Stage 3 Module
Module Focus
The Bible is a text that allows for readers to bridge the gap between the world of the Bible’s subjects and authors to that of the world in which the reader lives. “Readers in totally different contexts, including our own, may uncover meanings, making old texts speak again as God’s living word” (White, L, 1987 Midrash: a Key to the Meaning of the Scriptures p.278).
This module calls for an exploration of the scriptures from the apostolic period i.e. the period where the apostles worked towards establishing an early church based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and built upon a strong heritage from Israel. Students will learn that whilst we can apply these scriptures to our lives today, they were written for very specific purposes and must be understood in that light. Students will become aware that the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, developed in the period after Jesus’ ascension, building the foundations of its life and mission in which all members are called to participate.
During this module, students will learn from the scriptures something of the world of early Christians, their lives and their faith. They will investigate Saints Peter and Paul through visiting to the Actsof the Apostles and the Letters of St Paul. They will be invited to explore ways that these scriptures may be applied to our lives today.
The Bible is a life which has turned into text. In the reflection about that life therefore, we can find wisdom that helps us reflect upon our own lives. In this module, the students will have the opportunity to look at some of the wise, reflective and poetic writings of the Old Testament and to discover their universal significance.
Printed with permission© Radiant Light, Elizabeth Wang 2003 - 2010.
Outcomes
S S3.5a: Identifies the nature and purpose of Biblical writings through which all are invited to share eternal life.SS3.5b: Demonstrates how the messages of Scripture can be applied to contemporary life.
CD S3.3b: Researches and reports on significant figures in the history of the Catholic Church.
Learn About
/Learn To
S S3.5a:- God’s self-disclosure through the Scripturesabout the early Church
- The Scriptures about Saints Peter and Paul and the early Christians
- The connection between the message in Scripture and the lifestyles of early Christians
- How the stories of the early Christians are relevant to how we live our lives today
- God’s gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
- The establishment of the early Church.
- The stories of Saints Peter and Paul
- The key figures and the impact of their work on the Church
- Read the Scriptures for meaning
- Identify the connections between the Scriptures about the early church and the Gospels
- Identify opportunities for the application of messages of Scripture
- Research significant people of the early church
- Describe the characteristics of the life and faith of early Christian communities.
- Research and evaluate the lives and contributions of key figures in the history of the Catholic Church
DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE
- Students are challenged to value the richness of the Sacred Scriptures
- Students are challenged to relate messages from the Sacred Scriptures to daily life.
- Students are challenged to make choices as a response to God’s call.
Catholic Discipleship
“We can’t touch Jesus any more; we can’t see him. But those who believe in him can detect today the mysterious signs of his new and permanent presence among us…The Spirit of Jesus comes to those who welcome him, gentle as a breeze, hot as a flame, close as breath. With the Spirit of Jesus, believers become “Christians”, the other Christs who can continue Jesus’ work…with the Spirit of Jesus, Christians renew the face of the earth; the only law is to love God with all their strength, and their neighbour as themselves. To do this, they join together as Church”
Hari, A. and Singer, C. 1993. Alive in the Spirit Today. France: Matthew James Publishing; Novalis
Prayer Focus: The Apostles’ Creed
It is likely that some form of the Apostles’ Creed was developing by about 150CE. Whilst statements of faith were used by the early apostles, the Creed probably wasn’t finalised until a few centuries later. It developed out of the practice of the apostles asking people to profess their faith before being admitted to baptism and later became part of baptismal liturgies of Western Christianity.
It is important to remember that we can reflect our own faith into these early prayers, however in the days of the early church there was no standard lifestyle, culture or language. There was a variety of ways of expressing Christian belief due to the varying situations in different Christian communities. The importance is that the early apostles believed in expressions of faith which have eventually led to the creeds that we have today.
“One of the earliest concerns of the followers of Jesus was how to express their belief that Jesus is Lord, messiah and Son of God. These beliefs were confirmed by the resurrection of Christ, which is the foundation on which Christian belief was based. In their effort to give expression to their faith in Christ the early disciples drew on the language and ideas contained in the Sacred Scriptures. The New Testament reveals that in the presence of a unity of belief among early Christians there was also some diversity. However, as time went on, the first Christians had to deal with false ideas…In order to set the record straight…the Christian leaders eventually saw the necessity for stating the correct doctrine in formulas...these formulas only came into being after a long period of development.” (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p.186).
