Foundations of Christianity Section B

The Holy Land Palestine is the country where Jesus lived all his life. There were 3 provinces Galilee, Samaria and Judea. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He grew up in Nazareth and He died in Jerusalem.

The Roman Empire In 63BC, the Romans invaded Palestine. The Jews did not accept Roman rule. Roman rule caused a lot of tension and political problems in Palestine.

Life in Palestine Houses in Palestine were small, they had one room. Houses were divided into two levels. 1. The family lived on the upper floor. 2.The animals stayed on the ground floor at night. Women worked in the home cooking and cleaning. Men worked at the markets or as fishermen or carpenters.

Jewish History. Abraham Slavery in Egypt Moses Return to Promised Land David Jerusalem Destroyed Jews sent to Babylon Romans take over The Messiah

Jewish Religion At the time of Jesus the Jews had two main religious places of worship: The Temple and 2. The synagogue

The Temple It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE The Temple was located in the Jerusalem The Temple was the most sacred building at the time of Jesus It was a very big building and could hold thousands of people. It was at the heart of Jewish life. Jews believed it was the dwelling place of God. The Temple was built to hold the Ten Commandments It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE

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Once a year during the Jewish festival of ‘Passover’ every Jewish family tried to visit the temple to pray and worship God. When they were at the Temple they changed their roman money to temple money and the bought animals like birds to have sacrificed in the Temple. Then the priests would sacrifice the animals in the Court of Priests.

Areas of the Temple Court of Gentiles Court of Israel Court of women Everybody allowed Court of Israel Jewish men only Court of women Jewish women only Court of Priests Jewish Priests and High Priest only Sanctuary Holy of Holies High Priest only

The Synagogue The synagogue was a plain, two story building. It was small. Woman and men were separated in the synagogue. There were two doors. Men entered through one door which kept them on the main floor while the women went upstairs. At the time of Jesus there was a synagogue in every town and village in Palestine. The synagogue was the meeting place for Jews. Jews went to the synagogue every Sabbath.

Questions Page 101 Questions 4 5 6 8 Understanding 1 2

Religious Groups. The Sadducees Accepted Roman Rule. They were rich and powerful temple Priests. “Roman rule best for all, new roads, law and order”

The Pharisees Rejected Roman rule. They were laymen but they were religious leaders in the local synagogues. They did not follow Roman law because it was not God’s law. “God’s law not Roman Law”

The Zealots Rejected Roman rule and refused to co operate with them. They were revolutionaries, they wanted freedom. They used violence to try and force and Romans out of Palestine. “Romans out, No Surrender!!”

The Messiah Many Jews expected that the Messiah would be a wealthy and powerful king. Others expected a great warrior. They could not believe that Jesus was the Messiah because he was neither a powerful king nor a warrior. Today Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come.

The New Testament Gospel = “Good News”. There are four Gospels in The New Testament The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Luke The Gospel of John

The Evangelists These Gospel writers are known as the Evangelists because the spread the Good News of Jesus. His suffering Side…Mark His teaching side…Matthew His caring side…Luke His spiritual side…John

Matthew Wrote for Christian in Antioch. He emphasised the human/teaching side of Jesus. Matthew was a rabbi (teacher) Mark Wrote for the persecuted Christians in Rome. He emphasised the suffering side of Jesus.

Wrote for Christians in Ephesus. Luke Wrote for Christians in Corinth. He emphasised the caring side of Jesus. Luke was a doctor John Wrote for Christians in Ephesus. He emphasised the divine side of Jesus

The Gospel Stages. 2. The Oral stage (33-70CE) When the apostles travel all over the Roman Empire to TELL the Good News, that Jesus is the Messiah. The Life stage (30-33CE) The three years of Jesus’ life when he teaches, performs miracles, is crucified and dies 3. The Written Stage 70-95CE) When the Evangelists WRITE down the story of Jesus in the four Gospels.

The Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic means to be alike or similar. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke are so alike that they are known as Synoptic Gospels. They agree on: The main event’s of Jesus’ life. The order in which they occurred Jesus’ words on those occasions.

Mark’s gospel was written first. Similarities Mark’s gospel was written first. Matthew and Luke borrowed from Mark’s Gospel Difference Matthew and Luke used other sources in addition to Mark’s account. “Where did this information come from?” Bible experts say it came from a document called “Q”, which contains earlier records of Jesus’ sayings.

John John did not use Mark’s Gospel nor did he use the “Q” document. He used other sources to tell the story of Jesus. John’s Gospel is poetic. He focuses on who Jesus was rather than what he did. There are no references to Jesus’ parables in John.