Christianity 

Origins 
- The historical and cultural context in which Christianity began 
● Christianity began over 2000 years ago 
● Started in Judea (home of the Jewish), it was a Jewish sect and most followers were Jewish 
● Jerusalem (religious and economic centre of Christianity) 
● Monotheistic 
● Initially, Christians were called Jewish Christians and later Nazarenes 
- 1st Century Palestine -  
- Ruled by Romans 63 BCE - 313 CE 
- Jewish wanted to free Judea from their rule 
- They hoped for a Messiah who would come to help them become independent (Messianic Expectation) 
- The Jewish self-government reported to King Herod, he reported to Emperor Caesar 
- Oppression -  
- Forced into hard labour by the Romans (their hate for the Romans stemmed from this) 
- Harsh taxes 
- King Herod initiated a massacre fro al Jewish baby boys, placed forbidden idols in the Jewish temple 
(suffocated them with his polytheistic beliefs) 
- Illegal to be Christian for the first 3 years of its development (meet in catacombs). Time of martyrdom. 
- Groups in society -  
- Jews saw the world in 2 groups (Jewish and Gentile) 
- Sanhedrin The judicial authority, had power and wealth over the Jewish Temples 
- Jewish sects 
Sadducees - the priestly class, members of the Sanhedrin 
Pharisees - Strict followers of Mosaic Law, preached in synagogues 
Essenes - Military group that wanted to overthrow the Romans and release Jews from tyranny 
Zealots - Removed from society, lived similarly to Monks to keep pure 
- Geographical Areas -  
- Palestine Roman Empire 
- Galilee Herod Antipas 
- Judea Jewish Aristocratic Elite (would work and communicate with the Romans), Jews resided here to 
be close to the Temple 
- Jewish Messiah -  
- The Jewish sought a soldier who would lead an army for their independence 
- Messianic Expectation fit, muscular, experienced in battle and weapons 
- Jesus did not fit the Messianic Expectation (Jews await a Messiah, Christians await Jesus’ return)  
Jesus Christ 
● Palestinian Jew 
● Lived from 4-6 BCE - 30 CE 
● Did not adhere to ALL Jewish law (told adherents that gentiles will also be allowed into the Kingdom of 
God) 
● God incarnate 
● Sent to show humans peace and justice (to humanise himself) 
Principal Events in His life -  
Nativity -  
- Jesus was born of a virgin (Mary) 4-6 BCE 
- He was recognised as the Messiah from early in life 
- Herod the Great was the Roman ruler at the time, Caesar Augustus was the Emperor. 
- Jewish customs and practice were a part of the daily life of Jesus and his family. 
- Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day according to Jewish customs (Lk 1:21) 
Visits the Temple at 12- 
- At age 12 Jesus visited Jerusalem with his parents during the Passover. 
- Luke’s Gospel tells us how he disappeared to be found in the Temple by his parents. Having a 
discussion with the Jewish priests, who were astonished by his wisdom of the scriptures. “And all 
who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:47) 
- Only reference to Jesus apart from his birth, in the Gospels until his Baptism by John the Baptist.  
Baptism -  
 - Began his ministry as a healer and teacher at 30 
- Ministry begins with his baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan 
- He experienced God’s call to mission and was filled with the Holy Spirit. “The spirit of God 
descending like a dove and alighting on him” (Matt 3:16) 
- Ministry began in the countryside of Judea when he is “about thirty years old” (Luke 3:23) 
- According to John’s Gospel, Jesus ministry lasted 3 years 
40 days in the wilderness -  
- The temptation of Jesus (Matt 4:1-11) 
- This is a time when he was tempted by the Devil. “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the 
wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt 4:1) 
- Spent 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism to fast and pray. “He fasted forty days and forty 
nigths, and afterwards he was famished.” (Matt 4:12) 
- After his return from the wilderness, he called his first disciples, “follow me and I will make you 
fishers of men” (Mark 1:16-20) 
Miracles -  
- Show the power of God working through Jesus 
- Some miracles include: turning water into wine at the Wedding Feast in Cana (his first miracle), 
Feeding a crowd of 5000 with only a few loaves and fishes, raised people from the dead ie The 
daughter of Jairus and Lazarus, Cured people who were normally incurable ie cripples and lepers 
- Displayed his power but Jesus is never shown as doing it for glorification + often occurred away 
from public gatherings  
- He asked for them to not be repeated to others 
- Performed many miracles of healing 
- Cured many physical ailments, more significantly he healed them in spirit through forgiveness 
 
