Download Christology of Early Church

CHAPTER NINE
The Early Church:
Jesus, True God and True Man
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 priest’s 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
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
Catholic Epistles
Catholic Epistles
- Made up of seven NT Documents:
James
2 John
1 Peter
3 John
2 Peter
Jude
1 John
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
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:
• God’s preferential love for the poor
• Need for rich people to care for the poor
Catholic Epistles
1 Peter
- Pseudonymous writer; written by a disciple of
Peter to communities in Asia Minor
- Purpose was to boost the spirit of GentileChristian 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
“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 4:13).
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
Christ’s Second Coming
Catholic Epistles
1 John
- Style and teachings reveal intimate connection to
John’s 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
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
Revelation to John
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
St. Jerome commented that
Revelation contains as many
secrets as it does words.
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)
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 God’s final
triumph
- The message is disguised using symbolism
so John could write about his enemies
without them knowing it
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
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
Revelation to John
Symbols
1000 symbolizes an incalculable amount or eternity
144,000 symbolizes a new Israel
Revelation to John
Symbols
Black represents suffering
Purple stands for royalty
White symbolizes victory
Red means war, violence, killing
Pallor stands for death
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
Revelation to John
Symbols
- Four horses
• White: Conquering power
• Red: Bloody war
• Black: Famine
• Green: Death
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
Christology of Early Church
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
Good Shepherd
Bread of Life
Light of the World
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
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”
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 God’s Son, is truly
the Mother of God
8.) There are two distinct natures in the one
person of Christ
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
Vocabulary
• Apologist
• Ecumenical Council
• Fathers of the Church
• Parousia
• Theotokos
• Vulgate