The Basics and Early History Christianity The Basics and Early History

The Basics of Christian Beliefs A man called Jesus Christ is the promised messiah of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Jesus is the son of God God sacrificed his son (through the crucifixion of Jesus) to save humanity from the consequences of sin Jesus overcame death by resurrection Trinity: God the father, God the son, God as the Holy Spirit This is one interpretation of what Jesus might have looked like… more to come on that…

Other Beliefs Mary, Jesus’ mother, is believed to be a virgin who conceived Jesus through God’s design Jesus was then born as both fully man and fully God As an adult, he was a teacher and healer, was persecuted by the political authorities of his day for suspicion of inciting a rebellion of Jews, and was sentenced to death by hanging on a wooden cross

Differences between Jews and Christians in Beliefs Jesus was Jewish… Believers followed Jewish law but main difference is: Jews do not believe Jesus is the promised Messiah Christians believe Jesus was the promised messiah who reunited God with his chosen people http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/christi anity_judaism.htm http://www.aish.com/jw/s/48892792.html

The Life of Jesus Please read and take NoTeS on pages 44-45 in your book for a brief history of Jesus’ life. Then, we will begin a film that looks at an anthropology/history perspective on the early life of Jesus

Film controversies The film looks at historical/ archaeological evidence to try and uncover what the early Jesus would have been like. No one knows for sure, so every interpretation has to be taken with a grain of salt. Different denominations of Christianity believe very strongly in the literal interpretation of the Bible (dates, names, places, etc.) Some possible controversies of this film include: Birth place and date of Jesus Family structure “job” Film does not take into account the divinity of Jesus – just looks at his life as a human