Holy Week Passion, death, resurrection -  
 
- As a result of his ministry Jesus met political and religious opposition as his popularity spread as 
the Romans were concerned of an uprising. 
- His ministry took him to Jerusalem, where he was arrested and brought before Pontinus Pilate 
who sentenced him to death by crucifixion 
- Palm Sunday The crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to 
Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he 
who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12:12-13) Jesus made a triumphal entrance, visited his 
“Fathers House”, overturned the stalls of the moneychangers. Palm SUnday marked the beginning 
of the week that would see Jesus, arrested, beaten and put to death 
 
Last Supper -  
- Jesus gathered 12 disciples for final meal (passover meal) 
- Explained to them that his death was necessary to establish the new covenant between God and 
man + that it would be the disciples duty to spread his teachings 
- Institutes the Eucharist, the gift of his body and blood to be given for the life of the world. 
(salvation - eternal life) 
- And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying ‘This is My body, gien 
for you; do this in remembrance of Me’ (Luke 22:19) 
- Adherents remember this everytime they celebrate Eucharist 
 
Jesus Passion, Arrest and Death (Good Friday)- 
- After the meal Jesus + DIsciples went to the garden of Gethesmane to pray. He is in fear yet 
submits to the Fathers will being done.  
- Judas betrays Jesus he was arrested, brought to trial, imprisoned, interrogated, tied and 
condemned to death (criminal charge of stirring up a revolt against Rome) as he was referred to 
as ‘King of the Jews’  
- Jesus known as Prince of Peace did not retaliate, accepted the will of God 
- Crucified on hill of Calvary  
- Buried on Friday evening to not contravene with the Sabbath 
Resurrection (Easter Sunday) 
 - The third day after he was placed in the tomb, Mary Magdalene and Mary (mother of James) 
found the tomb empty. 
- An angel tells them that he has risen (Mark 16:1-8) 
- Most significant event in the Christian faith, as it is based on the core belief of the resurrection of 
Christ 
- Soon after the discovery Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene + disciples 
Ascension -  
- 40 days after the resurrection, he ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:6-11) 
- A time when the disciples must say goodbye 
- Scripture tells us that he is ‘taken up to heaven’ and his disciples are left staring after him. ‘Men of 
Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?’ (Acts 1:1-11)  
- Their lives are changed forever yet they must move ahead 
Why is Jesus the model for Christian life? -  
He was the model for Christian life as he lived in service for others. 
- (John 2:3-5) “when the wine ran out, the Mother of Jesus said to him, ‘they have no wine.’ and Jesus said 
to her, ‘woman, what does this have to do with me. My hour has not yet come.’His mother said to the 
servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’  
- (In Matthew 8:1-4) Jesus is approached by a man with leprosy, begging him to heal him. Jesus agreed 
and healed the man on the condition that, “see that you don’t tell anyone.” 
- (Matthew 22:39-40) “love your neighbour as yourself.”  
- Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus showed compassion to Zacchaeus who was 
marginalised in Jesus’ time as they were seen as disloyal as they took extra money from people. Jesus 
said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I will stay at your house today.” 
- In (Matthew 14:13- 21) Jesus fed the 5000. There was not enough food for everyone but instead of 
pushing them away, Jesus said, “they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “I feel 
compassion for the people, because they have remained with me now for three days and have nothing to 
eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 
