority

1. God told writers what to write so any problems down to human interference

2. God inspired them to write it but must be interpreted by the Catholic Church as it includes errors

3. It is a human (and fallible) interpretation of the way God works in people’s lives, and the personal experience of God makes it authoritative

How many books is the Bible comprised of and when was it written?

66 books over the span of 2000 years between 2000 BC - 100 AD

Who was the first to compile all the books into one volume?

St Jerome

How do conservatives take the Bible in comparison to liberals?

• Conservatives = literally

• Liberals = metaphorically

• Neo-orthodox take a view in between the other two

Summarise Evangelical Protestant beliefs on the authority of the Bible?

• All scripture is “god-breathed” therefore infallible (has no faults)

• They preach the word to others + believe they are better than who they preach to

• Bible must be obeyed

• Bible holds more authority than science e.g: believe Genesis is historically accurate

• They’re saved by God’s grace (atonement)

• Those who convert are saved from sin

What do Evangelicals believe about the origins of the Doctrine of Atonement?

• Came from Paul

• He said after original sin the world was reconciled with God thanks to Jesus’ death

Where do Evangelicals believe the authority of the Bible comes from?

2 Timothy 3 and 2 Peter 1

What are the problems with the Evangelical view on the Bible’s authority?

1. There is obvious human authorship

2. Bible justifies the bible = circular

3. What if it wasn’t meant to be taken literally

Summarise the Catholic beliefs on the authority of the Bible

• Bible is inspired by God but written by humans so is originally inerrant

• Tradition is important, it changes throughout time to help us understand scripture through the Church

• Scripture and Tradition have the same authority

• Tradition helps us apply scripture and notice translation errors

What is the hierarchy of authority for Catholics?

• Jesus

• Apostolic Tradition

• Apostolic Succession

What is the Apostolic Tradition?

• Stems from Jesus’ apostles

• He told them to preach the Gospel to all men and this was done in writing and orally

What is the Apostolic Succession?

• Continuation from Apostolic Tradition

• Apostles appointed bishops to be their successors and they were given teaching authority

• The succession continues forever

What is important about tradition for Catholics?

• It is living

• Means new truths can be discovered from scripture

• The Holy Spirit remains active in the Church

What do Catholics believe about the authority of Tradition and Scripture?

• They come from the same divine source so share the same divine authority

• The Magisterium interprets both

Why is the Catholic Church supposedly inerrant?

• There is a sensus fidei (instinct of faith)

• This allows the faithful to recognise authentic Christian Doctrine and what is false

What are the problems with Catholic’s view on the Bible’s authority?

1. Humans steer the opinion as the authority lies within the Church

2. It is outdated and has underlying tones of sexism

Summarise the Neo-Orthodoxy view on the authority of the Bible

• Recognises the errors of the Bible as it has too many scientific/historical contradictions

• Bible is not the word of God but contains the word of God

• The word of God is Jesus - God’s revelation on Earth

• We can experience God through reading the Bible - Barth agrees with this

What are the problems with the Neo-Orthodoxy view on the Bible’s authority?

Where do you draw the line at the things you can list are wrong before you stop believing in it?

Summarise the Social Gospel Movement view on the authority of the Bible

• Key focus on the morality of the Bible and Jesus’ teachings in relation to how we treat each other

• Putting Gospel into practise instead of debating it intellectually

• The Bible is authoritative for suggesting how we should live

When was the SGM founded?

Early 20th cent

What are the problems with the SGM view on the Bible’s authority?

1. We undermine the value/authority of much of the Bible

2. Faith becomes diluted - less about the Bible and more about us?

Summarise the Process Theology view on the authority of the Bible

• Disagrees with the Bible

• God isn’t the creator or all-powerful

• God doesn’t intervene e.g: Jesus is not God incarnate

• Bible is entirely human-written

• Its only authority is people may find it uplifting

What are the problems with the PT view on the Bible’s authority?

Not really Christianity, no longer coheres with the fundamental rules of it

Explain briefly the authority of the Church

1. God, who is the primary source of religion

2. God gives authority to Scripture (the Bible)

3. Bible gives authority to Special Revelation e.g: religious experiences and the work of the Holy Spirit

4. Bible gives authority to General Revelation, which are experiences of God through human reason

5. Bible gives ongoing authority to the Church to preach, teach and heal

6. The authority of tradition is last

What comes under Catholic tradition?

1. Set order of worship and ritual

2. Catholic teaching is in the Apostolic Tradition

3. Catholic structure and leadership are in the Apostolic Succession

What comes under Protestant tradition?

1. A variety of structure and unstructured worship

2. Doctrine of “sola scriptura” meaning Scripture alone has sufficient authority for teaching

Who is head of the RC church?

The Pope

Who is head of the Anglican church?

Archbishop of Canterbury - currently Justin Welby

How did Protestantism emerge?

