The Incarnation Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is the incarnation
The incarnation is when God took on human form to become Jesus
What does the incarnation show for christians
- For christians , the fact that God was prepared to become human shows how much God loves the human race
- For christians, the fact that God knows what its like to be human also helps christians to value his love
What happens in Lukes account of the incarnation
- Luke’s account of the incarnation focusses on Marys role
- It tells the story of how the Angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she was going to concieve and give birth named jesus, who would be the son of man
- Jesus was concieved by the holy spirit
- Mary was given the choice of wether to accept the role of Jesus mother. She gives her consent and says “Let it be with me according to your word”
- This incarnation shows how Jesus is both fully human and fully God
What happens in Matthews account of the incarnation
- Matthews account foccuses on Joseph’s role in the incarnation
- It tells of how an Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained how Jesus was concieved by the power of the holy spirit in order to save humanity from its sins
- In the story the angel refers to Jesus as “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us” showing how Jesus was in fact the son of God
What are the 5 main points that are shared in both accounts
- Mary was a virgin
- God used humans to bring about his plan for humanity
- Jesus was concieved by the power of the holy spirit
- The Angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth
- Jeus was the son of God
What is the word of God
- The catholic church teaches that God is not one person but in fact three(the father, the son and the holy spirit) and together these are called the trinity
- The second person , the son, can also be reffered to as the word of God
- The word of God became human through Jesus ( Jesus is sometimes reffered to as “the word of God made flesh”
What are bible teachings about the Word of God
- The word of God is eternal
- The word of God is God
- The word of God is also distinct from God
- The word of God is an expression of Gods love and power
What does the teaching “ the word of God is eternal” mean
The word of God is eternal means that it has always existed
-“In the beggining was the word”
What does the teaching “the word is God” mean
The word is God means that the word comes from deep inside God and is his self expression ( words come from inside someone)
-“The word was God”
What does the teaching “the word of God is also distinct from God mean”
The word of God is also distinct from God means that whilst the word of God and God are united and coexist tehre is also a distinction between them
-“The word was with God”
What does the teaching “ The word of God is how God expresses his power and love” mean
The word of God is how God expresses his power and love shows that the Word of God gives life,light and guidance
-“What has come into being in him is life”
What do christians believe about Jesus as the son of man
- Cheistians believe that Jesus was fully human as he lived a human life complete with human experieneces and emotions
- The title “son of man”emphasises his humanity and how he is like any human but also emphasis that he has been given the power and authority be God
- The fact that Jesus also suffered on the cross shows his humanity
What do christians believe about Jesus as the son of God
- When Jesus was arrested and taken to the high court he acknowledged that he was the son of God , showing his divinity and that he shared in Gods power
- Christians also believe that Jesus was always God but limited himself to human form during life on earth ( they believe this because God is eternal so therefore Jesus couldnt have become God after the ressurection and must have always been God
What is the ichtus and how was it used
The ichtus is a fish. The ichtus can also be used to remind chrustians the acronym about Jesus : “ Jesus christ ,son of God saviour” as the greek letter represnt a series of Greek words which translates to this.
-In early christianity it was used as a declaration of faith and christians would wear it to show that they believed that Jesus christ was the son of God and the saviour
What does the alpha omega symbol represent for christians and how is it used
The alpha omega symbol shows how God and Jesus are involved in everything from start to finish. It shows this because Alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet and Omega is the last .
-It has been used since the first century and still can be found in churches
What is the chi rho symbol and what does it represent for christians
The chi rho symbol is a symbol made out of the first two letters of the greek word for christ
- It reminds christians of Jesus’ death and reminds them of how Jesus was sent by God to save humanity through his death
- It inspires christians and is an expression of their faith. Many where it as an alternative to the crucifix
What are some arguments against religous art
People are against religious art because they would say
-It isnt possible to accuratley depict God as an infinite God can not be depicted with limited human resources
-It is against the second commandment to worship idols which is what it could be seen as
-Religous art can mislead people about God looks like. It can represnt him in a certian way when in fact he is transcendent so we dont know
-Jesus was fully human , not stone or wood so should not be worshipped
in a statue . The proper way to honour the incarnation is to serve others
-Depicting Jesus in human form can allow people to forget that he was also fully God
What do the catholic church teach about religious art
The catholic church teach that religous art is acceptable as it
- Inspires people
- Gives people something to focus on whilst they pray
- Teaches people about aspects of God’s work
What are other reasons in support of religious art invloving Jesus specifically
- Jesus was fully human so can therefore be depicted in human form through art. The art can also help to show his human values and qualities
- Jesus died to save all of humanity so therefore everyone was affected by his death and resurrection ao he can be shown as a member of any ethnicity
What does the sacred heart statue represent
The sarced heart statue represents Jesus’ total love for all people. This love is particularly shown through Jesus dying to save humanity from its sins which is why the statue has so many refferences to the crucifixion
What are the features of the sacred heart statue
- Jesus has flames coming from his heart to represent the burning love he has for all people
- Jesus has holes in his hands to remind of the crucifixion which was an act of total love
- Jesus’ heart is gold to represent his total golden love for all people
- Jeus has one hand pointing to his heart to draw attention to it
How did Jesus change the laws
- Christians believe that God fufilled the laws and that he followed them generally but also developed them so that tehy were more perfect
- The old testament taught more about what people should and shouldnt do whereas Jesus taught about peoples attitudes and having the right attitude in order to do the right thing
- For example the old testemant taught “ do not further” but jesus said to have a loving attitude and not to get angry
What are the beatitudes
- The beatitudes are a series of statements in which Jesus blessed a certian attitude or way of living and described what the reward would be for following in that way e.g blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth
- The beatitudes made up the first part of the sermon on the mount which was a talk given by Jesus to his followers about how they could live in a way that pleases God
What is the parable of the sheep and the goats
The parable of the sheep and the goats is a parable in which Jesus tells his followers by showing care and serving others , they are serving God . This shows Christians how they should respond to people in need
The parable also teaches Christians that if they show love are care for others they will be rewarded by God by being given eternal life in heaven
