Christianity

Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam

 The Creation of Adam is a fresco on the

ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican
City painted by Michelangelo circa 1511. It
illustrates the Biblical story from the Book
of Genesis in which God the Father
breathes life into Adam, the first man.
Chronologically the fourth in the series of
panels depicting episodes from Genesis on
the Sistine ceiling, it was among the last
to be completed. It is arguably one of the
most famous and most appreciated
images in the world.

 God is depicted as an elderly bearded man

wrapped in a swirling cloak that he shares with
some cherubim. (is a supernatural entity
mentioned several times in the Old Testament)
His left arm is wrapped around a female figure,
normally interpreted as Eve, who is not yet
created and, figuratively, waits in heaven to be
given an earthly form. God's right arm is
outstretched to impart the spark of life from his
own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is
extended in a pose mirroring God's. Famously,
Adam's finger and God's finger are separated
by a slight distance. It took about three of the
four years to paint.

 The similar poses of God and Adamaccording

to Genesis 1:27, God created man in his own
image. At the same time, God, who is airborne
and appears against ovoid drapery, is
contrasted with earthbound Adam, lying on a
stable triangle of barren ground. The name
`Adam is Hebrew for 'man' (and 'mankind');
the feminine form, `adamah, means 'earth'..
The inspiration for Michelangelo's treatment of
the subject may come from a medieval hymn
called Veni Creator Spiritus, which asks the
'finger of the paternal right hand' (digitus
paternae dexterae) to give the faithful speech,
love and strength.

Background
Jesus of Nazareth, (Nazareth, city of
Galilee) called the Son of God and
Christ (The Greek term for Messiah,
or the anointed one) was born in
Judea around 6-4 B.C.
At that time, Israel was subjected to
Rome and rebellion and unrest were
simmering/ almost at the boiling
point.
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 Signs and wonders were reported

surrounding Jesus birth and
childhood, but history knows virtually
nothing about his life until Jesus was
approximately 30 years old, when he
began his public ministry.
After his baptism, by a desert
prophet, John and a period of
wilderness fasting, he gathered 12
disciples and began walking about
the land, teaching, healing the sick
and performing miracles.
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Baptism of Jesus By John

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Background,2
His presence and message were
compelling, and crowds followed him
everywhere.
Jesus taught love of God as Father,
love of neighbor, self-sacrifice in the
service of both., and the imminent
arrival of the Kingdom of god.
His frequent references to himself as
the Son of Man and his entry into
Jerusalem on a donkey both reflected
his conscious acceptance of a
messianic role.
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 Established Jewish authorities saw

him as a threat, both to civic peace
under the Romans, and to their own
authority.
His overturning of the currency
exchange and animal dealers tables
in the Temple courtyard after arriving
in Jerusalem was the last straw, and
he was arrested soon after by the
Jewish authorities.

Background,3
Political maneuvering led to Jesus
death sentence under Roman law,
and his crucifixion on the eve of the
Jewish Passover.
Jewish religious festival
commemoration the liberation of
Jewish from slavery in Egypt.

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 On the Sunday morning after

Passover, women visiting his tomb
found its empty, and Jesus began
appearing among his disciples in
bodily form, telling them to spread
the good news of his resurrection
abroad to all who would hear. (Easter
Sunday)
Christianity began as a small group
of Jewish men and women who
believed that Jesus was the Christ
and Son of God.

Background,4
In their eyes, his resurrection was
proof of his identity, promising that
all who placed their faith in Him
would also overcome death.
Not long after Jesus final departure
into heaven/ ascension, his disciples
experienced the promised spiritual
empowerment by the Holy Spirit (the
Pentecost) and began preaching
throughout Israel and all the known
world.
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 A handful of believers grew into an

underground religion that spread
rapidly across the Roman Empire,
suffering persecutions both by Jews
and Romans.( crucifixion, stoning, beheading,
scourging, beaten, drags to pieces etc..)

It was only when the Emperor

Constantine legalized Christianity in
the early 4th Century that its survival
was assured.

