The Early Church: Jesus, True God and True Man

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CHAPTER NINE
The Early Church Jesus, True
God and True Man
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Letter to the Hebrews
- Although the letter shows an association with
Paul with a reference to Timothy, St. Paul did
not write the letter to the Hebrews
- Author is anonymous -Written homily developing
a theme of Christ as a high priest and the model
of our faith A priests role is to offer
sacrifices Jesus willingly sacrificed His life
for us Jesus offered the sacrifice on our
behalf and offered Himself as the sacrifice
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Letter to the Hebrews
- Written for a local church whose faith was
starting to become lifeless - Tries to encourage
these Christians to persevere in their faith by
pointing to Jesus Jesus had been tempted and
suffered, yet remained faithful - Christian
vocation is a pilgrimage Jesus is the guide
To achieve heaven we must imitate His
obedience and His suffering
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Catholic Epistles
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Catholic Epistles
- Made up of seven NT Documents
James
2 John
1 Peter
3 John
2 Peter
Jude
1 John
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Catholic Epistles
- Catholic means universal

The letters are called Catholic because
1.) They contain
general advice that is helpful to all
churches
2.) They were
accepted by all Eastern and Western
churches
3.)
They help us understand better how the
catholic or worldwide Church was developed
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Catholic Epistles
James - Actual author is unknown - Addressed to
Jewish-Christians outside Holy Land -Gives much
practical, Christ-inspired advice and
encouragement on themes of Christian living
How to handle temptation Power of prayer Key
themes Gods preferential love for the poor
Need for rich people to care for the poor
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Catholic Epistles
1 Peter - Pseudonymous writer written by a
disciple of Peter to communities in Asia
Minor - Purpose was to boost the spirit of
Gentile- Christian converts to bear witness to
Christ in a largely pagan world - Resembles
more of a sermon - Points to Jesus as the
Suffering Servant - Gives the clearest NT
teaching on suffering Tells Christians not to
return evil with evil
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But rejoice to the extent that you share in the
sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is
revealed you may also rejoice exultantly (1
Peter 413).
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Catholic Epistles
Jude and 2 Peter - 2 Peter borrows heavily from
Jude - Letter of Jude denounces certain outsiders
who have come into the Church Warns these
outsiders that they will be punished
severely for engaging in acts of immorality
that were most likely sexual in nature - 2
Peter is last NT work written - Major theological
contribution concerns Christs Second Coming
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Catholic Epistles
1 John - Style and teachings reveal intimate
connection to Johns Gospel -1st letter is most
important Written to bolster the Johannine
church threatened by a schism caused by false
teachers 2 John - Reminds Christians to love
one another - Warns against anyone who denies
the doctrine of the Incarnation, calling them
Antichrists
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Catholic Epistles
3 John - Condemns Diotrephes who challenged the
teachings of John the Elder and refused to
receive his emissaries - Second and third letters
show the early Church had its problems to work
out, just as our current Church does
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Revelation to John
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Revelation to John
- Last book of the Bible - Also known as the
Apocalypse - Because of its symbolic and
imaginative language, it is the last read and
understood book in the New Testament - Author
is a prophet named John Patmos - Revelation is
unveiling of the risen Jesus Christ
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St. Jerome commented that Revelation contains as
many secrets as it does words.
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Revelation to John
John Patmos wrote the book to 1.) Encourage
Christians to remain faithful during times of
persecution, false teachings, and
complacency 2.) For Christians to remain hopeful
Jesus already rescued us from sin and death by
His death and resurrection In the coming
battle he will conquer the unholy trinity of
Satan (the dragon), the beast of the sea (the
emperor), and the beast of the land (the
local authority)
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Revelation to John
Apocalyptic Literature - Contained visions given
to a human usually by a heavenly being who
takes him to a heavenly vantage point
Symbolic words, images, and numbers,
pessimism about a world in the grip of a
devil, but optimism about Gods final
triumph -The message is disguised using symbolism
so John could write about his enemies without
them knowing it
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Revelation to John
- Basic message of apocalyptic writing God
controls history and the outcome of events,
not the present evil rulers or the forces of
evil - Theme Faithfully endure present
difficulties until the Lord comes in his glory
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Revelation to John
Symbols
7 means wholeness or perfection
6 is associated with imperfection
666 is ultimate imperfection
12 signifies Israel, 12 apostles or or the Church
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Revelation to John
Symbols
1000 symbolizes an incalculable amount or eternity
144,000 symbolizes a new Israel
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Revelation to John
Symbols
Black represents suffering
Purple stands for royalty
White symbolizes victory
Red means war, violence, killing
Pallor stands for death
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Revelation to John
Symbols
- Babylon An ancient city that persecuted the
Jews, stands for the modern persecutor of the
Christians, Rome - Dragon Personification of
evil, Satan - Horn Power - Eyes Knowledge
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Revelation to John
Symbols
- Four horses White Conquering power Red
Bloody war Black Famine Green Death
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Revelation to John
-In Revelation, Jesus is The Pantokrator -
majestic, powerful ruler God The
Alpha and the Omega (beginning and the
end) The root of David The Lion and the
Lamb The judge of the living and the
dead The word of God
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Christology of Early Church
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Christology of Early Church
- Christology deals with who the person of Jesus
Christ is. The New Testament demonstrates
through various titles who Jesus is
Lamb of God
Christ, the Messiah
Lord
Savior of Humanity
Unique son of God
Bread of Life
Good Shepherd
Light of the World
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Christology of Early Church
- Mistakes were sometimes made while wrestling
with the scriptural assertions of Jesus -
Heresy false teaching about some major point
of Church doctrine - The Church refined its
understanding of Jesus through writings of the
Church fathers and teachings of the
ecumenical councils
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Christology of Early Church
- Main Teachings of ecumenical or worldwide
councils 1.) Jesus is the only Son of God 2.)
Jesus Christ is true God 3.) Jesus Christ is
true God, God from God, Light from
Light 4.) Jesus is begotten, not made, one in
Being with the Father
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Christology of Early Church
5.) All things were made through the Son 6.)
There is only one person in Christ, the divine
person 7.) Mary, by conceiving Gods Son, is
truly the Mother of God 8.) There are two
distinct natures in the one person of Christ
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Christology of Early Church
9.) Jesus embodies the divine ways of God in a
human way 10.) Jesus has a human intellect and a
human will 11.) Jesus, God-made-man, is our
Savior 12.) The Mission of Jesus and the Holy
Spirit are distinct but inseparable
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Vocabulary
Apologist-a defender of Christianity the
church who tries to show reasonableness of
christian faith Ecumenical Council- a world
wide official assembly of bishops under the
direction of the pope. Fathers of the Church-
an honorary title given to outstanding early
church theologians whose teaching has had lasting
significance for the church
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Paousia- the Second Coming of Christ which will
usher in the full establishment of Gods
kingdom Theotokos- an important title
bestowed on Mary at the council of Ephesus
meaning God bearer Vulgate- st jerome 5th
century ad Latin transition of the bible into the
common language of the people of his day