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86 Cards in this Set
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TANAK
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the Hebrew bible,
an account of the Israelites' relationship with God from their earliest history until the building of the Second Temple (c. 350 BCE). Israelites struggle with their faith in God and attraction to other gods; originally henotheists, each nation had its own god, but that their god was superior. |
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TaNaK divisions
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Torah: law;
Nevi'im: prophets; Ketuvim: writings |
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Torah - Written and Oral
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"Law" ("teaching", "instruction"), the first division of the Tanak;
Written Torah refers to the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Also known as the Pentateuch or the "Five Books of Moses." Oral Torah, to help understand the Written Torah; Talmud, Kabbalah. Orthodox Judaism: Written Torah in its totality. Conservative Judaism: Divinely inspired, but disregard some legal elements. Reform Judaism: Both inspired by, but not dictated by, God. |
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Writings - Old Testament
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Rabbinic tradition: Psalms; Song of Songs, Proverbs - Solomon
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JEDP Sources (OT)
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Julius Wellhausen argued that the Pentateuch is a compilation of four primary anonymous sources.
J source: -refers to God as Yahweh ("Lord"); -literary style: down-to-earth, picturesque, fond of anthropomorphism; E source: -Elohist source: Elohim as God; -God is transcendent, communicates through dreams; D source: -Deuteronomist "second law" source; -concerned with issues relating to Israeli law code and the importance of Israel's covenant relationship with Yahweh; -considered by many scholars to be the heart of the Pentateuch; P source: -Priestly source; -emphasizes God's holiness, the importance of worship, the sacrificial system, times, seasons and genealogies. |
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Sinai Covenant
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-contains a promise from God and a promise from the people to God;
-Mount Sinai; -"Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation." (Ex 19:5); -conditions: --keeping God's law as set forth in he Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments (moral or ethical law) (Ex 20:1-17; Deut 5:6-21) – understood as tokens of love; called to obey (trust) that the Lord will provide; -two types of laws: --apodietic: absolute law ("You shall not…"); --caustic: case law ("If you do x then y will be the consequence") – Sabbath day and honor one's parents. |
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First 3 Kings of Israel
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Saul, David, Solomon.
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Historical events leading to Hanukkah
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Antiochus sent his soldiers into the Temple in Jerusalem in 167 BC ("the abomination of desolation"), where they slaughtered a pig on the altar and erected a statue of Zeus;
led to the Maccabean revolt, where Judas (Maccabeus, "the hammer") and his brothers fought off the Hellenizers; December 164 BC – victory over Antiochus' soldiers and cleansing of the Temple; Dedication – Hanukkah. |
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Apocalyptic - etymology and meaning
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Greek, "to reveal", "uncover" – apocalyptic literature reveals how God will ultimately be victorious over evil and establish his kingdom forever.
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Patriarchs (OT)
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Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - Joseph
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Abraham
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-covenant
-Ishmael by concubine Hagar -Isaac by Sarah -Sodom and Gomorrah |
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Isaac
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Sarah gives birth to Isaac, saying, "God has made laughter for me, everyone who hears will laugh over me." God tests Abraham by commanding that he sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeys; but, as he is about to lay the knife upon his son, God restrains him, promising him numberless descendants.
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Jacob
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Isaac's wife Rebekah is barren, but Isaac prays to God, and she gives birth to the twins Esau and Jacob.
Jacob deceives his father Isaac and obtains the blessing of prosperity which should have been Esau's. Jacob marries Rachel, with whom he is in love. At the end of this period Laban gives him the elder daughter, Leah, and during the next seven years, he has sons by his two wives and their two handmaidens, the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. The stranger announces to Jacob that he shall bear the name "Israel", "for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." and is freed. |
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Joseph
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Jacob makes a coat of many colors for his favorite son, Joseph.
Joseph next interprets the dream of Pharaoh, of seven fat cattle and seven lean cattle, as meaning seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph reveals his identity, forgives his brothers the wrong they did him, and he promises to settle in Egypt both them and his father Jacob brings his whole family to Egypt, where Pharaoh assigns to them the land of Goshen. 12 sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Israel. |
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Moses
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Moses - redeem the Israelites from slavery, leading to the Exodus from Egypt; Mount Sinai in 1313 BCE – Written Torah (Oral Torah/Mishna/Writings, 200 CE)
Aaron, Moses' brother, to be a priestly class, Cohen family within Levi tribe, inherited, within the Israelite community. They first officiated in the tabernacle (a portable house of worship), and later their descendants were in charge of worship in the Temple in Jerusalem. 12 tribes of Israel, more or less autonomous, ruled by judges and priests (tribe of Levi) |
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New Testament - Historical Facts
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Also called the New Covenant, literal translation of the original Greek.