The prayer includes a Trinitarian statement, beliefs about Jesus Christ and statements of faith.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Core Scripture
The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 2:1-14 The Pentecost story
Life of the early Christians~
Acts 2: 42-47~ Life among the believers
Acts 4: 32-37~ The believers share their possessions
Acts 4:12-16 ~ Miracles and Wonders
Acts 4: 17, 27-29, 40-42 The Apostles are persecuted
Acts 13:13-15,32 ~ Journey and Mission
How Peter and Paul were called
Peter~ Mt 4: 18-20;16:13-20
Paul~ Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9
Scripturein Context
Acts 2:1-14 The Pentecost Story
Pentecost was the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which occurred 50 days after the presentation of the first sheaf of barley harvested at Passover. It was the second of three Jewish festivals, the first being Passover. Jewish festivals always recalled the story of the Chosen People. They associated this festival with the arrival of the Chosen People at Mt Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. It therefore had a focus on the law as this story was about the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. An important focus was that people were together, all in one place as they were when they were travelling to the Promised Land.
The Pentecost story turns upside down the story of the Tower of Babel. In this Old Testament story, people were divided because of language. In the Pentecost story, people were empowered to communicate with each other and language was no longer a barrier.What was scattered in the Tower of Babel story was now gathered together by Pentecost. Babbling was transformed into enlightenment.
The Pentecost event ushered in the birth of the church. Like any birth there was some fear, pain and even confusion. However, it was a transformative event that held great possibilities for the new life of the church that was to come.
The Symbols of Pentecost
Wind:
- the breath of life which picks up seeds and scatters them to be reborn;
- at time gently soothes us and at other times is strong and powerful;
- it travels on a journey like us as it travels from tree top to tree top;
- is everywhere, all around us;
- we can’t see it, but know it’s there;
- it stirs us at times;
- it dances;
- it is mysterious.
Fire:
- the fire of Pentecost doesn’t bring death and destruction, but new life just like the new life in the bush after a bushfire;
- like fire, the Holy Spirit ignites and transforms us;
- like fire, the Spirit of the Lord gives light and warmth;
- the fire of Pentecost symbolises the fire of Jesus death which embraces the spirit of love and forgiveness.
Dove:
- the dove is a symbol of peace and hope and is representative of new beginnings
Printed with permission© Radiant Light, Elizabeth Wang 2003 - 2010.
Life of the Early Christians~
- Acts 2: 42-47~ Life among the believers
- Acts 4: 32-37~ The believers share their possessions
- Acts 4:12-16 ~ Miracles and Wonders
- Acts 4: 17, 27-29, 40-42 The Apostles are persecuted
- Acts 13:13-15,32 ~ Journey and Mission
According to Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, there were three main features of Christianity:
–The followers constantly passed on the teaching of the apostles. In this teaching given to the newly baptised, the Scriptures were interpreted in light of the resurrection of Jesus.
–The followers lived in communion with each other, sharing possessions and having all in common.
–The followers constantly broke bread, listened to the Scriptures and prayed together.
The early Christians built their faith around Jesus’ resurrection. They came to see his death as just a passage. They experienced a new presence of God through the Holy Spirit. The transformation that happened in the Pentecost experience gave them the confidence to go out to the ends of the earth as they knew it, knowing that the Good News was for all peoples and their mission was to help all people to understand it.
Their simple beginnings provided a wonderful example of community. They broke bread with their hands and heart, remembering that the Lamb of God had broken bread and then had been broken himself for our salvation.
Jesus’ work of healing was continued by the apostles, representing the beginnings of healing of humanity. The work of Christians in healing others means standing by Jesus in word and action to continue his work of salvation and liberation from evil. Today, Christians who work healing humanity are active signs that Christ is present in the world.
The road was not easy for the apostles and their followers. They were often persecuted and placed in jail. Unfortunately, this still happens to some Christians today. We still hear stories of apostles, people who work in mission travel on with courage, knowing that our world is complex and challenging, and that they are showing the face of God in our demanding world.
St Paul’s Letters
- 1 Cor 13:4-7~ Love is the greatest gift
- Col 3: 12-15~May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
- Eph 1:15-16;18-19~My prayer is that you know about God’s great power for us.
- Rom 8: 9-11~ God's Spirit now lives in you.
After Paul left communities, he kept in touch by writing letters to “encourage them in their faith, correct mistaken ideas or praise them for their sincerity…because these letters address specific community situations and problems it is a mistake to read them as always having universal application to all Christians for all times. There are many things that do apply in a universal way, such as Paul’s ideas on faith, salvation, discipleship, resurrection, but there are other issues that only refer to a certain Christian community in the world of the first century.” There were some issues he didn’t touch on as they were taken for granted e.g. he may not have mentioned Eucharist to a particular community of he thought there were no problems in celebrating the Lord’s Supper there (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p. 116). Paul’s letters were occasional letters, each written for a specific purpose.
