Rodney Bauer Thesis Chapter Summary

The subject of the book, author’s purpose and intended audience: The history of Christian thought in the modern era was a quest of today’s Christian. Faith in a multi-denominational society decreases a sense of belonging. Since the Enlightenment some

Atheist Delusions gives an analysis of history with the revolutionary power of Jesus Christ at the forefront. David Bentley Hart tells the story of how the early church was formed after late antiquity. He argues that radicalness of the Gospels was the key to liberation and how secular society has formed around that liberation. The development of Christianity, was the largest political, social, spiritual, and material revolution of Western civilization. It has played such a crucial role in the way our society operations, and in which our ethics are built.

During the Middle Ages, heresy was one of the prime issues that affected the solidarity of the Church. In order to maintain the

In his recent article for the October 7th issue of Commonweal magazine, David Bentley Hart highlighted how different the Christians of the New Testament are from modern day Christians. Hart’s article, titled “Christ’s Rabble; The first Christians were not like us”, argues that the first Christians were so different than present day Christians that we would have a very hard time getting along with one another if we meet today. Hart, a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies, came to this conclusion after in-depth study of the text of the New Testament in its original koine Greek. His work translating the New Testament for Yale University painted a clear picture of the character of the first Christians and underscored how far from the original meanings of the text we have come.

“For us it is not lawful to introduce any doctrine of our own choosing, neither may we choose some doctrine which someone else has introduced by his own choice.” (Peters, 1980, p. 30). As early as the second century CE, Christian writers, such as Tertullian (ca. 160 – ca. 200 CE), began defining what it was to be a heretic and what heresy could lead to (Peters, 1980, p. 29). Medieval churchmen believed there was much to fear from heresy, but the practice of witchcraft was especially troubling, as their greatest fears of heresy could be summoned by means of magic.

Many believe that the writings of early Church Fathers were lectured to different sects. In fact, one may assume that there are Similarities and differences between Tertullian and Justin Martyr. Particularly, let’s compare Tertullian’s and Justin Martyr perspective of faith, reason, and philosophy! Justin Martyr is Known as the defender of the faith (Tony lane), (p.10) He looked for truth in Greek philosophy. Likewise, his apology is in defense of the Christian faith and belief of Christianity. Of the writings that subsist, his First Apology (c. 155 c.e.; English translation, 1861) contains a resilient appeal for justice lectured to Antoninus. In that work, he clarifies Christian morals to influence his reader of Christian faithfulness and honesty. However, also central to this writing is his claim that Hebrew prophecy and Greek philosophy, both informed by the divine Logos (the Word), pointed to the coming of Christ. Through such dispute, he facilitated to institute the early Christian theme which faith is greater than Greek philosophy and is the result of Judaic belief. In Justin’s awareness, merely those who were controlled by fears failed to recognize these facts. His Second Apology (c.

Hildegard von Bingen, a German prophetic visionary and polymath, lived in the twelfth century at a time when the church was becoming corrupt and unstable. As a young nun in the Benedictine community at Rupertsburg and under Jutta’s tutelage, Hildegard acquired a prolific knowledge of the Christian scriptures as well as the doctrines and theology of the Church. She was able to use this knowledge to shape her ideas and to lobby for church reform. Throughout her life, Hildegard received visions that were believed to have been divinely inspired. She was encouraged to write down these ‘visions’ in her exemplary work, the Scivias—‘Know the Ways of the Lord’— which was approved by papal imprimatur and as such was motivated to carry God’s Work. The

Sensitivity relating to the perceived expiration of the first Mosaic covenant has brought forth a minor controversy in recent decades about the political correctness of referring to the Old Testament as being "old." Some Catholic Scripture professors express a preference for "Hebrew Scriptures," while others apologetically retain the old reference to prevent confusion. (Pazcuzzi 2/97). The issue of Judaism having been superceded by Christianity will be addressed at various points in this paper.

