RLG Exam Review PDF

Messiah -​ the anointed one, refers to ritual act of spreading oil across someone’s forehead, taking on divine office -​ direct descendant of King David -​ re establishing the king on earth -​ usher in the rule of god Essenes -​ They...

Messiah -​ the anointed one, refers to ritual act of spreading oil across someone’s forehead, taking on divine office -​ direct descendant of King David -​ re establishing the king on earth -​ usher in the rule of god Essenes -​ They are monks -​ lived away from the cities, rejected luxury, and dedicated their lives to god -​ they are known for their strict communal lifestyle and focused on purity, prayer, and the study of the scriptures Pharisees -​ influential teachers of Jewish law and tradition: believed in life after death, angles, and divine judgement Gnosticism -​ With knowledge, belief that nothing is known or can be known about human existence or the nature of god Paul -​ he was active through communities -​ wrote 13 letters (some were authentic and some were suspicious) -​ Certain words written might have not been present during his time which can help us determine whether it was actually paul writing or someone impersonating his writing style Apologia -​ a formal defence of an opinion -​ luke and matthew stress that Jesus tomb was new and he was the only one in their -​ some maybe lost track of Jesus body amongst all the others and suggests that he didn’t actually resurrect from the dead Eucharist -​ after they say a prayer that is followed by bread and wine -​ if they did it in a home, the homeowner would do it -​ pagan sacrifices and meals -​ animals will be slaughtered and eaten, sacrifices and meals went hand in hand Marcion -​ Spanish term used as a derogatory slur for gay man Constantine the Great -​ first Christian emperor assembled ecumenical councils -​ council of Nicaea, condemned Aries, kind of like god -​ nicene constantinopolitan creed -​ creed is an expression of faith, to believe, benchmark for correct beliefs Antony of Egypt -​ Born into a wealthy family -​ hears passage: how to get into heaven (give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven) -​ retired into the wilderness after being mentored and how to properly pray -​ as he gained more experience in this lifestyle, he began to move further away -​ only ate bread and water -​ away from the settled city life and battened internal demons St.Thomas -​ After Jesus was resurrected, he sent Thomas to India to preach to the people -​ he uses money to give to the poor instead of using it to build a church -​ king converts to Christianity which shows how Christianity gets to India Anchoritic Monasticism -​ retiring or retreating -​ person chooses to live alone often attached to a church to focus on prayer and their relationship with god Pachomius -​ Egyptian man -​ converted to christianity -​ hermit in the desert (spiritual pride and lack of discretion) Evagrius of Pontus -​ first wrote about demons -​ a monk in the 4th century -​ how they attack and how you should combat these demons Council of Clermont -​ People of the book: idea that Christian’s, muslims, Jews, are all apart of the abrahamic rules -​ pope urban II told Christian’s to fight and take back Jerusalem and other holy places from Muslim control -​ anyone who joined should have their sins forgiven -​ this started the first crusade The Crusades -​ end of 11th century: religious sanctioned -​ not Christian’s because they are violent, have no church affiliation, and not criticized a Christian sect Syncretism -​ Combining various aspects of two religions, at least in part - a new religion is reached in a country Nestorian Stele -​ How Christianity came to china -​ christian teachings, praises the Chinese emperor for welcoming the religion, and shows how Christians adapted to Chinese culture John Wycliffe -​ predecessor to protestantism -​ english translator of the bible -​ latin to English (this is what he is most popular for doing) John Knox -​ presbyterianism -​ should be ruled by a group of elders -​ Sees indulgences are problematic -​ played a big role in changing the church in Scotland and burial practices from the rich Nicolaus Copernicus -​ polish astronomer -​ believed the earth wasn't at the center of the solar system -​ earth wasn't fixed, the earth revolved around the sun -​ Heliocentric model suggest the sun was at the center of our solar system -​ star and moon are fixed but everything else revolves around the sun -​ waited to publish his findings until before he died because it was a crazy topic and he know that he was going against Christian doctrine teachings and he would be punished for it