Paul’s teachings were based on his proclamations about Jesus Christ:
–Christ Jesus is Lord, more than human, a gift of Grace from God
–The basis of Christian belief is the resurrection of Jesus
–Jesus plays a crucial role in God’s plan of salvation for humankind
–Jesus is without sin in a sinful world. Jesus is the Son of God who was sent to overcome the power of sin and bring peace.
–People can embrace this salvation which is a gift from God, by responding to God’s call of faith in Jesus; by turning away from sin; and by becoming part of the body of Christ through baptism.
–Jesus Christ is the new creation, giving humanity a newness of life.
–Christians are called to live in oneness of heart and mind
–The Church as the body of Christ
How Peter and Paul were Called
- Peter~ Mt 4: 18-20 ;16:13-20
- Paul~ Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9
Peter
The calling of Peter is to be found in the Gospels as Peter was called by Jesus himself. Peter’s call to be a ‘fisher of people’ really came into being after Pentecost when Peter was a leading apostle. Jesus’ naming of Simon as Peter, the rock indicated that he would be foundational in spreading the Good News.
Paul
Luke describes a dramatic conversion for Saul in the Acts of the Apostles. He wanted to show his readers that Paul was truly an apostle even though he had not known Jesus personally.
When the apostles were sent to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), it ended up being Saul (Paul) who was the most determined to carry out this mission.
The story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is about sudden enlightenment.Paul’s’ story represents the stories of people whose lives have been turned upside down in this manner. Sometimes it happens because of an event such as a birth or death in the family, or sometimes because of a spiritual experience. More commonly though, conversion is more gradual, a coming to be that touches life’s journey at many points.
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
nn. 751-752, 777, 804 “Church”
Compendium # 147 What does the word ‘church’ mean?
nn.774-776,,780 The Church as a sacrament of salvation
Compendium # 152 What does it mean to say that the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation?
nn. 781, 802-804The Church
Compendium # 153 Why is the Church the ‘people of God’?
nn. 782-804 The People of God
Compendium # 154 What are the characteristics of the people of God?
nn. 797-798, 809-810 The church and the Holy Spirit
Compendium # 154 Why is the Church called the temple of the Holy Spirit?
nn. 787-791, 805-806 The Body of Christ
Compendium # 154 In what way is the Church the body of Christ?
Background for the Teacher
The World of the Early Christians
*** Years are now recorded as BCE (before the common era) and CE (the common era). These terms have replaced BC (before Christ) and AD (after Christ) to be more inclusive to people who are not of Christian faith.***
The Roman Empire
During the years following Jesus’ death and resurrection, Rome was building a massive empire. After three centuries of conquest, the Romans began to try to unify their empire. Taxes were levied on all inhabitants. They began to develop a unified justice system e.g. any citizen could appeal to Caesar. However, not all inhabitants had the same status.
Rome had conquered the areas of Palestine and Syria in 63 BCE. This was the beginning of Roman occupation which finally led the capture of Jerusalem by Titus in 70CE when the Temple was destroyed. Thousands of Jews were killed or sold as slaves. However, rather than being the end of Judaism, the Jews received a new lease of life and were determined to be more united.
It was in this environment that what seemed to be at first a small Jewish sect developed into Christianity.
The First Christians
At first the apostles and their followers appeared to be a sect of Judaism. They only took the name ‘Christians’ sometime after Jesus’ resurrection. The earliest Christians had different doctrines to the Jews, but essentially the same practices. The Jewish rejection of Christianity started when Gentiles began to be accepted into the church.
According to Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, there were three main features of Christianity:
The followers constantly passed on the teaching of the apostles. In this teaching given to the newly baptised, the Scriptures were interpreted in light of the resurrection of Jesus.
Establishment of the Church at Syrian Antioch
***There was another city called Antioch in Asia Minor, Pisidian Antioch.
Antioch in Syria was the third most important city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. It had almost half a million inhabitants. It was linked to the Mediterranean by a river, the Onrontus and by road. It was an important commercial crossroad protected by fortified walls and towers. There were many slaves in Antioch. The city was made up of Romans, Greeks, Jews, Syrians and others. A strong community of disciples of Jesus grew up at Antioch. In many places, new Christian groups seemed like Jewish sects, but it was in Antioch that a new type of Christianity grew up. Different from the Christian communities of Jerusalem it had a new style. At Antioch, disciples who came from Cyprus and North Africa made a new type of community. They weren’t seen as a Jewish sect, but a new religious group. The people of Antioch gave them a new name: Christians. It wasn’t a breakaway group and was still linked to the church in Jerusalem.