Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is and who they say he is. When Peter responds that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus affirms this but tells them to tell no one. C.S. Lewis argues that Jesus could not have merely been a great moral teacher, but must have been who he claimed to be - the Son of God. Faith is a gift from God that allows us to believe in him, so we should use our reason to understand our faith more deeply.

2. Who do you say that I am?
Mark 8:27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the
villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he
asked his disciples, ‗Who do people say that I
am?‘28And they answered him, ‗John the Baptist;
and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the
prophets.‘ 29He asked them, ‗But who do you say
that I am?‘ Peter answered him, ‗You are the
Messiah.

10. ―Alexamenos worships his god‖

11. C.S.Lewis
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: ―I‘m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don‘t accept His claim to be God.‖
That is the one thing we must not say. A man who
said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a
great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic
— on a level with the man who says he is a
poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of
Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man
was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon;
or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and
God. But let us not come with any patronizing
nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
He has not left that open to us. He did not intend
to.

15. Fromlastnight…
Read41-52;57
1. If we can know about God through our own
reason and observation, why did God make
Revelation available to us?
2. Throughout history, humans have been
seeking God. Why do we have that inborn
tendency?
3. What is salvation history?
4. In what ways is God‘s loving plan in history
fulfilled in the Incarnation?
5. What sources of information can help to
assure us that God really exists?
6. Given that faith is a sure and certain gift of
God to believe in Him, why should we try to
use our reason to reach him?

16. Christology
Christology – the
reasoned account of
Christian faith in Jesus
as Christ.
• serves faith by seeking to
understand
• by understanding faith, one may
enter into it more deeply & more
responsibly
• allows faith to affect more
dimensions of life:
personal, interpersonal, societal, po
litical, cultural

17. Interplay between Jesus & Christ
Jesus
A particular
individual in a
historical context
The historical
person
Unrepeatable event
Christ
Greek title of honor
identifying Jesus as the
anointed one of God
(Hebrew: Messiah)
The universal being
Recurring

18. Pharisees Sadducees
Most influential sect
Strict Observance of Law
(Oral and Written)
Examples:
Nicodemus, Paul
Elite Priests
Chosen by Romans to
keep the peace.
Temple Management
Majority of the Sanhedrin
Torah alone saves.
Essenes Zealots
Dessert Dwellers
Monastic Lifestyle b/c
city was corrupt
Example: John the
Baptist
Rebellious, Militant
Jewish Independence
Began the 70 AD
Revolt
Examples: Simon,
Judas?

19. USA (PRESENT DAY) PALESTINE (1ST CENTURY)

20. GALILEE -- WHERE JESUS
SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE;
MEANS ―CIRCLE OF
GENTILES‖
SAMARIA – BETWEEN
JUDEA AND GALILEE
JUDEA – WHERE JESUS
WAS BORN AND DIED

21. Why can‘t we all just get along?
Jews vs. the Samaritans

22. What have the Romans done for us?

23. • Romans built
up the land…
• Permitted
freedom of
religion
• Peace and
Taxes

24. 6-4 BC JESUS‘ BIRTH
30-33 AD JESUS‘ PUBLIC MINISTRY
45-60 PAUL‘S MINISTRY & EPISTLES
50 COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM
63 NERO‘S CHRISTIAN PERSECUTIONS
66-70 JEWISH
REVOLT/DESTRUCTION/DIASPORA
70-95 GOSPELS & ACTS WRITTEN
80-150 REVELATION & OTHER LETTERS

25. Fromlastnight…
Read57-68;71
1. What is significant about Christianity being
rooted in Judaism?
2. Explain how the Gospels developed.
3. What criteria did the early Church Fathers
use to determine which books formed the
canon of the New Testament?
4. Name the two primary ways that Church
passes on Revelation and explain how these
ways are related.
• Magisterium – the official, authoritative
teaching voice of the Church
5. Explain the difference between Tradition
and tradition?
6. How do we know that the beliefs and
teachings of the Church really come from
God?

26. • Parousia – (Gk ―triumphal
return‖); the return of
Jesus in glory at the end
of time (the second coming).
• Everybody is dying!
(persecutions, revolt,
diaspora)
• What was Nero‘s
problem?

27. Gospel – (Gk) euangelion; ―good
announcement.‖
Evangelist – one who tells the good
news.
Gospels emphasize a basis of faith
 not historical Jesus.
They don‘t give us a historical
portrait of Jesus; they give us a
portrait of faith.
Historical Consciousness:
Everything written was in a
particular time and place.