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Christianity
introduction to christianity
49
Religious Studies
Undergraduate 2
05/03/2010

Additional Religious Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Bernard of Claivaux
Definition

-       Influential figure of pseudo-Dionysius

-       Initiated second crusade of 1147-49à said the church had a destiny and it could be achieved by military might

-       Wrote “on loving God”

-       Founded Cistercian monasteryà GOD IS LOVE ITSELF

-       Called the monastery a school of charity

-       No love compares to God’s loveàplaced human emotion in a hierarchy with God at the top

Term
Bishop
Definition

-       An overseer of a group of churches, with authority over clergy of individual parishes

-       One who went about service in the community

-       Came to be in the 1st century because it was obvious a leader above the rank of priest was necessary to ensure uniformity among churches

-       Assisted by one or more deacons

-       From year 100, Bishop of Rome has held a powerful position, became official in a dispute with Alexandrian Christians

Term
Christian Apologetics
Definition

-       Christians sought most followers in the Greek-speaking world so they needed to appeal to Greeks both intellectually and linguistically

-       The apologists were philosophical defenders of the Christian worldview

-       Greek writings emerged in the first four centuries

-       Passage from John was used as premiseà appealed to Greeks by seeing Christ as the ruling mind that governed the universe rather than the incarnation of God

-       Accentuated common features between Christianity and Platonism to appeal to the Greeks and convince them a.k.a persuade the pagans

-       In Latin American Christian tradition they also had some note-worthy defenders against Pagan opposition

Term
Confessing Church
Definition

-       Branch of Protestantism in Germany during WW2 which opposed Nazism and its takeover of Christianity

-       Opposition of the German Christians

-       Dominated by neo-orthodox theologians under KARL BARTH

-       Continued to work despite the constant threats of persecution

-       Named in 1934 from a Confessional synod

-       Originated in a “Pastor’s Emergency league”

-       Dietrich Boenhoefferà famous Confessing Church member

-       Many Lutheran community leaders joined

-       In US Tillich struck out

-       “Where is God in the war?”

Term
Council of Trent
Definition

-       Most important event of Reformation-era Catholicism

-       Met in Trento, Italy between 1545-63

-       Called by Pope Paul 3

-       Spanned from a reactionary clergy who only saw threats with Protestantism to a more moderate generation

-       Protestants didn’t want to participate because they thought it was rigged

-       Catholics wanted to participate in order to sign Protestantism’s death warrant

-       Because of the controversy of attending, the Italian clergy basically dominated the council

o     They combined the authority of Scripture and Tradition within the church in opposition of Luther’s “sola scriptura”

-       The third phase shifted from reaction to REFORMàinto Tridentine Catholicism

-       The Catechism came to beà a standard of religious instructions on the divinity of the sacraments and veneration of saints

Term
Crusades
Definition

-       Medieval phenomenon

-       Desire to restore the Holy Land to the church

-       Began because traditionally, the geographical landscape of the church had been promised to the Jews by God but then taken over by Roman power, and now was occupied by Muslims

-       The origin of the Crusades was owed to Gregory VII who wanted to unify the eastern and western Churchesà his plan never came to be

-       The crusades were put into action in 1095 when Pope Urban 2 appealed at Claremont to attending nobles and knights to fight for what was deserved to them and offered spiritual rewards for getting the Holy Land back

-       The most durable/tragic legacy of the Crusades is hostility toward Islam

Term
Biblical Criticism
Definition

-Thomas Hobbes and Richard Simon

-       Grew out of the rationalistic atmosphere of the 17 and 18th centuries

-       It’s the study and investigation of biblical writings- who wrote them/where they were written/to whom were they written/in what circumstances

-       Old Testament was focused on especially with the origin of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible)àDid Moses write?

Term
Enlightenment
Definition

-       The turning point in Western religious thought

-       Thinkers in the Enlightenment saw themselves as agents of the shift from faith to knowledge

-       Wasn’t a religious phenomenon but it did affect the church

-       It developed in opposition to traditional religion and its dependence on divine revelation

-       Several schools of thought emerged in this era including deism (believe in what is real and physically in front of us), theism (belief in the supernatural—faith), idealism (Berkley) and Butler’s thoughts that religion is not completely confirmed, but is more of a probable thing

-       Methodism emerged during this era with John and Charles Wesley

Term
Eucharist
Definition

-       First and central rite of the Christian community also known as the Lord’s Supper and Holy Communion

-       Ritual meal of bread and wine that is the incarnation of the body of Christ and is one of the seven Catholic sacraments

-       It is in commemoration of the Last Supper during Jesus’ last work where he spoke to the 12 apostles and told them to “Take this, this is my body, which will be given up for you” and “Take this, this is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, it will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.”