The development of early Christian Communities 
Definitions -  
- Gentiles - ‘non-Jewish’ 
- Heresy - Beliefs or opinions that are contrary to Orthodox religious doctrine (especially Christianity) 
- Pagan - Person holding multiple religious beliefs other than those of the main world religious or not 
worshipping a God 
- Hellenistic - Jew of the Hellenistic period, adopted Greek language and customs, studies the Greek 
language, Greek culture  
- Persecution - Hostility or injustice towards someone of a certain religious belief, oppression.   
- Edict - An official law or order that has been set by a person of authority. 
- Parousia - Ancient Greek work for ‘arrival, official visit, presence’. 
- Covert - When a person changes their religious faith or belief.  
- Palestinian Jews - A Jewish adherent who is from ancient Palestine. 
- Diaspora Jews - Refers to the dispersion of Jews from the promised land, Israel. 
- Infant Christinna - Prior to it’s formalising new, young, naive, underdeveloped. It was considered a sect 
of Judaism. 
Formalisation of the Church (70 CE) -  
- Jews lost their Temple (second destruction in 70 CE) 
- After it’s formalising, seen as separate from Judaism 
- Constantine made Christianity legal in 337 CE (he thought a victorious battle was so because of God)  
churches and cathedrals were then built (places of worship, Christian’s version of the Temple) 
- Conflict with the Jews (ongoing because of differing beliefs - Messianic Expectation, little acception of 
Inter-religious Harmony) 
Acts of the Apostles -  
- Acts of the Apostles the books outline how the Christian communities were formed 
- 12 apostles were chosen by Jesus 
- (Mark 3:14-15) “sent out to proclaim the message and have authority to cast out demons” 
- Simon Peter, Judas, Judas, Thomas, James, James, Bartholomew, John, Matthew, Andrew, Phillip, Paul. 
- After Jesus’ death, they went into hiding/mourning for fear of prosecution 
- St Peter (Simon Peter) leader, foundation of the church; (Matthew 16:18) “And I tell you Peter, and on 
this rock, I will build my church.” 
 - St Paul converted (saw Jesus on the road to Damascus), helped to structure the religion, followed by 
the Diaspora Jews, ‘second founder’, spread the Good News, martyr, focus - converting Gentiles, ‘faith in 
God is enough for salvation’ 
Pentecost -  
- The coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) 
- 50 days after Easter 
- Fulfillment of the New Covenant (established with ALL, not just the Jews, don’t have to be circumcised) 
- Jesus sent it to help adherents spread K.O.G to earth 
- Holy Spirit - dwells in adherents, gives them gifts courage, understanding, right judgement, ability to 
recognise people’s strengths and talents to overcome adversity (unpleasant situation) 
Jesus Movement and the New Testament Period - 
- Jesus Movement (prior to the New Testament) 
- New Testament redaction (written recordings) of Jesus’ life and ministry 
- People believed Parousia (2nd coming of Jesus, the end of days) and so they followed Jesus’ teachings 
(even if Christianity wasn’t formalised) so that they could go to K.O.G when the world ended 
- When they realised Parousia wasn’t happening right away, they formalised the church 
- Jesus Movement ministry, miracles, teachings (parables, preach) 
Council of Jerusalem (49 CE) -  
- Resolved conflict What were Jesus’ teachings? 
- Did Gentiles have to convert to Judaism before Christianity (undergo circumcision)? 
Christianity Denominations 
● Anglicanism - known as the Church of England until 1981, established by King Henry XIII (1535 CE), the 
Pope wouldn’t allow him to get a divorce (annulment) from his barren wife, remarried Anne Boleyn after 
making his own Church, Anglican Church stresses importance of scripture 
● Catholicism - 1.3 billion adherents, despite differences between the East and West churches core 
concept of Eucharist and 7 sacraments (baptism, communion, marriage etc) 
 