• Out of the Protestant Reformation in 1512

• Called “Protestant” because they were protesting against the ways of the Catholic church

• Initially began by Martin Luther

• The churches split due to political and religious disagreements

What are the essential facts/beliefs about Catholicism?

• Largest Christian denomination with 1 billion followers

• Sometimes called Roman Catholic as they are under the Roman rite

• Part of the Apostolic Tradition which was contained in scripture - Paul said “what you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”

• Continues in Apostolic Succession

• Tradition and Scripture go together and only Church can interpret scripture effectively

What are the essential facts/beliefs about Protestantism?

• Focus on “sola scriptura”

• Developed by Martin Luther who said all we need is “the sure rule of God’s word”

• Church teaching must be in line with the Bible

• Church cannot judge scripture as the Church comes from Scripture

• Luther taught the “priesthood of all believers” - we all stand equally before God

• Focus on relationship with God individually

• “Sola fide” = justification by faith not works

What are the two main viewpoints on Jesus’ authority?

1. Authority as God’s authority

2. Authority as Human’s authority

Give some Biblical evidence that Jesus’ authority was God’s authority

1. “I will come and heal him” - Matthew 8:5 -13. God was believed to be able to heal the sick

2. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” - Matthew 28:18

Where is Jesus most famously called the “Son of God”

The Nicene Creed

How is Jesus depicted as the Son of God by nature in the Bible?

• At his baptism and during the transfiguration, God is said to call him “my beloved son” (both in Mark’s gospel)

• This shows Jesus is by nature the Son of God as he has an intimate relationship with God therefore has the same authority

• We see him inherit his father’s nature: “no one knows the Father except the Son”

How is Jesus depicted as the Son of God by having God’s authority in the Bible?

• At the time the Jews were waiting for someone to free them from Roman rule

• He would be the Messiah/Christ chosen by God descended from King David as he was called “God’s son” in 2 Samuel 7:14

• Both Matthew and Luke’s gospel highlight that Jesus descended from King David which shows he was anointed by God so has his authority

How does Jesus being depicted as the Son of Man show his humanity?

• Jesus describes himself as the “son of man” emphasising his humanity

• Says “the son of man has nowhere to lay his head”

• Shows that whilst Jesus has God’s authority he still has human limitations e.g: needing sleep

How does Jesus being depicted as the Son of Man show his divinity?

• The term “Son of Man” kept him from getting in trouble as it suggested he was normal but hinted at more

• He used this phrase interchangeably with “Son of God”

• This means they both have the same meaning in terms of authority

What are the two types of Christian that believe Jesus’ authority was purely human?

1. Those who historically followed a sect who believed Jesus was not divine

2. Those who take a liberal approach to scripture

Explain the first movement that viewed Jesus as human

Adoptionism:

• Jesus was born human but adopted by God at baptism

• It was only at this point that he acquired God’s authority

• This was rejected by the Church in the 3rd cent. at the Synod of Antioch

Explain the second movement that viewed Jesus as human

Arianism:

• Arius was a priest in Alexandria teaching Jesus was not divine

• Instead he was created by God for a special role and the title “Son of God” was given to him to reflect that

• Rejected by Church in 4th cent

Explain the third movement that viewed Jesus as human

The Cathars:

• Catharism rose in 11/12th cent

• Taught that physical matter was corrupt so a perfect God could not be human

• Rejected by the Church in 12th cent

Explain the fourth movement that viewed Jesus as human

Unitarianism:

• Has a deistic (belief that when God stopped creating the world he didn’t work anymore) understanding of God

• Believed Jesus was a good man and a prophet but had no divine authority

• These churches still exist but they’re not accepted by traditional Christians

How does the Liberal approach view Jesus as human?

• Based on issues with taking the Bible literally

• “Son of God” was used to describe people who were simply close to God eg: angels and the king so Jesus wasn’t necessarily God just close to him

• Evidence such as the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection could have metaphorical rather than literal significance

Give some key quotations from the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48)

• “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also”

• “do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you”

• “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

How would those who accept Jesus having God’s authority respond to the Sermon on the Mount

• They would follow it literally, would give freely, love their enemies and try to emulate Jesus as much as possible

• It challenges human instinct but as God said this it must be obeyed

• Many would be pacifists eg: Quakers who are conscientious objectors to war/conflict

• Also some confusion as later Jesus permits violence: “him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one” - Luke 22:36

How would someone who regards Jesus as having only human authority respond to the Sermon on the Mount?

• Interpret it according to experience and judgement but also the context of the situation

• When the Romans were in charge, treated Jews badly so may be related to this to avoid being crucified

• Not practical or loving

• Perhaps is an aim not a rule

• Maybe life is easier if this is followed

What are the pros and cons of seeing Jesus as divine and human?

Divine = more authoritative but less relevant as no one can be like him

Human = less authoritative but more relevant as he’s more relatable