The Sermon on the Mount, Gospel of Matthew and the First Council of Nicaea Text’s may possibly be the two most influential documents in the Christian religion which will ultimately determine the future of Christianity. The Sermon on the Mount, said to have taken place in eastern galilee and found in the book of Matthew, is believed to be the most read segment in the bible; it introduces Jesus as a Prophet or Rabbi, and is considered to be the direct teachings/words of Jesus, a guideline to how a follower of Jesus might interpret life and its events, and a lesson designed specifically for the followers of Jesus to read interpret and follow. Many centuries after Jesus lived Christianity as a religion consisted of several different sects and practices and were the cause of much division between the religious populations. The First Council of Nicaea, called for 300 religious leaders to attempt to unify the church by analyzing and separating Christian teachings that were considered to be holy or divine from those considered to be pagan or “questionable”. While the Sermon on the Mount sought to unify the followers of Christ through the encouragement of love for one another and proper behavior, the Council of Nicaea sought to unify the followers of Christ by creating one unified and agreed upon way of thought or teachings for all to follow. However it must be considered that the Sermon on the Mount, comprised by Matthew, were said to be the direct words of Jesus who is a divine/supernatural spirit or being while the Council of Nicaea consisted of religious leaders who belonged to the physical world and were not different from any ordinary human beings other than the fact that they held religious/political power.
These two documents have...
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...ncerning Christianity, which were made official upon the profession of faith stating “We believe in one God the Father all powerful, maker of all things both seen and unseen. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten begotten from the Father, that is from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not, CONSUBSTANTIAL with the Father, through whom all things came to be, both those in heaven and those in earth; for us humans and for our salvation he came down and became incarnate, became human, suffered and rose up on the third day, went up into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead and in the holy Spirit.” Although today there are still several sects of Christianity, I believe that the above statement emphasizes the most unifying aspect of Christianity amongst its believers.
The book of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 was known as, “The Sermon on the Mount”. Which were words spoken by Jesus Christ. The purpose of this Sermon was to show representation of the normative foundation of Christian Morality. For instance, this passage was more so fixated on whole hearted benevolence towards others around you and genuine devotion to God.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
It was founded in Palestine by the followers of Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God. The central teachings of traditional Christianity are that of the Trinity, which encompasses God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prediction of the Messiah, and that his life on earth, the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are proof of God’s love for humanity and God’s forgiveness of human sins. Christians also believe that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life. These sacred beliefs originated from the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. In addition, Christians also accept the Old Testament as a scared Scripture. Christianity’s early missionaries spread its teachings in various places, such as: Asia Minor, Alexandria, Greece and Rome. In this present day Christianity missions have remained a major element. Christianity could be defined in several distinctive ways. There are numerous dissimilar forms of worship, many understandings of the role of the structured clergy, and many variations in polity and church organizations within
Standup for Kids is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1990 by Richard L. Koca who was inspired to begin outreach in 1987 when he saw a CBS broadcast of 48 hours documenting street kids in San Diego, California (StandUp For, 2014). He immediately began walking the streets of San Diego to identify homeless teens that he helped into shelters. His desire and passion to make a change in the lives of homeless youths led to the creation of the organization called StandUp for Kids.
The Christian worldview emphasizes on one absolute God who is eternal and sacred. The origins that Christians follow is written in Genesis 1, proclaiming God spoke and created the world. God then created man in the image of God.
Stefanovic, Ranko. “The Sermon on the Mount.” NTST 617: Theology of Matthew. Class lecture, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI, October 8, 2013.
Throughout the first 400 years that Christianity was present in the world it changed dramatically. It started small in an area near the eastern Mediterranean area but within these 400 years, it grew to encompass the whole of the Mediterranean and its surrounding. Throughout this time of growth, there was also much change within the beliefs of Christianity with the main belief centering around Jesus Christ. While Christianity grew and made it to new areas it was introduced to new people that interpreted the different scriptures and preaching of what it meant to be a Christian. Some of the most influential writings in these years came from Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century writer, Christian, theologian, and bishop. He expressed his beliefs of what made a Christian a Christian within his writing. One of his most famous writings, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, highlights the idea of the Holy Trinity and the Rule of Faith in the interpretation of the bible. Irenaeus believed that the Rule of Faith was ultimately necessary and required when reading and interpreting the word of Christianity saying, in the words of Isaiah, “If ye believe not, neither shall ye understand” (paragraph 3). In the eyes of Irenaeus, the Rule of Faith is one of the main things that makes a Christian a Christian.
Christianity is mainly founded on the life, death, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity was developed from Judaism during the 1st century, it has several different branches and forms which accompany different beliefs and practices. Christianity
Christianity is now in our modern world one of the five major religions. The other major religions include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism from which Christianity descended. Christianity was practiced before Christ, During his life, and after his life. After Christ¹s life Christianity spread to become a main world religion.
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
One of the earliest trends in Christianity was the need for Councils to settle disagreements on the religion. There have been many times where Christians had disagreements on what to consider as the base concepts of Christianity. Some
The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.
What is Christianity all about? What are the basic beliefs of Christianity and how did it begin? According to (AllAboutReligion, 2010),” Christianity began about 2000 years ago in Judea, [presently known today as Israel] with Jesus Christ and His faithful group of disciples”. This paper will address the viewpoint of the Christian faith and its outcome. The central message of Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus and his promises.
The history of Christianity is one that can be traced from the beginning of time. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 English Standard Version). The foundation of this religion is build upon the birth, life, death, and resurrection of a man named Jesus. Many Christians believe that he is the Son of God. Further, most additionally would agree that he is the second person in the trinity.
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.