Conversion to Christianity in Medieval Iberia invoked ambivalent feelings among Christians at the time. Christians in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries intended to convert Jews and Muslims through kind words and religious teachings from the Bible. This idea of peaceful conversion, nevertheless, evolved and Christians began converting non-believers through violence and compulsion. Also, even after individuals were converted, Christians did not always fully trust their motivations, and believed they would revert into their old religions. While Marian miracles did help alleviate these tensions, thousands of vicious acts were committed against Jews and Muslims during this time period. In this essay, I am going to examine the idea of conversion from the Christian perspective, and how Christians were able to tempt Jews and Muslims to convert. I am also going to compare the contradictory nature of conversion through peaceful and violent means. This comparison will showcase how the Roman Catholic Church 's stance on peaceful conversion was overcome by local Christian communities.

Contrary to a common secular belief, the Bible has been possibly the most influential book known to man. From wars to treaties, the range of influence for God’s Word has been too great to fully understand. In an attempt to try to understand some of the effects, how the book of Romans erupted the Protestant Reformation is an intriguing subject. There were other sources like St. Augustine’s works that contributed a lot to the Reformation efforts, but none were more impactful than the Word of God. The Reformation was a huge movement not only for Christians but also for non-Christians in the realms of politics, economics, and philosophy. These advancements could not have happened if not for the inspiration from Paul’s letter to the Roman church. The philosophy that accumulated around Romans was one of redemption, forgiveness, and faith. Thus, the thinkers behind the Protestant Reformation gained their confidence and their message to begin.

Levine’s book titled The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus proves to be a highly informative resource when trying to understand the intricate relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Levine’s primary objective seems to be a desire to address the idea that there is a vast, irreconcilable disparity between the beliefs and practices of Christians and Jews. Levine’s central argument focuses upon a common misperception of this dissimilarity: it is the result of Jesus being in direct opposition to Judaism. Furthermore, she contends that only a decided openness and interfaith dialogue between Christianity and Judaism can truly provide the most complete and compelling portrait of Jesus’s life and work. To me, the most edifying facet of Levine’s argument was her call to anchor Jesus within the historical and cultural context in which he was teaching in order to best understand his work and his message. Levine not only provides support for this idea throughout The Misunderstood Jew, but near the end of the novel also offers up ways in which both Christians and Jews can reconcile these two ostensibly conflicting perceptions of Jesus. Therefore, in this essay, I will analyze Levine’s arguments regarding the importance of historical/cultural context in Chapter One and Chapter Four while synthesizing it with her solutions presented in Chapter Seven.

Another main idea concept in chapter seven, is speculation. Speculation is the practice of taking full advantage of the market’s fluctuations, anticipating large returns. Essentially, speculation is like betting on the market. A real life example could be buying stocks. If someone speculating bought a stock, he or she would have purchased the stock because he or she expects the stock to grow. I think that speculation is a very risky method because the market varies very often; the risk outweighs the reward. (157-158)

As indicated by the sarcastic title of her book “Those Terrible Middle Ages!” French historian Régine Pernoud addresses this commonly held misconception. She argues this time in history spanning approximately a thousand years as well as the image of the Church, have been irresponsibly represented. Her examination of this time period reveals that it is not the Church, but modernism that generates a return to the classical ideology of antiquity. These ancient pagan beliefs of the distant past are not as distant as we may think. They have resurfaced and are present in our own age.

At the onset of the Christian faith, its followers faced a difficult period in which they had to deal with many internal and external forces of confusion about their new faith. With Christianity being a rather close subdivision of Judaism, the followers of Christianity are faced with the task of supporting their beliefs and practices deeming why they are justifiable. In this apologetic period, these Jewish Christians embark on the task of defending their church and the religion itself in order to establish its credibility and existence.

Conversion in Medieval Iberia can invoke ambivalent feelings. Christians originally wanted to convert Jews and Muslims through kind words and religious teachings from the Bible. This idea, nevertheless, evolved over the centuries and Christians began converting non-believers through violence and compulsion. Also, even after individuals were converted, Christians did not fully trust their motivations, and believed they would remiss into their old religions. While Marian miracles did help alleviate these tensions, a number of vicious acts were committed against Jews and Muslims during this time period. In this essay, I am going to examine the idea of conversion from the Christian perspective, and how Christians were able to tempt Jews and Muslims to convert. I am also going to compare the contradictory nature of converting through peaceful and violent means. This comparison will showcase how the Roman Catholic Church 's stance on peaceful conversion was overcome by local Christian communities.