THE LAST POWERPOINT OF REL 25 “Don’t break my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don’t think you’d understand…”

Who was JC?  He is both Divine and Human  This means that He was God but also shared physical and emotional needs that humans experience  He is the incarnation, the Word made flesh  During His time however, he was regarded as a “teacher” to his listeners and respected religious officials

Location  JC lived in Jerusalem, which was considered the center of marketing during that time  Commerce was done in the language of Aramaic  As a result, JC would have celebrated Jewish feasts as he was Jewish  Ex. Last Supper = Feast of the Passover

Language  Much of the way Jews spoke was filled with symbolism and figurative language  Jesus used this type of language to teach his disciples the Good News and usually incorporated cultural or occupational references to extend comprehension

What did he teach  Jesus taught the disciples the “Lord’s Prayer” at the Sermon on the Mount  He also taught them about the Beatitudes (refer to page 171)

What does the Church teach about JC?  In the Nicene creed, which the Church created to affirm the state of Jesus and God, it states that Jesus is one with God, and that Jesus is begotten, not made  This infers that JC always was with God and is God and from God  This creed is recited by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and major Protestant denominations

Miracles of JC  Miracles that were performed by JC were expressions of God’s creative powers, there is no scientific explanation for them

Passion and Death  Jesus was sentenced to death on the charge of blasphemy (which meant he claimed to be the Messiah and Son of God), by the Sanhedrin and eventually was executed via crucifixion

Resurrection  After JC died, the Apostles and Mary were in hiding and were eventually bestowed the power of the HS on Pentecost  Christ’s body was fully resurrected and glorified  The first witnesses of this resurrection were women and their testimony supported it  The word witness is important as it is evidence that supports the resurrection of JC, with regards to martyrs that would rather die than deny their faith

Cont.  After JC meets his Apostles, he speaks with Simon, and changes his name to Peter, which means “rock” and that God’s church will be built through Peter  Understanding the resurrection was important to the first Christians because it is absolutely central to the Christian Faith as it forms the beginning of the Church through St. Peter

St. Paul, the Pilgrim  St. Paul, who was originally named Saul was devout Pharisee and member of the Diaspora  Saul persecuted Christians and witnessed the first Christian martyrdom of St. Stephen  After returning from his latest mission, he fell off his horse on the road to Damascus, it is here that his conversion to Christianity began

Eyes Wide Shut  After falling, Saul was blinded and was spoken to by a voice that said “Saul, why do you persecute me” (Spoiler: He recovered)  It is after his conversion that he changes his name to Paul and seeks to spread the Good News rather than persecute its current followers

St. Paul: The Sequel  His new vocation was to travel to new places where God’s word had not yet reached and preach it to the Gentiles there  Instead of being all fire and brimstone (see: OT), Paul wanted his believers to understand JC’s death and resurrection and from these events, the reconciliation between God and humanity  Most importantly Paul wanted to affirm that JC is God, and that makes him Lord of the universe