Scourging

 Pentecost (Ancient Greek:

[], pentekost [hmera], "the fiftieth
day") is one of the prominent feasts in the
Christian liturgical year, celebrated the 49th
day (7 weeks) after Easter Sundayor the 50th
day, inclusively, whence its name is derived
from the Greek. Pentecost falls on the tenth
day after Ascension Thursday. Historically and
symbolically related to the Jewish
harvest festival of Shavuot, it commemorates
the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
and other followers of Jesus as described in the
Book of Acts, Chapter 2. Pentecost is also called
Whitsun, Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday,
especially in the United Kingdom.

What is the Basis for Christian

Ethics?

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What is the Basis for Christian Ethics?

For a Christian, Jesus Christ is the only perfectly

ethical person;
He is the perfect man, always making right
choices, and to believe him to be flawed is to
abandon Christianity completely.
Jesus calls us to follow Him, become his disciples
and inherit eternal life.
If Jesus is the ideal human being, and were
called to imitate Him, then we are called to an
ethical life.
Christian ideas of right and wrong originate in
revealed truth, i.e.. They stem from what God
has taught us through Jesus and the prophets
and Apostles- This primarily means the Bible.
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What is the Basis for Christian Ethics?,2

Christians must obey the Bible because the
teachings come from God.
Christian ethics may be contrasted with
Utilitarianism (Utilitarian ethics allowed the
Holocaust, slavery, and totalitarian
communism).
Because Christians do not believe humans
made themselves or occurred naturally.
They do not believe theyre free to do
whatever suits them. This is because God
is the author of life. He also determines
that standard of behavior for those
members of His creation with free will.
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How does Free Will Fit in? What is it?

Free will is a gift of God.
It means human being have been given
the ability to choose between right and
wrong.
Christians do not believe God runs their
lives like a puppet show.
Theyre completely free to choose, but are
not shielded from the consequences of
their actions as they interact with rest of
the humans (also with free will).
Some people feel that Christians do not
have free will because God punishes them
for the choices He does not happen to like.
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How does Free Will Fit in? ,2

Christians answer to that is God
determines the standards of behavior
because He is God, the Creator.
Rather than punish, God simply allows
people to choose to reject Him.
As there is no happiness apart from God,
permanent rejection of God results in
permanent unhappiness.
Without free will, no opportunity for
choices between right and wrong exist.
Creatures without free will cannot have
ethics because theyve no choice.
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What ethical Rules have been revealed?

When the rich young man asked

Jesus what must be done to inherit
eternal life, the response was:" you
know the Commandments...
When Jesus was pressed further, he
offered the chance to follow Him as a
disciple
Taking these together, following
Jesus while keeping the Ten
Commandments would seem to be
the revealed answer.
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How do Christians determine

right and wrong?
The 10 Commandments and the
prophets carry most ethical force.
Jesus Sermon on the Mount sets
the New Testament standard:
He counsels compassion, meekness
(mild, patient unresisting), a hunger
for righteousness, mercy, purity of
heart, peace and faith in the face of
persecution.
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The Sermon on the Mount/

The Beatitudes

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The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule may be Jesus bestknown ethical guide:
In everything do unto others as
you would have them do to you
for this is the law and the
prophets.

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How do Christians determine right and

wrong?
Love is the Key to Christian ethics.
Gods love (is displayed by taking the bodily
form of human / Jesus) prompted the
incarnation; love of humankind brought Jesus
to this death; love for Christ motivates
Christians.
This is my commandment, he said, that you
love one another as I have loved you.
This love is the motivating force behind
Christians, like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther
King, who dedicate their lives to easing
suffering and seeking justice.
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The Ten Commandments

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 The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are

a list of religious and moral imperatives that,
according to Judeo-Christian tradition, were
authored by God and given to Moses on the
mountain referred to as "Mount Sinai" (
Exodus 19:23) or "Horeb" (Deuteronomy 5:2) in
the form of two stone tablets. They feature
prominently in Judaism and Christianity. In
Biblical Hebrew language, the commandments
are termed ( translit. Aseret haDvarm) and in Rabbinical Hebrew
(translit. Aseret ha-Dibrot), both translatable as
"the ten statements." The name "Decalogue" is
derived from the Greek name or
"dekalogos" ("ten statements") found in the
Septuagint (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 10:4),
which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew
name.[2]

