Furthermore, the author also mentions that eschatology has probably been a neglected theme in post Enlightenment theology, although “In their liturgies most churches regularly recite the last section of with the Apostolic Creed-”I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” etc. Eschatology was not totally forgotten: it was however left as a favorite theme for fundamentalist writers with a good eye for the market.…
Cross, F. L. and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd…
The simplification of such complex concepts makes it easier for readers who have little to no prior religious understanding to comprehend the basic themes of this novel. For this reason, Armstrong's work has been highly popular among individuals who are seeking a deeper understanding of their faith, or other widespread religions. This aside, it is not a reliable academic text. An overwhelming amount of statements and claims made in this book are coloured by opinion, and are in fact, not of any legitimate substance. Any one reading this novel must interpret it with a grain of salt, and it should not be used to contribute to any scholarly studies. Armstrong plucks what she deems to be important from religious texts, and implements it into her writing, yet she misses crucial facts while doing so. For example, there are inadequate references to the Israelites Exodus from Egypt, considering the grave importance placed on this story in Judaism. This leads one to enquire what other facts may have been left out, or over emphasized. Academic texts are meant to be impartial, yet A History of God is at times warped to prove an opinion of…
In his book entitled “The Lord’s Body and Blood” he expressed his position on: the relationship between the historical body of Christ and the body in the Eucharist; the nature of the bread and wine before and after consecration; and the relationship between the sacramental signs and the things signified.…
Although theology scholars, such as J. Bergman Kline, maintain that “the messianic mission ushered in the eschatological era” and is accepted as the “thrust of the New Testament revelation,” there is the thought that “the death and resurrection of Christ constituted a fulfillment (or rather, the fulfillment) of the Day of the Lord concept.” C.H. Dodd was an ardent proponent of this realized eschatology movement, which is also referred to as the ‘preterist approach.’ “Jesus’ message was not a future coming and a future kingdom; rather, with the advent of Jesus, the kingdom of God had already arrived.” The study and preponderance of…
Three opposing arguments will be examined for the resurrection of Christ. Many arguments have been made against the resurrection throughout the years, but the three most popular theories will be explained. After the opposing arguments are explained, four arguments for the resurrection will be presented to refute those claims.…
As diverse and multicultural as today’s society may appear, the majority of individuals have still heard of the gospels that help make up the Holy Bible. Although there are many in the Bible, the four canonical gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, are perhaps the most widely recognized. These four, although composed by different individuals, share many similarities in common such as how those who encounter Jesus after his resurrection behave. Even certain traits that characterize Jesus himself after resurrection are somewhat related.…
(2) Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna lived in very different early Christian communities. Explain each.…
On the other hand, a theological confessional approach is based on what one believes to be true. By taking this approach one is more concerned about their actions, the ultimate meaning of life, who God really is, and so forth. This approach to the New Testament results in controversial issues, biased opinions, and many different groups of believers with their own beliefs as seen from the ancient world up to the present modern day. We read about this very diversity in chapter one, for example the Jewish-Christian Adoptionists, Marcionite Christians, Gnostic Christians, and the Proto-Orthodox Christians.…
Since the crucifixion of Jesus, opponents of Christianity have directly criticized the religion’s foundation, attempting to belie the historicity of Christ’s physical resurrection. Aiming to nullify Christianity and confute the prospect of supernatural intervention or divine involvement, skeptics and opponents of Christianity continually disseminate naturalistic alternatives, or conspiracy theories, to contradict the resurrection account. One popular notion reasons against the validity of witness accounts, postulating post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus were merely hallucinations, temporarily experienced by some of Jesus’ early disciples. This paper will examine this hallucination hypothesis, showing inconsistencies within the…
The essay explores the significance and influence of the Gospels in the Roman Catholic Church during the time of 313-500 AD. I cannot deal with all the topics, but I will briefly cover all the time periods and I will concentrate and deeply explore the period of 313-500 AD. In the period of 100-313 AD Christians were persecuted, but the gospel of Christianity continued to spread throughout the whole Roman Empire. Between 500-800 AD monasticism began to grow this provided help to farmers, monastic liturgies were heavily influenced by the Gospels this all occurred while the Church was spreading the gospel message throughout Northern and Eastern Europe.…
The crucifix is an image of Jesus on the cross, it represents Jesus’ death and resurrection. A cross is a representation of the instrument of Jesus’ crucifixion. Both sacred objects are a sign of Christ himself and play a very important role in the christian faith. Before the ruling of Constantine during the 4th century, it was seen as dangerous to openly use the cross so christians were very reluctant to practice or show signs of their faith in public. This however changed when constantine converted to christianity, and got rid of the death penalty and used it to promote the crucifix as a christian symbol of faith, resulting in both objects became immensely popular in christian art and monuments.…
Write a response to these brilliant authors in 40 to 60 words? Surely you jest. We will begin with Ms. Carolyn M. Rodgers’ “Jesus was Crucified”. Read it, and you will know who is narrating. The theme is inequality with an emphasis on the individual elements that led to, what I will refer to as, “the African-American state of mind”.…
References: Habermas, G. R. & Licona, M. R. (2004). The case for the resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.…
We can analyze the similarities and divergences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospel of Mark with Christology, Anthropology, Soteriolgy, and Eschatology. Even though many of the passages could refer to more than just one theology, it is achievable to separate the different theologies into the four categories. Regardless of how different the Gospel of John is to that of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, it can be concluded that John does have obvious relations to the Gospel of Mark, even though it was written much earlier.…