MODULE

Two
Christianity (Part 1)

INTRODUCTION

This module focuses on the basics of Christianity – origin, core teachings, Sacred Scripture,
doctrines, sects, rituals, religious traditions and the like. A Christian is a person who believes in Jesus Christ
and follows him as Lord and Saviour. He was given the name Jesus to denote the object of his mission – to
„save‟. For Christians it is important to live life as closely as possible to his teachings as set out in the New
Testament.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the unit, the students will be able to:
a. discuss the summary of the origin of Christianity,
b. relate the core teaching of Christianity,
d. interpret the Apostle‟s Creed, the Lord‟s Prayer, and Beatitudes.

CORE AND RELATED VALUES

Faith and Prophetic Witness to Gospel Values

BIBLICAL REFLECTION

James 2:22
See you how faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

PRESENTATION OF CONCEPT

The origin of Christianity is traced in the life of Jew named Jesus of Nazareth, who was born around
6 BCE during the reign of King Herod in Palestine. Christians believed that Jesus is the Son of God, the
promised Messiah, who was born through Immaculate Conception.

Jesus who born in Bethlehem and grew in a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He is the son of Joseph
and Mary, devoted Jews. There is nothing written about Him between his age of 12 and 30 but despite the
limited accounts of his early life in the gospels, one cannot deny how He became influential to many.

Narratives on His life resumed when He began His ministry which were written in four gospels.
Within three years, He spent many of His time in Galilee – preaching, healing, and proclaiming the
Kingdom of God. His biting views on some Jewish practices made Jewish authorities, especially the
Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes, to consider Him as a threat and demolisher of their teachings. They
accused Him of blasphemy which led to His persecution and crucifixion.
Before you proceed to the next part of the module, please do first the activity 1.

Activity 1
Read Matthew 23:1-7.

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the
Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe
all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they
preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and
lay them on people‟s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All
their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen
their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in
synagogues, 7 greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation „Rabbi.‟

Question: What do you think Christ would like to tell us about the Scribes, Pharisees, and the Sadducees?

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The teaching of Jesus is centered on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. He preached using
parables or stories with moral lessons. He used ordinary and familiar situations to connect the profound
message of God to his people.

Jesus‟ teaching came from His own and not from any rigid intellectual training. He impressed many
with His wisdom. Many people easily related with him and clearly grasped His ideas especially about their
faith and their relationship with God and others.

His public ministry, as depicted in the Gospels, was characterized by controversial confrontations
with some Jewish religious groups but also championed the value of compassion and love. His ministry is
also considered as a ministry of love.

The core of Jesus‟ teaching can be summarized in His Sermon on the Mount. It is considered the
longest account of His teachings starting with the famous “The Beatitudes”. The Sermon on the Mount
outlines the normative standard of living a good life – righteous and genuine life dependent on God. In this
sermon, he gave emphasis on the value of living well. Another central element of the Sermon is the “Lord’s
Prayer” where Jesus instructed the crowd to be truly righteous through prayer. He taught them that the first
task in life is prayer. But not the prayer of words but the prayer of the heart. Like Mary, the sister of Martha,
who listened intently to the Lord and prayed with her heart. And the Lord commended her for choosing the
better part.

Please answer activity 2 before you proceed to the next topic.

Activity 2
Read Matthew 5:3-12 or watch [Link]

THE BEATITUDES

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Question: How does “The Beatitudes” reflect the teachings of Christianity?

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”

CCC 2759: Jesus was praying at a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to
him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.' (Lk 11:1) In response to this request the Lord
entrusts to his disciples and to his Church the fundamental Christian prayer. St. Luke presents a brief text of
five petitions (Lk 11:2-4), while St. Matthew gives a more developed version of seven petitions (Mt 6:9-13).
The liturgical tradition of the Church has retained St. Matthew's text:

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil.
 CCC 2760: Very early on, liturgical usage concluded the Lord's Prayer with a doxology. In the
Didache, we find, "For yours are the power and the glory forever." The Apostolic Constitutions add to the
beginning: "the kingdom," and this is the formula retained to our day in ecumenical prayer. The Byzantine
tradition adds after "the glory" the words "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The Roman Missal develops the
last petition in the explicit perspective of "awaiting our blessed hope" and of the Second Coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Then comes the assembly's acclamation or the repetition of the doxology from the Apostolic
Constitutions.