-       It is also an adaptation of the Jewish Seder or Passover dinner, which is a celebration of the Jew’s liberation from Egyptà shows Christianity’s connection to Judaism

Term
"Filioque" Controversy
Definition

-       The term means “and the son”

-       It is a reference to whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the son, or just the Father

-       It is the fundamental difference between Orthodoxy and Western Christianity

-       Orthodoxy is more like Judaism in that it eliminates “and the son” and believes the Holy Spirit comes from the Father alone

Term
Franciscans
Definition

-       Mendicant order created by Francis of Assisi

-       By the beginning of the 13th century, Europe had undergone a great transformation to a thriving civilization causing mendicant religious orders to live within the communities and among the people

-       Franciscans had/still have no property of their own and rely on donations from the laity

-       Called themselves “friars” meaning "brothers", because they live among the people, and rather than being above them like priests who are called “fathers,” they are more on the level of people because they lived humbly among their secular neighbors

-       The formal name is the Order of Friars Minor and they were bound by service to society and obedience to the Pope and the head of the order

Term
German Christians
Definition

-       WW2 caused German churches to suffer losses in clergy and laity and were divided by the war

-       A number of Protestant leaders were Nazis and in order to keep their positions they formed an alliance with the Nazi regime

-       This movement saw no contradiction between Christian values and those of the Nazi party

-       Used the pulpit to show support for Hitler and his organization

-       Opposed Confessing Church

-       Wrote up a list of directives that they called “Platform of German Christians”

o     These directives pointed out all their goals to attain a new order in the church

o     Opposed racial mixing, in marriage especially, and thought that Jews posed a national threat

o     Wanted to create the Evangelical National Church of Germany

Term
Hildegard of Bingen
Definition

-       German Benedictine Abbess

-       One of the first women to write seriously about religion and was a sensitive poet

-       Composer of hymns/liturgical pieces

-       Had prophesies and visions and was perhaps best known for them and wrote them in Latin in a 3-volume work

-       Uses imagery to express Christian concepts (such as the Fall, the Church, and the end of the world)

-       An active leader in a church that was expanding artistic and liturgical canons using the senses and emotions

-       Representations of the crucifix and stories of the Old and New Testaments

-       She was very popular but her less attractive aspect was her attitude towards Judaism that unfortunately was typical of her time

Term
House Church
Definition

-       To early Christians, the word Church meant the act of assembling, rather then the actual building itself

-       Because the Roman Empire was not Catholic at the time of house churches, they met where they could, and usually that was in their homes

-       These simple meetings reflected the nature of their faith: INTROSPECTIVEà they were leaving the material world behind and having real meaning through spirituality

-       Some houses were entirely converted into places of worship with plane walls and a courtyard in the center where the baptisms would take place.

-       The inward focus of these churches reflected not only the spirit of the congregation but also was necessary protection from authorities.

Term
John of the Cross
Definition

-       The Reformation also occurred in Spain

-       John was Teresa of Avila’s younger contemporary

-       He was a child of poverty and was later ordained a priest, but longed a life of solitude so he joined of Teresa’s Carmelite monastery in Medina

-       He was so fascinated and inspired that he began his own male order of the Carmelite friars and became their leader

-       He insisted on reform and was often punished for his actions, much like Teresa of Avila wasà this caused him to be kidnapped and beaten twice by the members of the Carmelite order

-       One of the most provocative mystics of the early-modern period

Term
Liberation Theology
Definition

-       Phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries

-       Most closely associated with Latin America, Liberation Theology is the movement designed for the church to take part in speaking up for those oppressed and poor

-       Since Vatican 2, many have spoken/written about it

-       Gustavo Gutierrez- one founder- Peruvian Catholic priest- thought for humanity to advance we needed to even out and overcome master-servant relations