Orthodox (East)  Roman Catholic (West) 

Maronite (Antiochian)  Protestant 

Coptic (Alexandrian)  Anglican 
Melkite (Byzantine)  Catholic 
Ukrainian (Byzantine) 
 
● Orthodoxy - result of the Great Schism, 260 million adherents, (Greek, Russian, Macedonian, Serbian and 
Armenian Orthodox) 
● Pentecostalism - result of the Reformation, 280 million adherents, ANGLICAN, baptist, lutheran, Uniting 
Church (Hillsong), Holy spirit working within people to make changes 
● Protestantism - 280 million adherents, focusses on the gift of the Holy Spirit, known as Prosperity 
Churches, further developments are known as Charismatic Churches 
 
Division of the Catholic Church -  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
● The Great Schism - 1054 CE 
- Rivalry between Patriarchs in Constantinople and the Pope in Rome 
- The break of the communities that are now the Catholic and Orthodox Churches 
- Political Issues  
authority and governance - the Pope was the true heir of Simon Peter, he wanted to be 
autonomous and be the leader of both churches (not answer to the Patriarchs) 
communication - Language barriers (Catholic = Latin, Orthodox = Greek), Catholic masses 
were in Latin until 1965 CE 
 Islamic conquest - Islam was spreading in the West, the pressure from this and the crusades 
meant that a lot of Christians converted to Islam to avoid persecution 
- Theological Issues 
Nicene Creed (The Council of Nicea 325 CE) - 1st Ecumenical Council was to resolve the issue of Jesus’ 
divinity, Arius (from the Easter church) proposed that he was not divine but a Holy person sent by God as 
an example, Pope Leo (1049 CE) added ‘the son’ to the Trinity without the opinions of the Patriarchs (they 
thought this was polytheistic, Arianism and a heresy) 
Liturgical Dates -The two churches had different dates for Christian events (Easter, birth, death and 
resurrection of Jesus) 
- The final split The patriarchs noticed the change in the Nicene Creed and were angry they hadn’t been 
consulted. Michael I met with Pope Leo and argued. They both excommunicated each other. This is what 
divided the two churches completely.  
● The Protestant Reformation - 1517 CE 
- It’s the split of the Roman Catholic Church after it’s attempted purification. The establishments of 
separate Christian churches played a role each variant adhered to specific beliefs relative to 
Jesus; creation, salvation and the afterlife. They believe the scriptures are INSPIRED words of 
God and the ROLE of scripture and tradition is what separates them.  
- Started by Martin Luther (Augustinian Monk and German Priest) 
- The church was corrupt in the West:  
the pope sold indulgences (payment for a pardon from the punishment of purgatory after the 
sinner had been absolved from sin)  
Priests were collecting money from the uneducated as they were gullible and susceptible to 
manipulation 
Luther was a great studier of the Bible came to the conclusion that Salvation (eternal life with 
God came through faith alone 
- Luther wanted to rid the church of corruption, he was ignored 
- He called for a public date and posted 95 Theses (list of questions and propositions up for debate) to the 
door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in Germany (1517) 
- Luther “faith is enough for salvation” 
 
Principal Beliefs 
The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ  
● Divine - of God, without sin 
Miracles 
Healing 
Death and resurrection 
● Human - having the characteristics of people born with sin 
Bleeding on the cross 
Born and grew old 
Tempted in the desert 
(John 1:14) “And the word became flesh and dwelt, full of grace and truth we have behold his glory, 
glory as the only son of God the father.”  
● Hypostatic Union - mystery of Jesus’ makeup (God or Human) 
Jesus is God incarnate (100% human) 
Jesus is 100% human\ 
Christians believe he is both fully God and Human 
(John 1:1) “He was God, with God and was made of flesh.” 
 
