Reviewer: Theology - Symbols, Christology, and Christian Faith PDF

Okay, here is the converted text from the images/document, formatted in markdown: ## LESSON 1: ADVENT SEASON ### I. Advent * Arrival/coming * It starts on **Sunday closest to November 30.** ### II. Advent Wreath * Symbolizes the **everlasting love of God** * Symbolizes the **promise of eve...

Okay, here is the converted text from the images/document, formatted in markdown: ## LESSON 1: ADVENT SEASON ### I. Advent * Arrival/coming * It starts on **Sunday closest to November 30.** ### II. Advent Wreath * Symbolizes the **everlasting love of God** * Symbolizes the **promise of everlasting life** brought to us by Jesus. * Candles * Lit up on the first week: Hope - **purple** * Lit up on the second week: Peace – **Purple** * Lit up on the third week: Joy - **Pink** * Lit up on the fourth week: Love – **Purple** * Lit up on Christmas Eve: Christ candle (purity, light, restoration, and holiness) – White ### III. Christmas Tree * Symbolizes the **birth and resurrection of Jesus.** * The branches symbolize the **crown of thorns of Jesus** ### IV. Christmas Lights * Symbolizes that **Jesus is coming and is the light of the world**, and we are the light of others. ### V. Christmas Caroling * It is to **spread the spirit of Christmas.** * It symbolizes the **Joy** of the coming of Jesus. ### VI. Star/Parol/Lantern * It symbolizes the **star that guided the three kings/wise men/magi**, who went to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. **A.** The three kings 1. Melchior – **Gold** * The Gold is a symbol of **loyalty** and represents Christ's **Kingship**. 2. Gaspar – Myrrh * The Myrrh represents Christ's **humanity**, particularly in his passion and death. 3. Balthasar – Frankincense * The frankincense is used in worship, which points to his **divinity**. ### VII. Belen * Symbolizes **humility** The love of God is **inclusive**. It is for all ## LESSON 2: STO. NIÑO The Fiesta is celebrated on the third Sunday of January. **Terms:** **Sinulog festival** – Dance prayer **Saulog** - Celebrate **Sulog** – Water currents The Santo Niño, or *Holy Child Jesus*, holds immense significance for the Cebuano people, transcending just a religious figure. He is deeply ingrained in their cultural identity, history, and daily life. Here are some key reasons: ### I. Historical and Spiritual Symbol * The Arrival of Christianity * Is to extend Christianity and spread spiritually. * The Santo Nino, gifted by **Magellan to Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana** on **1521**, marked the arrival of Christianity in Cebu and the Philippines. * It symbolizes the **star of their Christian faith** and it's enduring presence for centuries. * Miraculous Icon * The Santo Nino survived various calamities, fire and wars, solidifying his status as a **powerful protector and source of divine grace** for Cebuanos. * Patron * Traditionally, Santo Nino was considered the patron of Cebu City, though the Church clarified its role is *not* a Saint but **a representation of Jesus.** ### II. Cultural Importance * Sinulog festival * The annual sinulog festival, one of the biggest in the Philippines, celebrates the Santo Nino with **vibrant street parades, dance competitions, and religious processions**. * Showcases Cebuano **faith, culture, and heritage**. * Devotion and Tradition * Many Cebuanos have personal altars showcasing the Santo Nino, pray to him for blessings and miracles, and participate in devotional practices like "**pasas" (*offering*)** and **“panaad” (*vows*)** * Arts and Crafts * The Santo Nino's image inspires artisans to **create intricate jewelry, watches, and artworks representing him** further embedding him in Cebuano artistic expression. ### III. Community and Identity: * Shared Bond * The Santo Nino **unites Cebuanos across generations and social classes**, providing a sense of shared history, culture pride, and community. * Resilience and Hope * During times of hardship, the Santo Nino **serves as a symbol of hope, resilience, and divine** intervention, strengthening the spirit of Cebuanos. * Values and Teachings * His image promotes **faith, humility, forgiveness, and compassion**, influencing Cebuano values and everyday life. ## LESSON 3: CHRISTOLOGY Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's Revelation what makes Christianity different from all other religions? The adherens are called "Christians" because they believe, embrace and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, handed down through the apostles throughout the generations. **Christology** Deals with the **person and attributes of Christ and in the particular union with Him of the divine and human natures. This is motivated not merely by a solid practical interest for worship of Christ as the life of the church.** **Finding the historical life of Jesus.** * The Christian scriptures are our principal sources in proving the existence of the historical Jesus. The New Testament tells us of a certain Jesus of Nazareth who preached and performed miracles, was crucified and rose again from the dead. * However, finding proofs of the existence of Jesus Christ using the bible would be weak evidence; it would then be tantamount to say that we cannot use the bible to prove itself. We need to have solid external, non-biblical evidences which would testify that Jesus Christ is indeed a historical person who was born and walked with humanity some time, somewhere in the past. This is one avenue also where faith meets science and reason. We shall seek the help of some fields of study like archeology, history and other written document so that would bring us to the past **Non-Biblical writings that point to the existence of Jesus Christ** 1. Tacitus (AD 56-116) \- A roman historian. \- He wrote of a certain "Christ" who began a "perniculous superstition", that this Christ was crucified when Pontius was governor of Judea and Tiberius was emperor, and that his followers were responsible for the great fire in Rome during the reign of emperor Nero. He called Christianity **"plague"** which began in Judea. 