Christianity
Significant The contribution to Christianity of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Jesus, drawn from:
People and - Paul of Tarsus
ideas Paul's Early life:
⇾ Born a Jew in Tarsus, in Cilicia, as a Roman citizen.
⇾ Was educated in the Hellenised world of Jerusalem.
⇾ Studied the Torah in Jerusalem to become a Pharisee
- Member of an ancient jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional law
⇾ Saul (Hebrew for Paul) was a persecutor of Christians due to his involvement with high priests who saw Christians as a threat to Jewsih tradition
⇾ Paul took part in stoning and whipping Jesus followers for referring to Jesus as the Messiah
Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Christianity of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Jesus, drawn from
- Paul of Tarsus
His contribution = the things he did that updated/reformed Christianity
- His contributions led to developments in the way cchristianity is expressed
2 significant contributions:
1. Role as a Christian Missionary → His missionary Journeys
- Paul converted people to the Christian tradition and established Christian Churches in the Western world
- Acts 9:1-19 'Saul's conversion’: “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of
Israel”
- Paul received a vision from God - he was converted to Christianity and given his missionary task
- Then undertook 3 missionary Journeys over 10 years, here he spread Christianity in Europe (mediterranean and Asia Minor)
- On his journeys he preached the Gospel and Proclaimed Jesus’ message for peace and Unity
- He enabled non-jews (gentiles) to become Christian
- Built Christianity on the belief that God's grace is for all
- Established the early Christian Church as a formal religious tradition
- Paul established Christian rituals and gave Christianity its own style and structure of worship
- Pope Benedict XVI - 2006
- “How could we not give thanks to God for having given us an apostle of this category?”
- Shows just how big and important that his contribution was and still is
- Paul of Tarsus’ contribution as missionary renders him the most historically significant figure in the establishment of the early Christian Church
as he spread the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world
1
, - Therefore, Pauls founding of Christian communities and beliefs ultimately facilitated future development and expression of the Christian
tradition
- Through establishing early Christian communities and giving them beliefs and practices, Paul enabled the expansion of Christianity as a formal
religious tradition
- Writings
- Paul wrote 13 epistles (letters) to early Christian groups → new testament → ¼ of the whole book
- The epistles helped Paul establish Christian beliefs and outlined how they should be expressed
- His epistles contain much of the doctrine the Christian faith is built on, especially in relation to the principle beliefs
- Epistles contain the doctrine of principal beliefs E.g salvation and divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
- Salvation → the belief that through faith in God humans can be saved from sin is taught
- Written his one of Paul's letters
- Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who
believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile”
- Shows how paul established that all who believe in God, regardless of background, have the capacity to achieve salvation
- Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ:
- This is the belief that Jesus is both human and spiritual
- 1 Corinthians 12:12 “Christ is like a singly body which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts”
- Helped Paul organise the Christian faith and establish its Principal beliefs
- The letters communicated Paul’s theology and his beliefs in Jesus.
- Paul’s letters became important sources of interpretation of the teachings of Jesus and helped the new Christian Churches to find their faith in a shared
community
- The foundation for much of the belief and practice still used by Christians and the Church today.
Overall:
- Through providing a framework for how Christianity should operate and articulating the traditions of principal beliefs, Paul's writings helped solidify the
presence and legitimacy of Christianity in early communities
- All aspects of Paul's contributions focus on establishing the Christian tradition and paving the way for future developments and expressions of faith in line with
Christian beliefs
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Christianity
Analyse the impact of this person OR school of thought on Christianity
Three main areas:
1. Impact on theology
- All of the ideas in Paul's epistles sowed the seeds for developments in Christian way of thinking
2
, - Paul influenced St Augustine's theology on:
- The Gospel as a gift from Gods grace
- Predestination and God’s will n
- Original sin
- These are all derived from Paul's epistles → especially his letter to the Romans
- Pauls initial writings provided the foundation for Augustine and other early theologians to advance and further explain what
Paul meant by these beliefs
- Example; Augustine's work
- Augustine on Romans: propositions from the Epistle to the Romans; Unfinished Commentary on the Epistle to the
Romans
- Addresses some of the questions in the Romans and clarifies Pauls ideas
- Influence on Modern Theology:
- Paul influenced Swiss theologian Karl Barth’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (1916)
- Attempt to address disillusionment with theology that occurred in the context of WWII → people were questioning the role of God
amidst the horrors of war
- In his work Barth emphasizes the saving grace of God and humanity's inability to know God outside of God's revelation in Christ
- Basically, he reiterated Pauls ideas and re-established them as relevant in a contemporary context
- Overall, through Paul's contributions in his writings, he laid the foundations for Christian theologians to continually expand on his ideas and use them to
develop Christian thinking. As such, through his impact on theology, Paul's initial establishment of Christian beliefs is able to endure through time.
2. Impact on ethics and morality
- Paul established a large portion of moral guidelines that influence the lives of Christians and those in the Western World
- When paul established Christian communities he gave them a strict ethical framework, which distinguished them from Jewish communities
- These ethical teachings made there way into his writings remain entrenched in Christian and Western morality today
- Teaching from Paul: Impact on Celibacy (a state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations)
- Paul established the Christian moral emphasis on celibacy
- 1 Corinthians 7:1 “It is well for a man to not touch a woman”
- This view helped to:
- Establish moral hierarchy within Christianity
- Top tier: those who were entirely celibate (clergy: monks, nuns and priests)
- Underneath them: people who remain celibate until marriage
- Helped to distinguish early Christianity from Judaism
- Jews do not promote celibacy
- Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply’ in the old testament
3
Significant The contribution to Christianity of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Jesus, drawn from:
People and - Paul of Tarsus
ideas Paul's Early life:
⇾ Born a Jew in Tarsus, in Cilicia, as a Roman citizen.