Anthropocentrism -​ Idea that humans are most important thing in the world -​ people see everything; nature, animals, and planet as existing to serve humans (the world revolves around us) Anglican Realignment -​ reorganization or shift where anglicans chose to form new alliances or churches (seek to preserve traditional beliefs in the face of changes) Biblical Interpretation -​ interpretation is influenced by our experiences and thoughts -​ It can be hard to interpret the bible as even a simple sentence can mean many different things -​ we don't read the bible in its original context: we read it from the interpretation of the person who had originally translated it -​ written in different times, by different people, in different titles -​ internal inconsistencies -​ many factors play a role Prosperity Preaching -​ Idea that god wants people to be rich, healthy, and successful -​ Preachers who follow this idea say that if you have faith, give money to the church, god will reward you with wealth and good things -​ faith = material blessings Biblical Criticism -​ study of the bible to understand its meaning, history, and how it was written -​ look at the bibles language, culture, history (figure out what the text really means and how it became to be) Sepphoris -​ city in Israel (near Nazareth) -​ known for its wealth and culture (belief that Jesus worked as a carpenter here) Zealots -​ Jewish group who wanted to overthrow Roman rule in israel -​ believed that Jewish people should be free from Roman control and that god will help them fight for their independence -​ willing to use violence to achieve their goals Sadducees -​ group of Jewish leaders -​ wealthy and powerful (most were priests) -​ only accepted first 5 books of the bible and dont be alive in life after death or angles -​ worked closely with Roman’s and focused on maintaining this position in society and temple in Jerusalem Q (quelle) -​ German for source (hypothetical sayings source) -​ nothing on life or death of Jesus; just what he preached (explanation for material present in Matthew and Luke but absent in Mark) Judaizers -​ to be a true Christian you must follow Jewish laws -​ get circumcised and obey dietary rules -​ believed that gentiles (non-Jews) need to become like Jews first before they could fully follow in Jesus -​ caused debate because some believed that faith in Jesus alone was enough or them Didache -​ means teaching, comes from baptism The Noble Death -​ Luke’s description of Jesus death (passion narrative) -​ exits clarorum virorum (the death of a levestrius man) -​ plato's Phaedra and the description of Socrates death - seemed like he was happy and faced his death fearlessly Orthodoxy -​ Stick to the traditional beliefs of Christianity (the bible, the church, sacraments, after life, salvation, and the belief of one god) Nag Hammadi Texts -​ gnostic gospel of Thomas (2nd century) -​ once you understand the words of Jesus you will be saved -​ knowledge will set you free -​ jesus is “the one” -​ he will wake us up from this illusion and allow us to overcome things -​ these readings are important because they force Christians to explain the importance of rituals Hagiography -​ Stories written about saints (their good deeds) Reliquary -​ Special container used to display and store religious relics -​ physical items connected to a saint or holy figure -​ bone, piece of clothing, something they used -​ belief that these relics hold spiritual power and. So they should be treated with respect Coenobitic Monasticism -​ idea of living together and living spiritually together Benedict of Nursia -​ Tonsure hairstyle for monks -​ intentionally cutting their hair, usually on the top, to replicate a crown -​ Jesus’ crown of thorns or one worn by athletes (always training and battling demons in this spiritual fight) Pope Urban II -​ holy, take back Jerusalem from the muslims -​ issued the plenary indulgence -​ if a sinner went to confess sins, rather than praying or donating, they can participate in the crusades (just go to Jerusalem and fight in the crusades to free all of your sins) Holy Land Pilgrimage -​ People travel to places in Israel and surrounding areas that are most important in christianity -​ Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and nazareth - these places are connected to the life of Jesus and other key events in the bible Inculturation -​ Paul and Greek theology -​ st Patrick and the clover (saint of ireland) -​ when he was preaching he would use a three leaf clover to resemble the holy trinity -​ he used their culture to project christianity which will help them to understand it easier -​ finding a way to incorporate religion