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ  
● He died to give humanity opportunity of a pure life (Roman 8:3-4) 
● “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me, even though they die, will live” (John11:25) 
● Before he defied death, the concept of the afterlife didn’t exist 
● Christians believe the resurrection the body will occur for everyone at the final judgement 
● Death = human experience death is an integral part of human life, we share that with Jesus, He was 
God incarnate to experience these human experiences 
● His death evidence of unconditional love, selflessness, model for humans 
 ● Despite differences of retelling in the gospels, all stress it’s importance eternal life and unconditional 
love 
● Was it a physical or spiritual rising? Did a ghost visit the disciples afterwards? 
● Scripture: 
(Matthew 28:1-15) 
(Mark 16:1-8) 
(Luke 24:1-12) 
(John 20:1-18) 
(Luke 23_1-25) 
(Luke 24:50-53) 
(Acts 1:9) 
 
The nature of God and the Trinity  
God -  
Transcendent - beyond the materialistic world 
Immanent - within the materialistic world (through the Holy Spirit) 
Omnipotent - All powerful 
Omniscient - All seeing/knowing 
Omnipresent - always present 
Eternal - never ending 
- (Psalm 139:4) - “Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. 
- (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) - “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with 
all your heart…Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to 
your children and talk about them when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the 
doorstep of your house”.  
- (Genesis 1:1-2:3) 
- (Jeremiah 32:27) - “See, I am the Lord, the god of all flesh: is anything too hard for me?” 
The Trinity -  
1. There is one god  
2. God is 3 persons who exist as one God.  
3. Each person is fully God and fully divine.  
- They act together and not in isolation.  
Father - He is the creator god and the source of all Godhead and all things, he is beyond mere existence, 
uncaused, transcendent. GENESIS 
Son - The word of the father, begotten not made (eternally begotten with the father), humans can approach the 
Father through Him, one with the father. Principal events of Jesus’ life. GOSPEL 
Holy Spirit - Neither begotten or created (Hebrews 9:14), proceeds the Father (John 15:26), active agent of God in 
the materialistic world (John 14:16-17). His source is in the father and yet has always existed. BAPTISM AND 
PENTECOST - The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism (River Jordan, John the Baptist)  
Relationship - God sent the holy spirit like a dove on his son like a baptism, the father created the world through 
the son and the holy spirit, the son and the holy spirit are not less in power or divinity. They all coexist as one God 
and one essence,they love one another in perfect harmony and there is no disagreement as they share one nature. 
Both the holy spirit and the son admit to God’s authority.  
- In both Nicea (325 CE) and Constantinople (381 CE) they created the Trinitarian Doctrine)  
- Trinity isn’t mentioned in the bible trinitarian formula is evident in (Corinthians 13:14) “the grace of the 
Lord Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”, (Matthew 28:19) “go 
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy 
Spirit”. 
 
Revelation   
● Revelation - to reveal, to shows, the way God reveals himself to humanity 
● God reveals himself through: 
- Jesus (incarnate) 
- Reveals himself to Moses and Abraham 
- In the Bible through the Gospels 
- Creation - his nature is seen throughout humanity (as individuals and their actions) because 
humans are his creation 
 - Human history - it;s ongoing, not only relevant to the time when He was written about in the 
Gospels 
● God is the only source of Revelation many modes - Jesus and the Holy Spirit 
● His spirit lives in individuals and allows them to understand who He is 
Salvation -  
● Accessed through faith in Jesus 
● Is a gift from that is offered through the death and the resurrection of Jesus  
● Draws from the Jewish understanding of Moses and the Exodus. Beliefs of Judaism has shaped ones of 
Christianity.  
● Prophetic Tradition of the Hebrews calls people of Israel to be faithful to the covenant. Obligation to 
care for the poor and defenseless members of society. remind people of these obligations 
● Jesus can be associated with the Hebrews as he can fulfill the promise of salvation 
● Jesus is the final salvation and he has come to save the people on Earth. Jesus is the promised ticket to 
salvation and the promised messiah.  
“for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not 
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) 
● The major aspects of the Christian’s beliefs regarding salvation are as follows:  
1. God is the one who saves 
2. God’s saving action is liberating and has a particular concern for those who are the most 
vulnerable in society.  
3. That Jesus in his life and ministry embodies the saving action of God.  
4. That Christians are called to receive the gift of God’s saving action through their faith in Jesus 
and their own actions on behalf of those in need.  
 