The Ten Commandments

The 10 commandments were given to

Moses over 3,000 years ago after the
Hebrews/ Jews were delivered from slavery
in Egypt.
While the Law of Moses is made up of over
600 rules, the 10 commandments were a
succinct (brief and clear) list of rules from
which the others were developed.
When Jesus was asked, What must I do to
inherit eternal life?:, he replied: You know
the Commandments, keep these and you
will live.
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 Jesus attests (testify/certify)to the

importance of the 10 Commandments.
This is why Christians still accept them.
The Jewish tradition viewed the Law as a
gift from God.
Christian tradition views sin as
enslavement / make a slave of, rather
than something fun we are denied.
To accept salvation is to be freed from
slavery to sin and raised to a new life.
In the table later, you can see the
commandments and how they free people
from Sin and free them for a new life.

Ten Commandments are Actionguiding for Christians, 1

No.

Commandment

The Call

I am the LORD your

Faith (Trust
God, you shall have no in God)
other Gods before me,

All faith in
God,
Freedom
from lesser
gods:
Wealth, sex,
power &
popularity.

You shall not take the

Name of the LORD
your God in vain.

Respect for
God and the
things of
God: prayer,
worship,
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religion.

Respect
Holiness

Action

Ten Commandments are Actionguiding for Christians, 2

No.

Commandment The Call

Action

3.

Keep holy the

Sabbath Day

Not just the

Sabbath rest, but
setting aside time
for prayer, good
recreation, quiet
reflection.

4. Honor your
father and
mother.

Renewal

Family

Loving care and

respect for all family
members, elders
and younger
siblings, too.
Respect for elders in
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general.

Ten Commandments are Actionguiding for Christians ,3

No Comman The Call
.
dment
5. You shall Respect
not kill.
for life.

Action

6. You shall
not
commit
adultery.

Faithful actions beyond

just abstaining from
sexual contact outside of
marriage. Respect for
sex and marriage.

Chastity
Faithfuln
ess
(fidelity)

Courtesy to all, speaking

respectfully to all,
seeking the best for all.
Respecting others
freedom while still
defending all human life.

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Ten Commandments are Actionguiding for Christians , 4

No. Command The Call
ment

Action

You shall
not steal.

Justice
(honesty)

Concern for the rights of

others, esp. when they get
in the way of what we
desire. A commitment to
fairness and a willingness
to suffer loss rather than
depriving another.

You shall
not bear
false
witness

Truth

A dedication to what is real

and true, even if that
reality is against our
interests.
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Ten Commandments are Actionguiding for Christians , 4

No. Commandment

The Call

Action

You shall not

covet (desire
eagerly) your
neighbor's wife

Purity

A desire to want only

what God wills. A
single-hearted devotion
to Gods way.

10

You shall not

covet your
neighbor's
goods

Generosit A cooperation in
y
Gods own

generosity that sees

all goods as
belonging to God
and freely given for
the good of all. 54

The Greatest Commandment

When Jesus was asked, What is

the greatest commandment , He
responded with these:
i. Love God
ii. Love your neighbor
In accord with this, the 1st 3
commandments as directed toward
the 1st of these (love by God) and
the last 7 as relating to the 2nd:
love of neighbor.
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The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments
GOD
1.You shall have no other Gods but me.
2.You shall not make for yourself any idol,
nor bow down to it or worship it.
3.You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
your God.
4.You shall remember and keep the Sabbath
day holy.

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MAN
6. Respect your father and mother.
7. You must not kill.
8. You must not commit adultery.
9. You must not steal.
10. You must not give false evidence against
your neighbor.
11. You must not be envious of your
neighbor's goods. You shall not be
envious of his house nor his wife, nor
anything that belongs to your neighbor.