-       It reflects the make-up of the first Christian Community of Jesus and his followers who were mostly workers, oppressed, and persecuted, outcastsà easy to see how Jesus’ teachings would relate to those oppressed, meek, and suffering, especially his Sermon on the Mount where he displayed the Beatitudes

Term
Margery Kempe
Definition

-       An English laywoman who, according to her contemporaries had special divine connections to God and unusual spiritual gifts

-       She would often have fits of emotion, where she would weep and sob, usually in Church, and people thought this was her having a divine impulse

-       She was said to be illiterate but there is a book of her travels and travails titled “The Book of Margery Kempe” and it follows her missions throughout Europe and Asia, such as Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela

-       Significance: it’s the only account from the point of view of a woman in the Middle Ages 

-       She had people come up to her after a liturgy and she would free them of their guilt because Jesus spoke to her and told her that she needed to change her lifestyle and do work in his name

Term
Martin Luther
Definition

-       Initiator of the Protestant Reformation

-       He was an ordained priest and was driven by the search for a righteous God

-       He hated indulgences, which were pamphlets people would buy in order to receive some sort of spiritual benefits in the after-life

-       He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521

-       Translated Scriptures into clear and straight-forward German to bring it to the Protestants as the only form of divine revelation

-       Rejected Roman Canon Law and even burned copies of it

-       Married a former nun (began the reverend-ship) publicly denouncing the Catholic vow of celibacy

Term
Methodism
Definition

-       Started as a reformed form of Anglicanism

-       Focuses on emotional piety and centers on the sermon

-       Reflected 18th century culture combining novelty and tradition

-       Launched by John and Charles Wesley, who ironically didn’t want to stray from the Church at first

-       They were priests of the Church of England

-       Mainly pastoral work intended to restore vitality to worship

-       Tenor grounded in their experiences (Especially John’s)

-       Large segments of the middle and working class joined

-       Emphasis on an emotional experience of God and egalitarian leanings giving it popularity in the American colonies

-       Also appealed to those who found traditional Anglicanism too formal

Term
Monasticism
Definition

-       Withdrawing from society in order to pursue an ordered life of contemplation

-       Once Christianity was a natural religion, meaning that people were born into it rather than voluntarily choosing to be a part of it, the Church wanted to answer the question: how can a believer achieve a greater degree of perfection within the faith??? The answer was monateries.

-       They allowed for laypersons to become “brothers” and “sisters” and achieve a greater degree of devotion to the church

-       Monasteries sent missionaries to spread the gospel

Term
Papal Infallibility
Definition

-       One of the most controversial issues from the 19th-20th centuries

-       Gregory XVI developed it further

-       The issue was whether the pope could make pronouncements that would remain unchallenged over time

-       The document on Papal Infallibility said that as long as he speaks in ex cathedra, meaning sitting in the Bishop’s chair as the heir of St. Peter, anything he says having to do with morals and faith is deemed binding and irreformable

-       This sparked controversy and was placed at the forefront of the Vatican Councilàeven the allies of the document were angry because it wasn't an important enough issue to be at the front of all issues at Vatican 1

-       Despite the controversy, it was voted in by all members, except two who eventually voted in favor for the well-being of the church

Term
Paul
Definition

-       A Pharisee, he was supposed to follow/enforce the law

-       He was an outstanding apostle, but not one of the first twelve

-       It is questioned whether he ever actually met Jesus, but it is said he came to know Jesus after his death when Paul was on his way to Damascus

-       Paul, who was a persecutor of the Christians, saw Jesus and decided to change his lifestyle and became one of the most prolific and articulate writers of the new religion of the time- Christianity.

-       He was a master at affirming Christianity’s roots in Judaism but also its departure and differences from it

-       He changed and saw that because of Jesus following the law was no longer the path to righteousness but a way to not sin of pride

Term
Perpetua
Definition

-       She was a catechumen arrested for her faith along with four others, including her slave Felicitas

-       A third century martyr, Perpetua was arrested for not denouncing her faith

-       At the time she was weaning her child and that was her biggest worry when imprisoned

-       She wrote a vivid account of her sufferings in prison, the joy she felt when she was able to feed her child and spend time with him, having to deny her father’s, who was a pagan, pleas to her to denounce her faith, and the visions she had while in jail.