Jewish objections to the term “New Testament,” who view it as carrying an implication that the Hebrew Bible has been rendered obsolete or less important. Original texts written in Greek by various unknown authors after 45 CE and before 140 CE. Though Jesus spoke Aramaic, the New Testament (including the Gospels) was written in Greek because that was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire, and the vernacular dialect in 1st century Roman provinces of the Eastern Mediterranean. |
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New Testament Canon
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Canon includes 27 books, gradually collected into a single volume over a period of several centuries. Not in strictly chronological order.
-historical narratives -letters -Apocalypse |
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Historical narratives of the NT
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-Gospels (Greek for "good news"):
four narratives about Jesus; first three: Matthew (recollection of Apostle Simon Peter), Mark and Luke – Synoptic gospels because of the large amount of overlapping material; fourth Gospel – according to John: theological emphases and extensive sections on Jesus' discourses and miracles; -Acts of the Apostles: a selective history of the earliest church; authored by the author of Luke; both together – Luke-Acts (1/4 of the NT); |
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Letters of the NT
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13 are attributed to Paul:
7 are known as the Pauline letters: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians. Philemon; date to 50s CE and are the earliest surviving Christian writings; other 6 are known as Deutero-Pauline letters (a "second" group): 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians; Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus; 8 other NT letters – anonymous or attributed to other apostolic figures, such as Peter: the book of Hebrews and the seven Catholic or General Epistles (James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude). |
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Apocalypse (NT)
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Revelation of John.
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Main theme of Mark
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secrecy about Jesus' messianic identity;
the disciples' lack of understanding about Jesus and his teachings; the suffering of Jesus. |
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Main themes of Matthew
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shares many points in common with Mark;
Jesus' affirmation of the Mosaic Law (Torah) to his followers; an attempt to bring together several contrasting themes and emphases, including missions to Jews and Gentiles and the importance of the Torah. |
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Main themes of Luke
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displays a special interest in establishing his version of Jesus' story among other ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish historical narratives:
prologue: account will start at the beginning, based on eyewitness reports, investigate with accuracy, focus on the truths; earlier written sources were extremely valuable but required the skillful hand of a trusted historian for ordering and interpretation; highlights the inclusion of women as the earlier followers and concern for the poor. |
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Main theme of John
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writes in order to inspire faith in Jesus.
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Importance of different themes
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important to approach each Gospel individually in order to appreciate overall theological concerns.
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Synoptic Gospels
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contain very similar accounts of events in Jesus' life. John stands apart for its unique records of several miracles and sayings of Jesus not found elsewhere.
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Synoptic problem
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Ninety-one percent of Mark's content is found in Matthew, and fifty-three percent of Mark is found in Luke. Matthew and Luke share content not found in Mark. This content is mostly composed of sayings and one miracle story (the Centurion's Servant).
addresses the need to account for both the similarities and the differences among the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. |
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Solutions to Synoptic Problem
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Solution 1: the author of Mark wrote first and was used as a source by the authors of Matthew and Luke;
Solution 2: builds on the hypothesis of Markan priority and notes that the authors of Matthew and Luke made use of Mark differently; Matthew and Luke wrote independently; Matthew and Luke share in common approximately 200 verses that do not occur in Mark – made use of one or more other written sources: Quelle (German, "source") designates this non-Markan source material – Q Source; it is likely that at least some passages in Matthew came from pre-Matthean sources (M) and Luke made use of sources not reflected in Mark or Matthew (L); four-source hypothesis: Mark, Q, M and L offers the complete explanation for why the Synoptic gospels contain so much overlapping material and also how each of these gospels offers distinctive materials. |
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Authorship of NT
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traditional view is that all the books were written by Apostles or disciples working under their direction (Mark and Luke). With the rise of historical inquiry and textual criticism, the authenticity of orthodox authorship beliefs have been rejected in large part.
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Date of Composition of NT
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According to tradition, the earliest of the books were the letters of Paul, Galatians, written en 51 CE, and the last books to be written are those attributed John.
Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 185, stated that the Gospels of Matthew and Mark were written while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome, which would be in the 60s, and Luke was written some time later. Mark no earlier than 65 and no later than 75. Matthew between 70 and 85. Luke within 80 to 95. |
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Canonization of NT
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Complex and lengthy process.
Characterized by a compilation of books that Christians found inspiring in worship and teaching, relevant to the historical situations in which they lived, and consonant with the Old Testament. New Testament canon not summarily decided in large, bureaucratic Church council meetings, but rather developed very slowly over many centuries. This is not to say that formal councils and declarations were not involved, however. Some of these include the Council of Trent of 1546 (by vote: 24 yea, 15 nay, 16 abstain). In the first three centuries of the Christian Church, Early Christianity, there seems not to have been a New Testament canon that was complete and universally recognized. The oldest clear endorsement of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John being the only legitimate gospels was written c. 180 C.E. It was a claim made by Bishop Irenaeus - "It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and the “pillar and ground” of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh." The New Testament canon as it is now was first listed by St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in 367, but certain books continued to be questioned, especially James and Revelation. The 27 books of today's New Testament were put together by Saint Jerome, when he was appointed by Pope Damasus to render the Bible into Latin in the early 380s. Due to the fact that some of the recognized Books of the Holy Scripture were having their canonicity questioned by Protestants in the 16th century, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional canon of the Scripture as a dogma of the Catholic Church. |
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Authority of NT
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All Christian groups respect the New Testament, but they differ in their understanding of the nature, extent, and relevance of its authority. Views of the authoritativeness of the New Testament often depend on the concept of inspiration, which relates to the role of God in the formation of the New Testament. Generally, the greater the role of God in one's doctrine of inspiration, the more one accepts the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy and/or authoritativeness of the Bible.
Infallibility relates to the absolute correctness of the Bible in matters of doctrine. Inerrancy relates to the absolute correctness of the Bible in factual assertions (including historical and scientific assertions). Authoritativeness relates to the correctness of the Bible in questions of practice in morality. |
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Roman and Eastern Orthodoxy and NT authority
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There are two strands of revelation, the Bible and apostolic tradition. In Catholic terminology the teaching office is called the Magisterium.
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Protestantism and NT authority
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Following the doctrine of sola scriptura, Protestants believe that their traditions of faith, practice and interpretations carry forward what the scriptures teach, and so tradition is not a source of authority in itself.
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Four principles of reading an early Christian letter
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Author, Audience, Opposition, Purpose
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Epistle to the Galatians
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The Epistle to the Galatians is a letter from Paul to early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Turkey. It is principally concerned with the controversy surrounding Gentile Christians and the Mosaic Law. "Was the Mosaic Law binding on Christians?"
offers freedom in Christ as an opportunity to serve one's fellow believers and thereby govern ethical conduct instead of following the Mosaic Law word for word; reflected today in the tension between fundamentalism and other interpretations of the Scripture. |
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Historical facts about Jesus
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Temptation to think there is one picture of Jesus. He told stories, parables. At core, a miracle-worker, deep impression on those he came in contact with, attract large crowds; attract a dedicated group of disciples, then larger group of peo0ple at the margins. Lots of people like this but he made a special impression.
He’s a holy man, miracle man, gets in trouble with the authorities – Pharisees, scribes, priests, elders, preaches in the synagogue – free- spirited individual who couldn’t be tolerated by the powers that be. Knew traditions; Temple, Jerusalem, rituals, Passover, Psalms. |
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Jesus was Jewish
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Jewish mother in Galilee worshipped in synagogues, Jewish texts and festivals.
Gospels never say he wasn’t a Jew, no sense he came to found another religion, only later seen as founder of Christianity |
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Jesus' social class
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Low class, artisan, close to peasant society, his parables of sower, sowing seed, land owners, but “carpenter.” No middle class then, just haves and have-nots.
