Section B – Faith in Christ – Revision

2nd and 3rd years, this is an important aspect of Section B: The Foundations of Religion – Christianity: FAITH IN CHRIST.

Make sure you know all the details from chapter 9 on these concepts in your book:

The Ascension: For forty days after the resurrection Jesus continued to appear to the followers and told them to wait in Jerusalem for a gift from his father. He was then taken up to Heaven (ascended), body and soul.

Pentecost: All the believers were gathered together in a room. A noise like a loud wind blowing came and tongues of fire appeared above each person. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. This gave them the courage to go out and preach the word of God and baptise others in the name of Jesus.

Missionary work: Continuing Jesus’ work on earth.

The first Christian communities: Peter was the first apostle to preach to large crowds. Many people were baptised and the first Christian communities were formed. They were a close group. They spent their time together sharing ideas about God and praying. They tried to live as Jesus had. They shared all their possessions and all treated each other fairly. Most importantly they remembered Jesus’ words and actions at the Last Supper. This meal of thanksgiving became known as the Eucharist.

Martydom: A martyr is someone who is willing to suffer and even die for their religious beliefs. One such person was a disciple called Stephen. The disciples who preached were soon in trouble with the authorities who had been in conflict with Jesus. They did not want the disciples carrying on his work. Stephen was brought before the elders but the Holy Spirit gave him the strength to carry on. He was stoned to death – Stephen had been willing to die for his faith.

St Paul: A man named Saul was among those persecuting the first Christians. One day he was on his way to a city called Damascus to look for followers of Jesus. Suddenly a light from the sky blinded him and he heard the voice of Jesus. For three days he remained blind. A man named Ananias came and told him he must do God’s work. Saul got his sight back, was baptised and became known as Paul. Paul travelled to lots of different Christian communities, helping them to become united and strong.

DIFFERENT NAMES USED TO REFER TO JESUS:

Jesus is known by many different names and titles. This helps people to understand the different sides to his personality.

Son of Man: This title appears in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus himself used it. It means that Jesus came in human form to serve man. An old Testament prophet Daniel had used this title when referring to the Messiah.

Son of God: The early Church used this title to show that they believed Jesus had a special relationship with God. It shows that Jesus was divine as well as human.

New Creation: Jesus, who was totally different to any other human, was an amazing and unique being that God had given to his people. St Paul used this title when talking about Jesus.

Christ/Messiah: The anointed one. It shows that people believed that Jesus was the one they had been waiting for. Anointed people had a special authority from God. This title meant that Jesus was the Messiah who had come to save the people.