-       Her one major vision of a ladder leading up to heaven showed her that her life would be a Passion that would lead her to the Gates of Heaven and she was confident and fully prepared to suffer for what she believed in

Term
Pentecostal
Definition

-       From the word “Pentecost” which is the day people were gathering in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death and resurrection

-       Pentecost did begin as a Jewish tradition, but it was a coincidence it was on the same day

-       At first, no one knew what was going on, so Peter stood up and explained to everyone present what was going onà the Holy Spirit had come in tongues of fire and that is why they were all suddenly speaking in different tongues.

-       Pentecostals are also a group of people that place themselves not only in the context of the early church but also in the second coming of God.

-       Jerry Falwell (extreme Conservative) and Pat Robertson

Term
Pietism
Definition

-       The 17th century was a time of new movements

-       Lutheran confession was reinvigorated by the birth of “pietism” which was a movement intended as a revival of the original reformation impulse

-       Became a religion of piety rather than orthodoxy

-       Feeling>Reason

-       Characterized by extra-liturgical devotions and preaching focused on love

-       Came to be when Lutheran theologians were wrestling with the issue of the nature of divine grace/genuineness and how it works

Term
Puritans
Definition

-       English Calvinists Protestants that were religious refugees of England. They had gone to Holland first but feared losing their English roots

-       They settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts

-       Their mission: “An Errand into the wilderness”

-       Later called “pilgrims” they saw themselves as latter-day Jews

-       They saw one of the highest compliments being called a good Jew

-       They established freedom of religion in the Mass. Bay Colony, but weren’t ready to share it with the world yet

-       They failed to establish a “pure” form of worship free of Catholic rituals and government control, like they had planned to do

-       They played a huge role in the beginnings of American culture

Term
Scholasticism
Definition

-       Word came to be in the Middle Ages simply referring to what was done in school

-       St. Thomas Aquinas is most typically associated with scholastic thought, but it all began with St. Anselm

-       It designates a variety of theologies

-       The common purpose was to understand God by means of reason, rather than faith which is done within the Church

-       Derived name from where men trained for priesthood and arose from attempts by scholars in these schools to explain passages of the Bible

Term
Society of Jesus
Definition

-       Also known as Jesuits

-       Founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spaniard, who led a group of university students

-       From the start, the society was a missionary organization without boundariesà always with the same zeal to win adherents to the church

-       Willingness to engage with secular culture

-       Translated the values of Spanish chivalry and military culture into an organization that would serve the Catholic church

-       They were highly organized, with a constitution, internal hierarchy and fixed headquarters in Rome

-       To this day they have a concern for efficiency and thoroughness

-       Opened schools and went on preaching tours

Term
Syllabus of Errors
Definition

-       1864

-       Pope Pius IX attacked Protestantism and the progress that came with it in this document

-       He condemned most modern modes of thought and caused furor in liberal circles

-       Made the church look like it was against modernity

-       Identified the “errors” of the time which included: political/social thoughts/ethics/Christian matrimony/primacy of Roman pontiff

-       80 assumptions/attitudes total

Term
Unitarianism
Definition

-       Roots go back to Reformation era and espouses belief in God as one person and Jesus as merely a spiritual leaderà rejecting the doctrine of the trinity

-       In 19th century America, this liberal denomination emphasized the essential goodness of human nature

-       Closely tied to Transcendentalism

-       Philosophy exemplified by Ralph Waldo Emerson

-       1880s need for social activism

-       Seven principles including peace, liberty and justice for all, dignity for everyone and loving all in the spirit of God’s love

Term

Vatican 2

Definition

-       In the years after WW2, questions were raised concerning the Pope, church’s view of Jews, relations to Germany and Protestantism, etc.

-       Pope john XXIII came into the papacy and immediately began the Second Vatican Council and as a result changed the church forever

-       This council was a definitive “updating” of a number of ways of the church

-       These included: substituting Latin with vernacular languages for Mass, eliminating the Prohibited books, giving the laity a more active role in the Church, new translations/editions to the Bible, and unexpected measures were taken to minimize distinctions between the Catholic church and other Christian denominations

Term
Gospel of Matthew
Definition

- Genealogy, birth, infancy of Jesus

- Discourses and actions of John the Baptism preparatory to Christ's public ministry

- Discourse of Christ

- Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes)

 

