2E Flashcards
(13 cards)
Explain the acts of the apostles
Acts of apostles is earliest account of spread of Christianity in 1st century CE- general consensus this was written by Luke
Written about 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus
State the 4 actions from acts
‘Devoted themselves to the apostles’
‘They devoted themselves to the breaking of the bread’
‘They devoted themselves to the prayers’
‘They had all things in common’
Explain ‘Devoted themselves to the apostles’
Apostles were the earliest Christian teachers- their ‘didache’ was summed up in the kerygma- aim to proclaim key facts of the gospel
United in belief Jesus was the messiah + sits at the right hand of God and through him is how people’s sins are forgiven
Explain ‘They devoted themselves to the breaking of the bread’
Signifies 2 things
1) Breaking of bread at Lord’s supper (sacrament Jesus established)
2) Dividing of loaves at a communal meal- Jewish custom
Context:
Acts 2:42 used in context of worship- memorial of Jesus’ death
Acts 2:46 provides sustenance for poorer members of the church
Deepens relationship through charitable acts
Explain ‘They devoted themselves to the prayers’
Jewish men in Jerusalem went to the temple to pray at least 3 times a day
Acts 5:12 recorded that they met in ‘Solomans portico’ which formed part of the court of the gentiles
Early Christians also met to pray in private homes- reasons for this such as the pentecost experience so intense, prayer as main source of strength
Constant fellowship with God, introduced to Jesus as messiah, main source of strength as a community
Explain ‘They had all things in common’
Acts 2:45 states all those who believe ‘would sell their possessions and goods’ and they’ll distribute these to all
Not to be confused with communism
Were driven by the Holy Spirit to care for each other
Fellowship- from greek koinonia meaning communion
Communal life is not compulsory for Christians as some believers owned property
Model for modern churches- explain Sacraments
RCC and other denominations carry out sacraments which maintain fellowship-
7 in RCC and Catholic and 2 in protestant and 3 in Lutheran-
the church itself is a sacrament
sacraments= ‘an outward sign of inward grace’ Augustine
Disagreements about whether power comes from these directly of if are symbols
Model for modern churches- what’s the church seen as
The contemporary church is ‘the body of christ’ on earth
Model for modern churches- posessions
Possessions are still shared with religious monks and nuns- christian charities eg CAFOD- protestants use tithe as method to share wealth
Model for modern churches- missionary work
Missionary work- ‘add to the number daily’- in Matthew 28 Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations
Model for modern churches- denominations
100’s of different denominations in Christianity- all claim to follow work of early apostles (kerygma)- all share basic beliefs such as Jesus as the messiah, resurrection ascension etc
GIve 3 points that agree with ‘The main role of the church is to provide religious teaching’
The church is concerned with interpreting religious scripture
The church is focussed on doctrine and dogma
The teachings within the bible help the poor and needy
GIve 3 points that disagree with ‘The main role of the church is to provide religious teaching’
For many Christians the way their Christian faith is lived is more important than doctrine and scripture
Church more concerned with it’s doctrines than its people
Help for poor can be achieved within the religion without the teachings