Sacred Texts and Writings 
Bible  
● A collection of 66 books (protestant), there are 39 in the old testament and 27 in the new. Catholic and 
Orthodox have 12 book of Apocrypha, 12 more books than Protestant. Closed Canon (no new books can 
be added)   
- Apocrypha - (Deuterocanonical canon) The additional 12 books which include historical, poetical 
and other writings. These are the ‘second temple writings’. Accepted by the catholic and orthodox 
churches as part of the old testament but not by the Protestants.  
- Basic instruction for everyday lives  
- 2 sections the old and new testament  
- Give moral guidance and ethics  
- Reveals the divine 
- Sola Scriptura   
Old Testament -  
- Developed from an oral tradition  
- Final form decided in 70 CE at the council of Jamnia  
- Literary Forms - poems, hymns, letters, numbers, genealogy and historical recordings. 
- It is of the bible  
New Testament -  
- of the bible  
- Gospels - life and times of Jesus - known as the good news and written by Evangelists  
- Acts - records the events after Jesus’ death and the development of the early Christian communities 
- Letters = Epistles - Paul and others wrote and released these letters as the Christian church was going 
through disagreement and confusion about the beliefs and actions where that they were supposed to 
follow. Guidance for everyday life, tell them to persevere during persecution.   
- An account of the Apocalypse (revelations)   
- Written in Greek then took its final form in 400 C 
Origins of the Bible - 
- Numerous sources wrote the Bible over many years  
- The initaill bible was in Hebrew but hen was translated into Greek, this is because all of the educated 
philosophers were Greek, then into Latin because Ancient Rome spoke latin, then English.  
Use -  
USE  EXAMPLE 
 Personal devotion   - Bible study - scriptural interpretation  
- Reflection of the Lord’s prayer  
- Meditation  
- Rosary and prayer  

Ethical instruction   - Catholic social teachings - dignity and worth, there is evidence that everyone has 
worth and dignity (Genesis) 
- The Beatitudes  
- Commandments of love   
- 10 commandments (Exodus)  

Public worship   - Sunday church services  

- Praise and worship  

Doctrine and belief  - The Principal Beliefs 

- Understanding the nature of God - creator (Genesis)  
 
Core Ethical Teachings 
● Ethical Teachings are moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity, they 
guide an adherent in what is morally right in any given situation, based on their beliefs 
● Divinely inspired by God (not humans) 
● When these moral laws are broken, they are accountable to God (judgement by God, unless forgiveness is asked 
for) 
● Ethical Monotheism God is the provider of ethics morality, treating his children decently 
Sources of authority in Christian ethics -  
- Bible 
- Tradition (how did early Christians 
apply these teachings and develop 
them) 
- Experience (inspiration by the Holy 
Spirit) moral conscious and free will 
- Logic and reason using logic and 
reason to respond to life’s challenges 
 
