Theology

Theology

1. Christology

   • Christophanies
     • Coincidences
     • God knows all
     • Gospels made it up
   • Types
     • Shadow/Promise that the messiah was to come
       • Isaac+son
       • Passover
   • Nature of Jesus
     • Human?
       • Got hungry
       • Got tired
       • Needed privacy (occasionally)
       • Tempted
     • Divine?
       • Mum=virgin
       • Walk on water
       • World created through him
       • Forgive sins
       • Resursected
   • The Arain Controversy
     • 1) "Is Jesus as eternal as God?"
     • 2) Agreement: Jesus existed before birth
     • 3) "Jesus - All eternity?"
     • 4) Arius though not (?3) - started protests
     • 5) Argument grew: Emperor got involved
     • 6) In 325 Council o. Nicaea met (300 bishops). "Jesus: eternally begotten, not created."
   • Titles of Christ
     • Messiah/Christ
     • Son of God
     • Son of Man
     • Lord
     • Saviour
     • God

2. Theology

   • Analogy/nature of God
     • Samuel
       • God answers prayers: Samuel's mother prayed for a child
       • God sometimes silent: (At that time) rare for God to speak.
       • God keeps promises: To Hannah
       • Fair to judge: warned Eli
     • Story of Job
     • Story of the Prodigal Son
       • Father: God. Son: Sinners (us). Brother: Religious Leaders.

3. Paul

   • Saul's Conversion
     • Persecuted the Christians. Had Jesus speak to him. He converted. Preached God's word.
   • Paul's Ministry
     • He travelled to Cyprus, Paphos where he met a sorcerer. Paul made him blind, but then the proconsul believed in God
   • Paul is persecuted
     • Punished severely!
   • Paul is protected
     • In Philippian jail, there was an earthquake, and Paul and Silas saved the jailer's life, who was about to commit sucicide, and showed him the ways of God. The jailer cleaned their wounds and Paul baptised him and his family
   • Council in Jerusalem
     • Some Jewish christians wanted Gentiles to follow Jewish law, so an agreement had to be decided. Paul explained about all his missionaries and a decision was reached: Gentiles should by sexually pure and not eat sacrificed food to idols
   • The end of Paul
     • Nobody is sure of how Paul dies, but many scholars think that Paul may have been beheaded by emperor Nero in Jerusalem. He went there to preach despite told in a prophecy that he would end up in prison. When he arrived he was accused of breaking the Jewish law. He put on trial and when they could not plead guilty, he demanded a trial in Rome. He was put under house arrest but still continued to preach the gospel.