2. Suetonius (AD 69) \- The chronicler of the emperor Claudius \- He wrote of an event when **the emperor expelled the Christians from Rome in 49 AD** to riots instigated by the "Chrestus" 3. Flavius Josephus (AD 38-100) \- A Jewish historian who wrote of **Christ as a wise man put to death by Pontius Pilate**, having been accused by Jewish authorities. \- Me also wrote of the **putting to death of a certain James, the brother of Jesus.** 4. Pliny the Younger (AD 61-112) \- wrote of the Christians in Bithynia, who **sang hymns and chanted verses to Christ** "as if to god". 5. Luciano of Samosata (AD 120-180) \- A traveling lecturer and sophist rhetoric who wrote about **Jesus Christ as a man crucified in Palestine** for introducing a new cult. \- In his writings, he said, this Jesus Persuaded his followers that they were all brothers to one another \- The Christians, according to Luciano, **"worshipped the crucified sophist and lived under his laws."** 6. Babylonian Talmud \- A baraita (outside addition) to the Babylonian Talmud spoke of a certain **Yeshu who practiced magic** and led his followers into **apostasy.** \- This Yeshu was "hanged on the eve of the Passover." Additional notes: **apostate** - person **apostasy** - act of renounce faith **Stephen** - first martyr **Orthodox** - Catholics but aren't roman based on their culture **Roman Catholics** – follow the teachings of the Vatican City (Rome) **RELIGION -> CHRISTIANS -> ROMAN CATHOLIC** ## LESSON 4: SYMBOLS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS Ancient Christians had a deep appreciation for the power of a symbol so many things can be packed with a single, simple mark or object. Maybe many of us have seen some of these before and not fully understood them, and maybe some of them we didn't know about. Let us learn some of the early Christian Symbols. ### 1. FISH (Ichthus) The following is a diagram of a fish. At the center of the fish, it has the Greek word ΙΧΘΥΣ. It then provides a breakdown of the Greek word and its English translation. Below is the table describing the translation. | Language | Greek | | :------- | :--------------------- | | Greek | Ιησοῦς Χριστός θεος Υιός Σωτήρ | | Meaning | Lesous Christos Theos Huios Sotor | | English | Jesus Christ God Son Saviour | The Greek word for fish served as the **anagram** for a **primitives Christian Creed**. During times of persecution, the early Christians used a fish as a secret sign of identification. The first letter of each word in the expression “lesous Christos Theou Hyios Soter” means “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” in Greek. ### 2. CHI-RHO The following is a diagram of a symbol that looks like a combination of two letters, one is similar to an X and the other one is similar to P. The chi-rho is a **monogram of the name Christ**. It is a combination of the Greek letter chi(x) and rho(p), which are the first two letters of the Greek word for “Christ”, and so when put together represent "Jesus". ### 3. IHS The following is a symbol diagram of the following, "IHS" with rays around the letters. “IHS” is a monogram of the name JESUS. It is from the **first** two letters and the **last letter of the Greek name Jesus**: IHSOYS - it is from the letters of the latin name JESUS also: IHESUS This monogram for Christ has **rays of light shining** from it to **emphasize Jesus' divinity**. It is **a sign for Holy name** designed in the **fifteenth century** by **St. Bernard of Sienna**. ### 4. JHS The following is a diagram of the letters "JHS" with a cross above the letters. JHS stands for the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus, ***(iota-eta-sigma)*** ### 5. ALPHA AND OMEGA Here is a Greek symbol for the alpha and omega which is written as ΩA Here is a stained glass window that contains a lamb inside a circle. This diagram illustrates the “Alpha and Omega”. In the book of Revelation, Jesus says of Himself "I am the Alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Revere 2:13) **Alpha** is the first letter of the last Greek alphabet, and **Omega** is the **last one**. Putting the two together, they **represent the eternity of Christ as Son of God**. ### 6. LAMB Here is a diagram of a scroll that contains the letter "INRI". The **Lamb stands for Christ who is the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the world.** It is usually **shown triumphant** and holding a banner because the lamb has risen and is exalted in heaven as is seen in the Book of Revelation. ### 7. INRI The initialism **INRI** (Latin: *lesus Nazarenus Rex Indaeorum*) represents the Latin inscription in John 19:19, which in English translates to **“Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews"**, and John 19:19 states that this has written in three (3) languages – Hebrew, Latin, and Greek – During the crucifixion of Jesus. ### 8. CROSS The first Christians were not comfortable with representing Christ with a Cross. This was because **crucifixion was still being practiced as a method of capital punishment in the Roman Empire**. The cross was a **symbol of Shame**. Some of the early Christians represented the cross with an anchor. During **Constantine** reign, he viewed and **converted the Cross** to strengthen the Christianity. Here is a diagram of a cross. When emperor Constantine won the battle of the Milvian Bridge, he attributed his victory to the **sign of the cross**. As he permitted Christianity to surface and flourish, the cross consequently became a **sign of Christ's victory** rather than of shame.