The 10 Commandments (Old Testament 
● Handed down to Moses (Mt Sinai) 
● Carved in stone  
● Divine Law Jewish and Christian 
moral law, revealed by God himself 
● Also known as the Decalogue 
● Three versions (Catholic, Protestant & Jewish - don’t mention Jewish version in a Christian essay) 
● The way to make a free society by using moral self control 
● They highlight the creator cares for his creation  
● Jesus came to establish a new covenant  
1st Commandment - 
“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall 
have no other gods before me.” 
- Christianity is an ethical monotheism, the belief in one God who is the source of morality and sets the 
guidelines of how humanity should treat one another 
- Also exclude polytheism (worshipping idols or graven images) 
- Importance and meaning of freedom and liberty evidence of unconditional love 
2nd Commandment -  
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”  
- Honour the name of God 
- Jewish adherents would not use God’s name out of respect 
3rd Commandment -  
“Remember to keep the holy Sabbath day.” 
- Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians go to church to honour the day Christ rose from the dead 
(unlike Jews who have the day of rest) 
 - Important in keeping the follower’s relationship with God  
Jesus’ teachings on the Kingdom of God - 
- He taught that the K.O.G was inclusive of both Jews and gentiles (it was highly controversial as Jews 
thought they were the chosen people, it pushed the Jewish understanding) 
- K.O.G is here and now 
Jesus’ Commandment of Love (The New Testament) 
● It’s the new covenant  
● It’s a path to building K.O.G here and now and reaching salvation 
● After talking to a Pharisee (followed the 613 mitzvot very closely - including the 10 commandments), it 
was established that the commandment of love was the most significant; “You shall love the lord your 
God with all your soul and all your mind, and this is the greatest of the commandments and the first. And 
the second is like, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40)  
● We are called to love God 
● The Holy Spirit is the medium through which God dwells in adherents, He works through them to be the 
hands and feet of Him on earth (they build the K.O.G) 
● The Holy Spirit resides in everyone, not just Christians, Christians are merely those who believe in God 
● AGAPE - “to love is to will the good of the other” (St Thomas Aquinas) unconditional, self-sacrificing 
love (Jesus and God has for adherents), this is what God is and feels for us, infinite, eternal 
Scripture -  
- (Luke 6:31) “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” 
- (John 4:8) “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 
- (John 4:16) “God is love, and whoever remains in love, remains in God and God in them.” 
- (Matthew 5:44) “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 
Beatitudes 
- Said by Jesus 
- Some went against the traditional Jewish teachings (K.O.G was only for Jews - chosen people) 
- 8 blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount gospel of Matthew: 
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,  
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
Blessed are they who mourn,  
for they shall be comforted.  
Blessed are the meek,  
for they shall inherit the earth.  
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  
for they shall be satisfied.  
Blessed are the merciful,  
for they shall obtain mercy.  
Blessed are the pure of heart,  
for they shall see God.  
Blessed are the peacemakers,  
for they shall be called the children of God.  
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,  
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  
Personal Devotion 
Prayer 
● Establishing and strengthening your personal relationship with God 
● A conversation with God (a divine conversation prayer) 
● Types of personal devotion: 
- Prayer 
- Meditation/’quiet time’/reflection 
- Song (pentacostal) 
- Rosary beads 
- Reconciliation/confession 
- The Our Father (used in all denominations, commonly included in liturgy and personal prayer) 
- The Hail Mary 
- Prayers of intercessions (the saints, focus on different needs) 
- Reading the Bible and praying the scriptures 
- Prayers of thanksgiving 
 - Special intention prayers 
● Significant role in tradition Christians are called to be people of prayer and to follow the example of 
Jesus 
● Traditional and formal prayers (depends on the formality of the occasion) often adapted from biblical 
texts 
Rosary -  
- Draws heavily on biblical texts  
- Prayer personally or communally  
- 10 recitations of the prayer the “Hail Mary” 
- So that a person can meditate on the life of Jesus from the perspective of Mary 
Grace -  
- A prayer before/after meals 
- Widely practiced to express gratitude to God for the provisions and necessities of life 
Praying to the Saints -  
