Christianity

Jesus

• Son of David, son of the carpenter, son of Mary, Jesus the Nazareth, Son of Heli

• Jesus performed his first miracle during The Wedding of Cana;  turning water into wine. 

• Jesus was sent to Caiaphas, the high priest, after his arrest.

• He was beaten and accused of blasphemy by the high priest, teachers of the law, elders, and chief priests. They wanted him executed.

• Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, who found no justification for execution but yielded to crowd demands.

• Herod questioned Jesus, but he remained silent.

• Jesus was ultimately crucified despite Pilate's reluctance.

• He faced mockery and abuse before his death.

• He was crowned with thorns. Jesus was crucified at 9 in the morning, after his clothes were stripped and divided among soldiers.

• Jesus grew up in Nazareth. 

What is Easter, Lent and Christmas? Why are they important?

• Easter

  • Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

• Lent

  • The period between Ash wednesday and Easter Sunday, it lasts 40 days where Christians repent and fast because of their sins. 

• Christmas

  • A festival in which Christans celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

Identify the branches of Christianity.  Which branch of Christianity would Martin Luther belong to?  Identify the names of the denominations from the Protestant Branch.  

•  Catholicism 

  • The largest branch of Christianity

  • The Roman Catholic Church is the state church of Rome

• Protestantism

  • A branch of Christianity that resulted from the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s 

  • Includes denominations like Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal 

  • Protestants don't have a pope, but instead have a series of ministers and clergy 

• Eastern Orthodoxy

  • One of the three main branches of Christianity 

  • Adherents live in the Balkans, the Middle East, and former Soviet countries 

  • Eastern Orthodox churches consider themselves part of the one true church 

Who was Martin Luther? - Why did he split from the Catholic Church? What were the 95 Theses? What were indulgences?

• Martin Luther was a reformist leader who eventually made Lutheranism. 

• Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church as they were demanding money to get into heaven. 

• The 95 Theses were the opinions of Martin Luther about salvation, justification, the Pope and the Church as a whole. 

• Indulgences were actions or prayers that the Roman Catholic church asked people which were believed to free a person from Purgatory. 

Who was St. Paul? Why was he important to Christianity? 

• St. Paul was a missionary chosen by Jesus to spread the word of God. 

• 13-14 books out of the 27 within the new testament were believed to be written by him through letters. (Only 7 were believed to be authentic) 

Who was Constantine? Why is he important?

• Before Christianity was made legal, Constantine, a Roman army commander, struggled against another commander, Maxentius.

• He saw a vision of a cross in the sky and heard Jesus say, "in this sign conquer."

• Constantine won the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 CE and legalized Christianity, allowing Christians to practice their faith openly.

• The Crusades were a series of wars in the Middle Ages where Christian armies fought Muslim armies to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

• This began in 1095 CE when Pope Urban II called for a "great expedition and holy war."

• The Crusades unified Europe and helped the Roman Catholic Church expand into the Middle East.

What was the Great Schism? What was the filioque clause?

• The Great Schism is the separation of the Catholic church from the Orthodox church. 

• A latin word that was inserted into the Nicene Creed by the Church in the west.  The western Church believed that both the Father and Son sent forth the Holy Spirit. The Eastern Church believed that the power of the Holy Spirit came only from God the Father.  In 1054 CE, the pope in Rome and the patriarch in Constantinople excommunicated or formally expelled, one another’s senior Church officials. 

Who was Mother Teresa ,  Pope John Paul II, and Martin Luther King Jr?  Which branch of Christianity would these two belong to? How did their life reflect the beliefs of Christianity?

• Mother Teresa

  • Mother Teresa was called "a living saint" by Time Magazine.

  • She won many humanitarian awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

  • Her key message was: "God is love," which she demonstrated by helping the poor in India.

  • Born Agnes Bojaxhui in Yugoslavia in 1910, she decided to become a missionary after learning about their work in India.

  • At 18, she joined the Loreto nuns of Ireland and arrived in Calcutta a year later.

  • She took her vows in 1931 and became known as Teresa.

  • In 1946, she had a vision of Jesus telling her to help the poorest of the poor.

  • She began her mission in the Calcutta slums in 1949 and founded The Missionaries of Charity in 1950.

  • By 1997, The Missionaries of Charity had over 600 houses in 136 countries.

  • Mother Teresa shared stories highlighting the importance of giving dignity to the dying poor, such as rescuing a man who felt loved before he died.

Pope John Paul II 

• His words and actions helped bring down communism in Eastern Europe. 

He worked to improve relations between the Catholic Church and other religions, including Judaism and Islam. 

He traveled extensively to promote understanding between countries and religions. 

He emphasized religious freedom and the universal call to holiness. 

His worldwide outreach increased the visibility of the Catholic Church. 

He canonized nearly 500 saints, more than any pope in the previous five centuries.

Martin Luther King Jr 

• King believed that Jesus could inspire a nonviolent movement based on love. 

He felt that his faith gave him an inner urge to serve humanity. 

He believed that people can only make a difference when they recognize their dependence on God. 

King drew on his faith as a source of courage in challenging times. 

He felt that it was his duty to get the Church on the right path. 

He believed that his dream was fundamentally Christian. 

Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Vatican City - Why are these places important?

• Bethlehem

  • Birthplace of Jesus and home of King David, who was anointed king of Israel. 

• Jerusalem

  • Place of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

• Vatican City

  • Pilgrimage site for Christians

  • Vatican city is where the center of the Catholic church is. 

  • The Pope is located there.