Term
Paul
Definition

- Discipline an immoral brother

-resolving personal disputes

-sexual purity

-marriage

-defends his apostolic authority

Term
Gospel of Thomas
Definition

- 114 sayings attributed to Jesus

- The writer really remains unknown

- not a narrative account of Jesus' life

Term
Justin Martyr, First Apology
Definition

-To the Roman Emperor

-To prove to emperors the importance of Christianity

-Preliminary negative proof

-positive exposition of Christianity

-Christians are the true worshippers of God--the creator of all things--they offer to him sacrifices worthy of him--prayer and thanksgiving and are taught by his son a perfect morality

Term
Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
Definition

- Christian martyrs of the 3rd century

- suffered together at Carthage in Africa

- Felicitas was Perpetua's slave

- In year 203 during Persecutions of the Emperor Severus

- Truly believed God's plan was her passion and had visions of it going up a ladder to heaven

- Significance: shows perseverance in faith even when in the face of adversity

Term
Pope Urban II: Speech at Claremont
Definition

-Proved highly effective as he summoned attending knights/nobles to wrestle the HOly Land and the eastern churches from the hands of the Turks

-Justified saying it was promised to them by God and also promised them spiritual rewards if they went

-11th century starting point of the first crusade

Term
Didache
Definition

- Anonymous work and a pastoral manual that reveals more about how Jewish-Christians saw themselves and how they adopted Judaism for the Gentiles

- Christian lessons: baptism, Eucharist, Church organizations, sacraments

- Arranged into chapters

Term
Ignatius of Antioch to Magnesians
Definition
15 chapters with intro, reason for writing, and then chapters on: obeying your bishop, being christians in reality, death is the fate of all, do all with harmony, live with Christ, in Christ
Term
St. Jerome to Eustochium
Definition

- Telling her what to do, how to act

- Wrote when he was in Rome

- Significance: contains vivid picture of Roman society as it was then--> the luxury, profligacy, and hypocrisy prevalent among men and women

- talked about motives which ought to actuate those who devote themselves to vriginity

- rules by which they ought to regulate daily conduct

Term
History of a Church Building
Definition
Shows evolution of the Church buildings from house churches to the basilica to monasteries to the church in America. Reflection of the congregation at the time and can be seen in the physicality of the buildings
Term
Orthodox Art and Architecture
Definition

Orthodox masses--one becomes aware of God's presence through the senses in the experience of "splendor" and "beauty"

- art/architecture of orthodox church came to maturity in the Byzantine empire

- Fall of Constantinople accelerated national styles

 

Term
The Book of Margery Kempe
Definition

- Chronicles her extensive pilgrimages to various holy sites in Europe and Asia

- significance: best insight available that points to a woman in the Middle Ages

- Pilgrimages to Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago De Compostela

Term
The Freedom of a Christian
Definition

- Martin Luther

- Concept that as fully forgiven children of God, Christians are no longer compelled to keep God's law however they freely and willingly serve God and their neighbors

Term
Wesley- Hymn Book/Hymns
Definition

 Preface to A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodist; Charles Wesley, "Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast"

and Charles Wesley, "O for a thousand tongues to sing!"

preface: people asked for it, contains scriptural christianity, asks no one to change the hymns--leave as they are

Term
Letters from a Birmingham Jail
Definition

- Relates his peaceful acts to those in the Bible by Jesus

- Relates to Christianity because it's Jesus' teachings being brought to life

- wrote the letter because his actions were called "unwise and untimely" ina  time where clergymen insisted that the battle against segregation should be done within the courts only, not on the streets

Term
Platform of German Christians
Definition

-Directives to point out to all German Christians the goals by which they can attain a new order in the church

- ex) no racial mixing, especially in marriage, saw jews as a grave danger to the national character of germany

- wanted to unite the churches of Germany to form one Evangelical National Church

Term
Nostra Aetate
Definition

- Second Vatican Council's attempt to fix relations with non-Catholic's

- Declaration on the relations of the Church to non-Christian Religions

- God created the world for all to live on and we all return to God in the end anyways

- Eternal questins that have dogged men since the beginning and some answers from HIndus and Buddhists

- Catholic Church regards Muslims with esteem

- Bonds of "new Covenant" to Abraham's flock (Jews)

- All men are created in God's image

Term
Listen America!
Definition

- Jerry Falwell

- Reverend who wrote to counter both the creeping socialism of the welfare state and moral decline of America

- Focuses on the necessity of hard work to=success

- we need to get back to basics, back to values

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