1)
Please explain what historical facts about Jesus are admitted even by the most
skeptical historians. What historical
sources do we have for the life of Jesus?
-All qualified historians, even the most skeptical, admit
several facts about Jesus
-That
he is a real historical figure, who lived at the beginning of the first century
AD
-That
he was a traveling preacher, who told parables and preached about the Kingdom of God
-That
he was put to death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate
-Jesus
disciples sincerely believed he had risen from the dead and appeared to them
-Jesus’ close relative, James,
who initially was an unbeliever, was converted to Christianity after claiming
to have a vision of the risen Jesus
-Paul, who had initially
persecuted and killed Christians, had a sudden dramatic conversion to
Christianity after claiming to have seen a vision of the risen Jesus
-A great majority of qualified historians also say that
Jesus’ tomb was empty on the third day
-This is even the most skeptical historians, but there’s
no good reason to be hyper-skeptical.
Even on this bare minimum of facts, we have enough information to accept
Christianity
-We have several important historical sources for the
life of Jesus
-St.
Paul’s letters
-The
Gospel of Matthew
-The
Gospel of Mark
-The
Gospel of Luke
-The
Gospel of John
-Acts
of the Apostles
-The
Antiquities of the Jews by the historian Flavius Josephus
-The
letter of Mara bar Serapion
2)
Please explain the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees.
-Pharisees
-Believed that God would bring a
time of restoration when Israel would defeat her enemies and rule the world,
and all the dead would rise back to life
-Thought that the way to bring
on this restoration was having all of Israel observe the Torah (Jewish Law)
zealously and scrupulously
-Believed in the afterlife, the
resurrection of the body, and held that all the Old Testament was inspired by
God, and also used oral tradition
-Sadducees
-Upper
class and very powerful Jews
-They
were priests who were in charge of the Temple
-They didn’t believe in the
afterlife or the resurrection of the Body.
They held that only the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old
Testament) was inspired by God.
3)
What did many first century Jews mean by the phrase “Kingdom of God?” How did Jesus change the meaning?
-How many Jews understood
the Kingdom of God
-God himself is king
-God drives out and defeats Israel’s enemies
-God purifies the Temple, so that God’s people can offer
pure worship
-God would do this through the Messiah (Christ), who
would be a great political and
military leader
-How Jesus changed this
-Jesus
said that God was a God of surprises
-Jesus
said that the kingdom of God wouldn’t come through great political and military
success, but through the triumph of love, of non-violence, of life. He said Israel’s real enemy wasn’t the
pagans, but the power of death itself and of the devil
4)
Give an overview of the life of Jesus
The Joyful Mysteries
- The Annunciation-Mary learns that she has been
chosen to be the mother of Jesus.
- The Visitation-Mary visits Elizabeth, who
tells her that she will always be remembered.
- The Nativity-Jesus is born in a stable in
Bethlehem.
- The Presentation-Mary and Joseph take the
infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to God.
- The Finding of Jesus in the Temple-Jesus
is found in the Temple discussing his faith with the teachers.
The Mysteries of Light
- The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan-God
proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son.
- The Wedding Feast at Cana-At
Mary’s request, Jesus performs his first miracle.
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God-Jesus
calls all to conversion and service to the Kingdom.
- The Transfiguration of Jesus-Jesus
is revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John.
- The Institution of the Eucharist-Jesus
offers his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.