while still keeping the cultures core beliefs Inter Caetera -​ Granted Spain and portugal the right to spread Christianity and convert indigenous peoples in newly discovered lands -​ increased trade and territorial expansions amongst European powers Protestant Reformation -​ Religious movement led by Martin luther -​ challenged teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic church -​ began the sale of indulgences (pay to reduce your punishments for sins) Purgatory -​ type of middle place -​ heaven and hell - the waiting space in between -​ purging your sins before you enter into heaven -​ people have anxiety that their lost ones are stuck in this middle space Council of Trent -​ Was the Roman Catholic counter reformation (lasted about 20 years) -​ in response to the Protestant reformation and no vernacular bible and no laity interpretations -​ bible should only be in latin -​ discouraged the average Christian from reading and interpreting the bible on their own -​ scripture and also tradition Galileo Galilei -​ father of observational astronomy -​ observed the Milky Way, Saturn's rings, and satellites of jupiter -​ church's idea that the earth was fixed and placed at the center and everything revolved around it was wrong -​ he says the sun was at the center of the solar system and the earth was moving -​ church says the telescope was the devils magic because it was showing people false things (devils work) Theistic Evolution -​ god exists -​ the evidence for evolution is strong and it's not a random process, it’s guided by god -​ humans did not evolve but were specially created by god including their soul Foundationalism -​ The bible is a guide for ethical thinking and can extract the ethical thinking from it -​ even though it doesn’t have errors, belief that the bible provides a secure basis where Christians can beguile their doctrine -​ story of Adam and even provides a basis of how we believe they are ought to be Literary Criticism -​ method of scrutinising text, individuals engage in this text and write critics on them Creationism -​ God is apart of creation -​ true salvation = turning away from the real world (sees physical world as an illusion) -​ universe and all of life was created by god Pentecostalism -​ Power and presence of the Holy Spirit and that it can give you special gifts -​ have personal and emotional experiences with god Passover -​ idea that the angel of death passed over the houses of the Jews and killed the first born son of each household -​ god instructed the Jews to sacrifice a lamb and use its blood to smear on the wall -​ represents a Jewish family or the angle so that they could pass over this house -​ sacrifice the lamb = also enjoying meal Synoptic Gospels -​ First three books of the New Testament as they share the same stories, teachings, and events in a similar order, and can be compared side by side -​ mark: earliest written gospel -​ suffering serpent, wonderworler, keeper of a messianic secret -​ matthew: most Jewish, used mark as a source -​ second Moses, messiah and king of Jews, opponent of the Pharisees -​ Luke: most gentle and literary, written after mark -​ scholar, universal messiah, and a merciful and compassionate forgiver Council of Jerusalem -​ An important meeting to deal with the major issue of whether gentiles (non-Jews) converting to Christianity needed to follow Jewish laws in order to be saved (circumcision and kosher diets) -​ decided they don't need to follow all the Jewish laws, only had to avoid certain practices (dietary laws) Apocalypticism -​ Belief that the world will end in a dramatic event accompanied by the arrival of a savior or divine judgement Martyr -​ someone who suffers or dies for their beliefs, especially for their faith (willing to endure pain or death rather than give up on their faith and belief in god) Baptism -​ Stepping down into the bath (being buried with Christ) -​ Stepping back up (idea of dying and rising with Christ) -​ removal of the clothing suggests taking off the old human and putting new clothes on represents the new resurrection Edict of Milan -​ cult of the saints (living a life of good deeds) -​ could also be someone who was murdered and died for their faith -​ considered the very special dead and risen up to heaven with god -​ Linkage between heaven and earth: they meet from the tombs of the saints Arius -​ Taught that Jesus was not fully god, but a created being with less power than god the father Church of the Holy Sepulchre -​ Major Christian church in Jerusalem built at the site where many belief Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected -​ golgotha - hill where Jesus was crucified -​ tomb of Jesus - where he was buried Christian Persecutions -​ Mistreatment and harm on Christian’s because of their faith (torture and death) -​ Christians were punished by Roman Empire for not worshiping their Roman gods Pliny's Letter to Trajan -​ Asked for advice on how to deal with the Christian’s in his province -​ Christians were being brought to him for trial but he was sent sure if he should punish them to try to handle their faith -​ asks if they were Christian and if they admitted it, he would punish them -​ important to show a glimpse of how early Christians were traced by the Roman government Basil of Caesarea -​ Defending the trinity (belief that god exists as father, son, and Holy Spirit) -​ Focused on charity and giving back to the community -​ poverty, obedience, renunciation, self-abnegation (self denial) Simeon the Stylite -​ climbed into a pillar and lived their for 36 years -​ got water and bread from locals from a pulley system -​ locals would put a ladder next to the pillar to climb up and ask him questions -​ he wanted to live away and completely alone from society but people still came to bother him -​ demonstrates humility and sets an example for future generations -​ physically and metaphorically closer to god Military Monastic Orders -​ Religious groups that combine monastic life (prayer, discipline, and spiritual growth) with military duties -​ defend christianity and protect pilgrims Missionaries -​ their job is to do god's work and save people (convert them) -​ Membership in the church is a necessary component of salvation -​ stage one: apostolic age (1-6 century CE) -​ time with the apostles and paul where he encouraged communities to continue their job and convert others -​ stage 2: northern expansion (9th century) -​ done in reaction to the spread of Islam -​ saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Greece that were sent to conduct missionary work, came in contact with tribes and were fluent in the language e(communicate clearly and translate into their own language) -​ stage 3: Africa, Asia, and the new world - age of exploration (15th century) -​ time where maritime travel is becoming more advanced -​ increased trade and territorial expansion amongst European powers Prester John -​ legendary Christian king who ruled a wealthy and powerful kingdom in the east (Africa or Asia) -​ established outposts to spread Christianity to the local Americans Martin Luther -​ Talked about indulgences, purgatory -​ confession and penance -​ you have to make up for your wrongdoings in some way -​ confess your sins and how you can get rid of these sins -​ can also be pilgrimage to the holy place -​ Luther’s 95 theses challenge the sale of indulgences -​ salvation is through good deeds and we need to get rid of all the sacraments except for baptism and the Eucharist Indulgences -​ Can be used as this free ticket out of jail card -​ a way to lessen or remove some of these consequences through good deeds or prayer -​ can be used for profit as you can sell indulgences and sinners can skip their penance with money -​ the church is not omniscient -​ isn't all knowing, can’t know where a soul specifically was on this mountain of hell to heaven Johannes Gutenberg -​ printing press -​ mass production of movable type: you can use individual letters to create whatever text you want (metal to stamp onto paper) -​ oil-based ink: great and beneficial because it was so cheap to buy -​ wooden printing press: relatively easy to manufacture, anyone can make their own press from home because it was so easy to recreate -​ rapid book production (cheap, easy, quick) Heliocentrism -​ Idea that the sun is at the center of the solar system and the earth orbits around it (promoted by Nicolaus and supported by Galileo) NOMA -​ non-overlapping magisteria (these two topics do not overlap and therefore should not be in conflict) -​ one form of teaching holds appropriate tools to be able to teach something -​ two separate fields that deal with completely different issues -​ science: empirical realm -​ religion: meaning and morals Fundamentalism -​ Everything in the bible is true and accurate (literal interpretation) Evangelicism -​ Emphasizes the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus, authority of the bible, and the need to spread Christian message -​ the bible is the ultimate source of truth and guidance -​ jesus is the only way to salvation -​ personal experience of being born again through faith -​ actively spread Christian messages to others Second Vatican Council -​ Modernize the church and make it more open to the world (modern world by addressing social justice and religious freedom issues)