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Topic 2 Incarnation Part 1
Topic 2 Incarnation Part 1
2.3 Jesus, the word of God
In the beginning was the word
Shows that the Word existed before all things
Stresses that the Word is an eternal being
The Word was God
A word comes from within a person- expression if what is inside the person
Same way as the Word of God is inside Gods and is God's self expression
So it's true to say 'the word was God'
John's gospel starts by saying that Jesus is the word of God made flesh-
"the Word became flesh and lived among us"
John
Starts the was Genesis starts-
"In the beginning..."
The Word was with God
Indicates that while the Word and God are united and co-exist, there is a distinction between them
Word of God is how God expresses his power
Everything that exist depends on the Word of God
The Word gives life, light and guidance to people
The Word became flesh
Verse 14 is the great statement of the incarnation:
"the Word became flesh and lived among us"
The Word, took on human nature to live as a full human being
The Word as an expression of love
The Word is an expression of God's love for humans
'Grace' means free gift- Jesus is God's free gift to the human race
Jesus came to bring people to the truth
Offering for people to accept or reject
God doesn't force people to choose him but he hopes they will
2.5 Christian symbols
The Power of symbols
Sign to represent something else
Are used sometimes to portray complex, abstract truths about God and religious beliefs
Catholicism value the symbols and use them in lots of churches and vestments
Ichthus (Fish)
Used by early Christians to identify their faith- draw the outline of the fish and other Christians would recognise it
Represents
I- Iesous meaning Jesus
Ch- Christos meaning Christ
Th- The meaning God
U- (H) Uios meaning Son
S- Soter meaning Saviour
Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour- Regularly used among Christians
Alpha and Omega
"I am the Alpha and the Omega"
Revelations
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last
Indicates that God and Jesus are involved in everything from beginning to end
Refers to both God and Jesus
Used in many places including churches and vestments
Has a very special place of the Paschal Candle
Chi-Rho
First used by early Chrisitans
Formed of the 1st two letter of the Greek word for God
The letter chi= X
The letter rho= P
Reminder of the death of Jesus
Affirmation that Jesus was the Messiah
May wear it as an alternative to the cross or crucifix
2.1 Jesus as God incarnate
The annunciation
"Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to you word'"
Luke
Angel Gabriel came to announce God's plan of sending his son to the world
Mary (Young virgin) has found favour in God- message to all Jewish people that God is fulfilling all promises he made to Abraham and his descendants
Name of God's child is Jesus- means Saviour. He's the son of the Most High
The power of God's grace works through Mary to bring Jesus into the world
This gift had to be freely accepted
Mary had to choose to accept or reject the role of mother
Meaning of incarnation
Incarnation
-God taking on the human condition in Jesus
Jesus was truly man
Shows God loves the human race so much he was prepared to share in it to the fullest extent
Help us value God's love
2.2 God's message to Joseph
The role of Joseph in Jesus' birth
Matthew's Gospel focuses on Joseph's role
Matthew's starts with a genealogy- from Abraham to Joseph
"Joseph the husband of Mary"
Shows Jesus wasn't of human parentage
Joseph willing to obey God's plan, no matter the cost
When he finds out about Mary's pregnancy- wants to make the situation easier by not exposing her publically
Joseph is told that Jesus is the Son of God, who is God present with his people as the one who saves
The virgin birth stresses how Jesus was fully human (from Mary) and fully God (conceived by the Holy Spirit)
Comparing Matthew and Luke's account
Luke
Writing for non-Jewish Christians- value of women was higher
He wrote about Mary's wrote in Jesus' birth
Matthew
wrote his account for Jewish Christians
Women had limited roles at the time so no women's evidence was accepted
Focuses more on Joseph's role in the birth
Similarities
Mary was a virgin
God worked through humans beings to enable his plan for humanity to come about
Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
An angel announced Jesus' birth
2.4 Jesus as both fully human and fully God
Jesus as the son of man
He experienced eating and drinking and when he dies he experienced extreme suffering showing he is fully man
"Son of Man"
used in two ways in the Old Testament
Used in a general way to refer to the speaker
Used about a human who is taken up into the heavenly court and given power over the world
Jesus used the phrase when talking both as a human and as someone with special authority from God
Jesus trusted in God's promise that the faithful would be lifted to heaven
Jesus as the son of God
When he stood before the Sanhedrin Jesus was asked
"Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One"
(Mark) and Jesus replied
"I am"
The words I am are a translation of the phrase God used to reveal himself to Moses
In the reply Jesus acknowledged that he was the Son of God and shared in God's power
In the resurrection
Jesus raised to a new life and sat at God's right hand
Proved he was always God
But during life on earth he was limited to human condition
2.6 How the incarnation affects Catholic attitudes towards religious art
The influence of the incarnation
God took on the limitations of human nature- we can represent him in his limited form
Jesus was a full human being- as Jesus is God is it okay to use human images to represent him
Any representation of Jesus with his human qualities is of value
Art achieves the purpose of directing peoples minds to appreciate God's great glory
All people were affected by the salvation that Jesus gave through his death and resurrection so it's reasonable to show Jesus as any ethnicity
Can help people focus on spiritual ideas and aspects of God's work
Reasons against religious are
"Thou shall not make yourself an idol"
Ten Commandments
False representation
Disrespectful
Show respects to the prophets and God
You may end up idolising the picture
No image can show God's greatness (Infinite)
Cannot show what Jesus went through