CCC 2761: The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel. Since the Lord. . . after
handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, 'Ask and you will receive,' and since everyone has
petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer (the Lord's Prayer) is
said first, as the foundation of further desires.

St. Thomas Aquinas said that, “The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of prayers. . . . In it we ask, not
only for all the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer
not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.”

CCC 2765: The traditional expression "the Lord's Prayer" - oratio Dominica - means that the prayer
to our Father is taught and given to us by the Lord Jesus. The prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly
unique: it is "of the Lord." On the one hand, in the words of this prayer the only Son gives us the words the
Father gave him: he is the master of our prayer. On the other, as Word incarnate, he knows in his human
heart the needs of his human brothers and sisters and reveals them to us: he is the model of our prayer.

CCC 2776: The Lord's Prayer is the quintessential prayer of the Church. It is an integral part of the
major hours of the Divine Office and of the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist. Integrated into the Eucharist it reveals the eschatological character of its petitions, hoping for the
Lord, "until he comes" (1 Cor 11:26).

Work on the third activity before you proceed to the next topic.
Activity 3
Ask at least ten (10) classmates how is it important or necessary for them to pray?

NAME ANSWER
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.

BROADENING OF CONCEPT
The first recorded use of the term “Christian” is in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26 after Barnabas
brought Paul to Antioch where they taught the disciples for about a year, the text says: "...the disciples were
called Christians first in Antioch." The second mention of the term follows in Acts 26:28, where Herod
Agrippa II replied to Paul the Apostle, "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a
Christian." The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4:16, which exhorts
believers: "Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this
behalf."

The New Testament, the second part of the Bible and composed of 27 books and letters were written
by different authors several years after the death of Jesus Christ. The first four books are called the Gospels
(euangelion in Greek, which means “good news”). Central to these gospels is the account on the life of Jesus
and His teachings. Next is the Acts of the Apostles, which contains important accounts on how the disciples
of Jesus spread His teachings outside Jerusalem and Judea. The book also documented the famous story of
Paul the Apostle. The Letters or Epistles come after the book of Acts. Thirteen of the epistles were written
by Paul, and the rest are by the other close followers of Jesus like Peter, James and John. The book of
Revelation is the last book of the New Testament and the entire Bible is defined as “apocalyptic”
prophesying the end of times or the second coming of Jesus who went back to His Fathers‟ house in heaven.

The four Gospels provide four portraits of Jesus. This shows that the authors have different views on
Jesus and it is because they have different types of readers.

GOSPEL VIEWS
AUTHOR
Matthew Jesus is portrayed as a teacher who detested hypocritical outlook of the Jews and
their infidelity to the teachings of their religion.
Mark Jesus is seen as the awaited Messiah. The Jews had difficulty in accepting this view
because for them, the Messiah is a political leader, not a religious one.
Luke Jesus is depicted as the proclaimer of salvation and grace most especially to the poor
and the needy.
John Jesus is portrayed as the Son of God – the savior of the world.

Please answer this last activity for this module.

Activity 4

Look for at least one Gospel verse that will support the views of each Gospel
author. GOSPEL
ACCORDING BIBLE VERSE
TO…
Matthew

Mark

Luke
John

INTEGRATION

The teachings of Jesus had influenced many Christians especially on how to relate with other people
of different religions and race. It aims to straighten their paths by living a good life. Jesus would want His
followers to live the Gospel values; to live out their faith in God. Emphasizing the importance of prayer,
Jesus encourages to strengthen their relationship with so as to improve their relationship with others.

SUMMARY

Christianity was born out of Jesus‟ teachings that influenced His followers and disciples. His life is
known through the Gospels which were written 30 or more years after His death. The New Testament is one
of the main source of Christian teachings and doctrines.

ASSESSMENT

Online quiz through Google Classroom

PURPOSIVE ASSIGNMENT

Interview at least three (3) Christians and take note of their favorite Bible passage.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

BOOK
Atim, B. C. (2016). Introduction to World Religions. Diwa Learning System, Inc.

New American Bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church

ONLINE JOURNALS
[Link]. (2001, November 14). Christianity.
[Link]
,chronicled%20in%20the%20New%20Testament.

ONLINE VIDEOS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2012, July 7). Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes
[Videos]. YouTube. [Link]

JesComTV. (2013, May 25). The Word Exposed - Catechism (The Holy Trinity) [Videos].
YouTube. [Link]

Bishop Robert Barron. (2009, April 7). What is the Trinity? [Videos]. YouTube.
[Link]