⇾ Was educated in the Hellenised world of Jerusalem.
⇾ Studied the Torah in Jerusalem to become a Pharisee
- Member of an ancient jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional law
⇾ Saul (Hebrew for Paul) was a persecutor of Christians due to his involvement with high priests who saw Christians as a threat to Jewsih tradition
⇾ Paul took part in stoning and whipping Jesus followers for referring to Jesus as the Messiah
Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Christianity of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Jesus, drawn from
- Paul of Tarsus
His contribution = the things he did that updated/reformed Christianity
- His contributions led to developments in the way cchristianity is expressed
2 significant contributions:
1. Role as a Christian Missionary → His missionary Journeys
- Paul converted people to the Christian tradition and established Christian Churches in the Western world
- Acts 9:1-19 'Saul's conversion’: “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of
Israel”
- Paul received a vision from God - he was converted to Christianity and given his missionary task
- Then undertook 3 missionary Journeys over 10 years, here he spread Christianity in Europe (mediterranean and Asia Minor)
- On his journeys he preached the Gospel and Proclaimed Jesus’ message for peace and Unity
- He enabled non-jews (gentiles) to become Christian
- Built Christianity on the belief that God's grace is for all
- Established the early Christian Church as a formal religious tradition
- Paul established Christian rituals and gave Christianity its own style and structure of worship
- Pope Benedict XVI - 2006
- “How could we not give thanks to God for having given us an apostle of this category?”
- Shows just how big and important that his contribution was and still is
- Paul of Tarsus’ contribution as missionary renders him the most historically significant figure in the establishment of the early Christian Church
as he spread the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world
1
, - Therefore, Pauls founding of Christian communities and beliefs ultimately facilitated future development and expression of the Christian
tradition
- Through establishing early Christian communities and giving them beliefs and practices, Paul enabled the expansion of Christianity as a formal
religious tradition
- Writings
- Paul wrote 13 epistles (letters) to early Christian groups → new testament → ¼ of the whole book
- The epistles helped Paul establish Christian beliefs and outlined how they should be expressed
- His epistles contain much of the doctrine the Christian faith is built on, especially in relation to the principle beliefs
- Epistles contain the doctrine of principal beliefs E.g salvation and divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
- Salvation → the belief that through faith in God humans can be saved from sin is taught
- Written his one of Paul's letters
- Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who
believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile”
- Shows how paul established that all who believe in God, regardless of background, have the capacity to achieve salvation
- Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ:
- This is the belief that Jesus is both human and spiritual
- 1 Corinthians 12:12 “Christ is like a singly body which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts”
- Helped Paul organise the Christian faith and establish its Principal beliefs
- The letters communicated Paul’s theology and his beliefs in Jesus.
- Paul’s letters became important sources of interpretation of the teachings of Jesus and helped the new Christian Churches to find their faith in a shared
community
- The foundation for much of the belief and practice still used by Christians and the Church today.
Overall:
- Through providing a framework for how Christianity should operate and articulating the traditions of principal beliefs, Paul's writings helped solidify the
presence and legitimacy of Christianity in early communities
- All aspects of Paul's contributions focus on establishing the Christian tradition and paving the way for future developments and expressions of faith in line with
Christian beliefs
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Christianity
Analyse the impact of this person OR school of thought on Christianity
Three main areas:
1. Impact on theology
- All of the ideas in Paul's epistles sowed the seeds for developments in Christian way of thinking
2
, - Paul influenced St Augustine's theology on:
- The Gospel as a gift from Gods grace
- Predestination and God’s will n
- Original sin
- These are all derived from Paul's epistles → especially his letter to the Romans
- Pauls initial writings provided the foundation for Augustine and other early theologians to advance and further explain what
Paul meant by these beliefs
- Example; Augustine's work
- Augustine on Romans: propositions from the Epistle to the Romans; Unfinished Commentary on the Epistle to the
Romans
- Addresses some of the questions in the Romans and clarifies Pauls ideas
- Influence on Modern Theology:
- Paul influenced Swiss theologian Karl Barth’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (1916)
- Attempt to address disillusionment with theology that occurred in the context of WWII → people were questioning the role of God
amidst the horrors of war
- In his work Barth emphasizes the saving grace of God and humanity's inability to know God outside of God's revelation in Christ
- Basically, he reiterated Pauls ideas and re-established them as relevant in a contemporary context
- Overall, through Paul's contributions in his writings, he laid the foundations for Christian theologians to continually expand on his ideas and use them to
develop Christian thinking. As such, through his impact on theology, Paul's initial establishment of Christian beliefs is able to endure through time.
2. Impact on ethics and morality
- Paul established a large portion of moral guidelines that influence the lives of Christians and those in the Western World
- When paul established Christian communities he gave them a strict ethical framework, which distinguished them from Jewish communities
- These ethical teachings made there way into his writings remain entrenched in Christian and Western morality today
- Teaching from Paul: Impact on Celibacy (a state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations)
- Paul established the Christian moral emphasis on celibacy
- 1 Corinthians 7:1 “It is well for a man to not touch a woman”
- This view helped to:
- Establish moral hierarchy within Christianity
- Top tier: those who were entirely celibate (clergy: monks, nuns and priests)
- Underneath them: people who remain celibate until marriage
- Helped to distinguish early Christianity from Judaism
- Jews do not promote celibacy
- Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply’ in the old testament
3