- In the Orhtodox and Catholic communities the belief in the Communion of saints means Christians will 
offer their prayers to a certain Saint 
- Pray to certain Saints for certain things (St Anthony for lost items) 
The Bible -  
- Strong emphasis across all denominations, in particular the Protestant denominations 
- Reflective reading of the Bible as a form of prayer 
- Praise and thanksgiving allows an individual to see the greatness of the person of God, finds expression 
in many forms eg. praying the psalm 
Lectio Divina (divine reading) -  
- Bible sacred text, word of God, divine, source of principal beliefs/teachings, ethical guidance 
- Bible passage is read three times and each individual is encouraged to notice the words that stand out to 
them. 
- The first readings focus is ‘meditatio’ this is where the individual notices which words from the passage 
stand out to them and they reflect on what God is trying to tell them. 
- The seconds readings focus is ‘oratio’ this is where the individual uses their reflections to pray a personal 
prayer to God. 
- The third reading allows for ‘contemplatio’ which is where the individual contemplates the readings and 
closes the prayer. ,, 
More examples of self devotion -  
● Praise 
- Growth in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements where praise is an integral element of prayer has 
brought a renewed emphasis to the place of praise in Christian prayer 
● Individual approaches to prayer: 
- Throughout Christian history various notable individuals have developed approaches to prayer, these have 
been adopted by a significant number of Christians 
- They are known as schools of prayer and spirituality 
● Ignatius of Loyola 
- Ignatian spirituality, based on the inspiration of Spanish priest Ignatius of Loyola, offers a 30 day 
programme of meditations, prayers, considerations and contemplative practices. Commonly used by 
individuals in retreat environments.  
● Teresa of Avila 
- Teresian spirituality traces back to the spiritual experiences of Teresa of Avila. 
- Documented in her most well known work “Way of Perfection” 
● Taize 
- A simple, meditative prayer that emerged from th French Taize community led by Br Roger Schutz 
- Involves a process of contemplation based on chanting recitations of simple mantras 
- Steeped in the notions of hope and renewal in response to the post World War II disillusionment  
- Adopts a strong emphasis on justice, peace and ecology 
● Creation Spirituality 
- Generally thought of as a modern movement that celebrated the spiritual dimension of creation as the 
expression of God's love, seeks to highlight the goodness of creation as a gift of God 
- Seen in the works of Thomas Berry grew out of modern ecological concerns.  
● Prayers of reflection and meditation 
- Involve finding a time and place free from distraction + centering one’s thoughts on God 
 - Main purpose to create inner stillness, allowing a person to deeply contemplate the nature of God and 
the meaning of aspects of their lives. To see clearly these events in the light of God. 
● Quiet time 
- Christian denominations encourage members to find time during their daily routines to spend some time 
in prayer. 
- Common elements include prayer of praise and thanksgiving, bible reading, quiet reflection, prayer of 
petition and meditation 
- Any type of silence is a time of prayer 
- God is with you when you are silent  
● Prayers of intercession and petition 
- When a person requests their needs and the needs of others 
- Encompass many forms ranging from formal prayers eg the Lord’s prayer to informal and spontaneous 
prayers.  
- Commonly prayed communally or as personal prayer in the Catholic community  
- Organised into 5 decades each containing 10 recitations of the prayer the “Hail Mary” 
- Intention is that a person can meditate on the life of Jesus from the perspective of MaryPrayer personally 
or communally  
- 10 recitations of the prayer the “Hail Mary” 
- So that a person can meditate on the life of Jesus from the perspective of Mary 
● Divine Office (Prayer of the Church) 
- Traditional prayer developed from the monastic rule of Benedict of Nursia  
- Commonly used in Catholic and Orthodox religious communities.  
- Widely used as a personal prayer 
- Relies heavily on the prayers in Psalms, organised daily into a number of times of prayer to make the day 
from early in the morning to late at night.  
● Informal and spontaneous forms of prayer: 
- A range of denominations use a variety of these prayers for different occasions and times 
- Morning and evening prayer is common across Christian denominations. Morning prayer a dedication 
to God. Evening prayer thanksgiving for God’s providence during the day 
- Prayers of thanksgiving 
- Intentions 
- Prayers of the community 
- Can happen on a variety of days and contexts and in a personal context at any time