Where Jesus grew up and how it affected his world outlook Grew up in Nazareth in Galilee, rural but on the fringes of urban life |
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Sepphoris
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Capital of Galilee, center of political activity; building programs, amphitheatres, theatres
Jesus never mentions Sepphoris Where large government officials, land owners, tax collectors lived Aqueducts take water from countryside to city and only run in one direction. City people washed with public baths Walk 15 feet outside the city wall and in countryside Real cleavage between peasant ways of countryside and the towns Spoke to a rural audience; parables of lost sheep, mustard seed, leaven are ordinary everyday experiences understood by everybody. |
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Scriptures Jesus taught from
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Knew many books from the OT;
Frequently refers to Torah, Isaiah, Psalms. |
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Jesus' teachings
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He teaches – his disciples, in the synagogues, the crowds;
Asking Jews to repent their sins, expect the Kingdom of God. |
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Kingdom of God
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Core of his preaching;
100% political and 100% religious The Kingdom meant Roman kingdom Roman Empire; Criticism of Roman Empire, not the system of God. never strictly defined by Jesus; is symbolic and cannot be defined more than "God" or "love"; once must use multiple metaphors and analogies; Jesus uses stories to speak of it; says it is like a tiny mustard seed that grows beyond anyone's imagination to become larger than other bushes; a gift and a fullness of God encountering us in ways that may initially seem humble but will eventually exceed our expectations; for Jesus is not merely an "idea" but a concrete reality that comes about through action, divine and human; it is something that is performed, something to be realized or made real in and through the cooperative activity of God and humanity. |
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Parables of Jesus
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Ways of teaching ordinary people
Quick to read but provoked much thought and discussion; talking back to him, interrupting, debating, disagreeing with him –a way of getting people to think Example: Mustard Seed – Kingdom of God. What does that mean to the people? Didn’t use cedar of Lebanon – big tree = big kingdom |
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Why Jesus went to Jerusalem
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Had some sense of mission, felt compelled to go there
At Passover, celebrating Exodus Part of a big crowd |
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Response of Roman Emperor to Jesus' arrival
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Tinderbox situation at Passover – celebrating freedom from imperial oppression in Egypt, while under imperial oppression from Rome
Size of crowds made Romans nervous |
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Cleansing of the Temple
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Money changers necessary
Turns over tables, which brings him to the attention of the Roman authorities Act of protest, trying to purify the Temple Also political, rejecting the status quo, social values Antiquity, politics/religion not distinguished Separation due to 18th century deistic philosophers who wrote our Constitution and political society Jesus is arrested Temple leadership concerned with unrest – Sadducees - collaborators Decision to execute was Roman, not Jewish |
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Crucifixion
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Humiliating form of punishment
Roman citizen not crucified Also form of public terrorism Slow, agonizing form of death –suffocation and exposure to elements produce death |
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Sign on the Cross
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“Jesus, King of the Jews”
Political insurrection, causing trouble, security risk |
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Jesus' death in Hebrew scriptures
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“He dies, the Kingdom has not come, we’re lost”; so study Hebrew Scripture, their tradition and find out that what happened to Jesus is almost a job description of being God’s righteous one – persecuted and executed.
Jesus is in the hands of God Suffering Servant of Isaiah |
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Touchstones of Christological reflection
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all Christology derives from story;
all Christology is rooted in an experience of salvation; all Christology springs from the condition that in Jesus Christ the presence of God has been revealed and has taken hold of the world in an unprecedented way. |
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Christ - etymology
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from Greek, christos, "messiah."
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Eschatology
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"the study of the last things," the study of history's ultimate future.
"Eschatological imagination" – a world view that imagined and yearned for a final future fulfillment of creation and history, for human well-being, for lasting peace and justice. |
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Prologue to John's gospel
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"In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God… And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth."
Logos, translated as the Word, bears important philosophical and theological implications for the history of Christology; consciously weaves Jewish and Greek philosophical thought to describe Jesus as both the decree of God's will for humanity and the incarnation of the divine intelligence; Stoic philosophy: Logos is the intelligent and creative power bringing forth and sustaining creation. |
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Council of Nicaea - theological concerns
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(325 CE): the need for Christian theologians and bishops to provide a conceptual framework to speak properly and consistently about Jesus' identity:
how is it possible to affirm Jesus' divinity without having two gods? is Logos less divine than God? how is it possible for Christians to affirm that God "becomes" something when Christians affirm that God is eternal and unchanging? |
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Council of Chalcedon - theological concerns
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debate over whether Jesus was two distinct persons, one divine and one human (Nestorius):
unity of Jesus' person; Mary is not the "mother of God"? |
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Nicene Creed
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Jesus is not created but eternally flows from the inexhaustible creativity of the Father ("eternally begotten of the Father"):
Jesus, as the eternal Son of the Father, shares in the Father's very divinity; he is "one in being" with the Father; Jesus is God's self-expression in the world; created debate over the divinity and humanity of Christ; |
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Bishop Apollinaris
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bishop Apollinaris of Laodicea intended to be faithful to the Nicene definition but ended up claiming that Jesus was a mixture of humanity and divinity: though he possessed the body of a hum a, his soul and mind were totally divine; the Logos inhabited a human body – makes Jesus no longer fully human; contradicts "what has not been assumed is not saved" axiom; rejected by Council of Constantinople (381 CE).
