Download From Jesus to Magesterium

Paul
Traveled extensively spreading
his message of Christ
Established many Christian
communities
Mixed Jewish-Gentile followers
form communities
Began to meet outside of
synagogues in “house
churches”
AKA “ekklesia”
meaning “assembly”
Trouble in Jerusalem
By 67 CE, Zealots rose up in rebellion
against the Romans
The Roman army destroyed the Temple
A devastating loss to the Judeans
The Sadducees were no longer
necessary
Zealots were either killed in the
fighting or completely demoralized
The Essenes lost some of their
monasteries and all of their hope
These groups faded out of Jewish
life
The only groups surviving were the
Pharisees and the Christians
Pharisees
The Pharisees were able to
hold onto their vision of
what it means to live a
Jewish life with out a
Temple
Their focus was the
scriptures
They became the
foundation for Judaism as it
has continued to exist
today
Christian communities
Those with Jewish roots
mourned for Jerusalem
But their faith survived
because it was centered
in Christ rather than in the
Temple
After the destruction of the
Temple
A major split between the Way and
Jews who followed the Law
occurred after the Temple was
destroyed
Jewish identity was at stake; the
new religion of Christianity
threatened the very existence of
Judaism.
Within 60 yrs. of Jesus’ death, his
followers were not allowed to enter
the synagogues
Even the ones of Jewish
origins
The differences separating Jews and Jewish Christians
grew even more serious the next few years
In about 90 CE a group of rabbis came together in a place
called Yavneh to discuss how to continue being Jews
without the Temple
Outcomes:
1. Christians not allowed in the synagogues
2. Scripture canon; they excluded 7 of the books in the
Greek Old Testament because the Christians were
using that version
3. Next slide….  
Jewish council
At Yavneh, the rabbis also decided not
to rebuild the Temple because:
of Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.”
The Rabbis decided that only
prayer,
repentance, and
good deeds
would replace
the laws concerning sacrifices that Moses
had taught.
In a way, Judaism now
interpreted Temple Sacrifices the
way Christianity did:
No longer necessary
Christian scriptures
In addition to the books of the NT, other books
circulated that were crucial for the early
Christian communities
These other books are called noncanonical
books:
The Didache
The Didache
Because the followers of Christ
needed more guidance, a handbook
was written
This handbook reflected the
concerns of a community with strong
roots in Judaism
It literally means “the Teaching”
It helps to understand the social life
and ritual practices of the early
church
It is recognized as the first “church
manual”
This Handbook was the foundation
for what later developed as the
Catechism., which contains the
essential teachings of the church
The Magisterium, the teaching
body of the Church, compiles
and writes the catechism
The Didache:
its content
Lead morally respectable lives
Love one another
Avoid evil desires, jealousy and
anger
Give alms to the poor
Obey God’s commandments
Instructions for the ritual
practices. Ex: how to perform
baptisms, what to pray, and how
to celebrate the Eucharist
Social interactions of the
Christian community