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Chalcedon Creed
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in Jesus Christ, the fullness of God is expressed in human form;
he not only most fully and definitely reveals God to human beings, but he also reveals the fulfillment of the human person; he is humanity at its most actualized, precisely because he is united with God; as a human person, he is "God with us" – Emmanuel. |
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Church Etymologies
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originally, the Christians borrowed from the Hebrew word kahal: "assembled and assembling in the Lord";
ekklesia: "assembly," became ecclesia in Latin: iglesia, eglise, chiesa; northern Europe: emphasis on assembling "in the Lord's (house)" (Greek – kyriakon), which in German became kirche, in English – church; an assembly that continues to gather for the purpose of worship of the Lord; |
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Traditional definitions of Church
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In Christian usage, the word church designates the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. The three meanings are inseparable.
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Brief history of Church
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Beginning of Christian Church is JC, his life-death-resurrection.
Then preaching of the Good News, Kerygma – proclamation” that Jesus is Christ/Messiah. Acts 2:1-47, something happened in those 50 days between his death and Pentecost. Met in the temple and in houses; Church as an assembly that gathers to worship. Vatican II, Church as the People of God, not just its leaders, hierarchy; a Pilgrim Church, we are going somewhere, we have a destination; Pauline image of a body. |
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Creed
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Latin, "credo," I believe;
the Creed was written in a concise way to clarify what the Church believed and to unite the people in that belief; functioned less like a sermon and more like an archeological treasure site. Consubstantial and homoosious: "one in Being with the Father," "of the same substance" as the divine and human. Importance: the divine and human Jesus. |
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Polycarp
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cornerstone of the Church in Smyrna; 2nd century, during the persecution of Christians;
refused to call Caesar "Lord"; surrounded by fire but not destroyed by it; eventually stabbed with a dagger; connects him in the most direct possible way to Christ, true discipleship. |
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Gnosticism
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major competitor of and within the Christian Church.
gnosis: knowledge (Greek); a major competitor for the early Church; claimed a special form of knowledge that made their world view and their groups esoteric; differences: Jewish influences; rooted in the thought of Plato: the physical wold is derived from a larger reality; the spiritual was what was most real; the material world was an imperfect copy of what was original and true; the spiritual and material were pushed even farther apart to form a dualism where the spirit and the gods or God were seen as good, while the body and things of the earth were bad; human beings as regrettable combinations of the divine and earthly; in a human, a divine spark of the larger Godhead had been trapped in a body; the goal is to release the spark, escape; performed austere practices. |
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Four Marks of Church
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The Four Marks of the Church is a group of four adjectives describing the Catholic Church as established by Christ.
The marks are one, holy, catholic and apostolic, and refer to four aspects that are intrinsic to it: unity, sanctity, catholicism (or universality), and apostolicity. The Four Marks were established at the First Council of Constantinople in 381, when it added a section to the end Creed that states: "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” |
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One Church
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unity;
the Eucharist, the bishop, the creeds, arguments over the doctrine, councils and the canon of the Christian scriptures all served the oneness of the Church; today: what sorts of issues cause problems in the parish? in a denomination? between different denominations? do poor and wealthy churches work together? how to overcome factions in the community? There should be no divisions among the members of the Church. For the Church to be one with Christ it must first maintain unity with itself. This comes from Christ's remarks: "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd." John 10:16 |
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Holy Church
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the sanctity of the Church is derived from the fact that it is Christ's church. "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." Matthew 16:18
since the Church was established by Christ, it is said to be holy. This does not mean that the members of the Church are free from sin, but that the institution of the Church is a holy institution. Its members may be sinners, but the Church itself remains sacred. Christians are baptized into Christ himself; each Christian is to become him; Christ became human so that humans could become divine; holiness is visible – martyrdom; today: what does holiness look like today? do we stand with someone in trouble even if it means embarrassment? in a materialistic culture, what is holiness? |
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Catholic Church
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Christ refuses no one from His grace; therefore, the Church cannot refuse anyone as long as they accept Christ.
"Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20 Christ sent His apostles to preach to the whole world. therefore, the Church is open to all races, both sexes, all nationalities. the catholicity of the Church also refers to the fact that the Church is the same everywhere. In every land, with every people, the Church maintains the same rituals and beliefs. katholikos: universal, "throughout the whole"; dynamic; the gospel spreads outward in ever-expanding spheres of influence; today: are there areas where we would rather the gospel's influence not go? in what situations would we rather not be reminded of our calling? can we exemplify what we believe in? |
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Apostolic Church
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the Church is handed down from Christ through the Apostles to us.
the Church can be traced back through history to show that those who lead the Church were commissioned to do so by the Apostles, who had been commissioned by Christ. an apostle is one who is sent; refers to those witnesses of the risen Christ who were sent to spread the gospel to the rest of the world; "the Twelve": today: who do we look to as authorities? the Pope, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa? |
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Difference between Sign and Symbol
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Sign: something that points to another reality and means what it signifies; the meaning is mostly fixed.
Symbol: a multidimentional sign that points to another reality and manifests the reality to which it points. |
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Mysterion and Sacramentum
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Mysterion: "something hidden or secret," describes an experience of the divine and/or God's activity in human affairs. The core meaning of the symbolic rituals we now call sacraments involves mystery and revelation of God's self-communication.
Sacramentum: a "sacred oath" taken by a recruit joining the Roman army. A religious initiation into the Christian community via baptism and the Eucharist, which were both a sign of initiation and the means of sanctification. |
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Theological definition of sacrament
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a symbolic ritual comprised of words, gestures and material signs (bread, wine, water, oil, etc.) that points to and manifests Jesus' own actions, for the purpose of communicating God's grace to those who, by faith, perform and participate in their action. A sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
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Grace
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the free, unmerited assistance that God gives to humans for their salvation, which is nothing less than participation in God's self-gift to humans that transforms, heals, and nurtures human existence. "Gift": all good things are gifts from God.
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Primordial sacrament
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even in his humanity he is the Son of God; God in a human way and human in a divine way; "whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
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Fundamental sacrament of Jesus' presence
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Church
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Sacraments of Initiation
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Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
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Baptism
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symbolic plunging/washing of a person in water that incorporates the person into the mystery of Jesus Christ and his Church and signifies the forgiveness of sin;
main signs: water: immersion symbolizes death with Christ and extraction – rebirth; rebirth into a new life with Christ; |
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Confirmation
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a symbolic anointing with oil on the forehead that signifies the public renewal of baptismal promises that strengthens the participation in the Church by sealing the initiate with the gifts of the Spirit:
main signs: oil: a spiritual seal that identifies the initiate as belonging to Chrit; acceptance or confirmation of the gift of the Spirit, whereby initiates pledge their lives to God by accepting a share in the mission of Jesus Christ according to the Spirit's fullness of life; |
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Eucharist
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"thanksgiving," signifies a new covenant of Jesus' body and blood, which is "the source and summit of Christian life" that completes the initiation sacraments, unties the seven sacraments, and sustains all ministerial activity by drawing the Christian most fully into Christ's Paschal mystery;
main signs: bread and wine: Christ's real presence, "body and blood"; acceptance of friendship n confirmation, sharing a sacred meal together. mystery: consecration: transforms Eucharistic sacraments into Christ's real presence; conversion: bread and wine into body and blood; communition: communal sharing of the body of Christ. |
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Sacraments of Healing
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Reconciliation, Anointing
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Reconciliation
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the forgiveness of sins and reacceptance into the ecclesial community;
sign: penance; |
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Anointing
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signals Jesus' compassion toward the sick and suffering by his healing and forgiveness of sins which involves the faith of the one being healed;
sign: oil. |
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Sacraments of Vocation
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Holy Orders, Marriage
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Holy Order
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bishops, priests and deacons continue the apostolic ministry enacted by Christ to "nourish the Church with the word and grace of God" by serving the local and global ecclesial community in the name and person of Jesus Christ;
sign: laying on of the hands upon the ordination candidate's head and solemn prayer of consecration by the bishop; |
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Marriage
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conventional union between spouses that signifies "the mystery of that unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and his church" manifested in "an intimate community of conjugal love" where husband and wife freely and totally commit themselves to each other in Christ as a celebration of God's love;
sign: the spouses themselves. |
