Divinity and Humanity of Jesus
Principal Beliefs refer to core tenants and teachings of a particular religious tradition, in this case, Christianity.
While the major beliefs of Christianity are shared by all Christian variants, there are some degrees of difference in the interpretation of these beliefs and how they are lived out in everyday life.
The principal beliefs that will be examined here are:
- The divinity and humanity of Jesus
- The Death and Resurrection of Jesus
- The Nature of God and of the Trinity
- Revelation, and
- Salvation
The syllabus outcome being covered here is for students to:
- Outline the principal beliefs regarding the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ.
Activity 1 - Define Key Terms (Exercise Book):
You may use Religious Data Dictionary to assist
- Divinity
- Humanity
- Council of Nicaea
Activity 2 - References to the Humanity and Divinity of Jesus
Use the table in the worksheet to discover what the New Testament tells us about the divinity and humanity of Jesus (you only need THREE-FOUR quotes).
The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus.docx (15649)
Activity 3 - Development of Christology (Exercise Books)
A heresy is an opinion contrary to Orthodox teachings. The word Orthodox here is not a reference to Orthodox Christianity but rather to what is “traditionally understood.”
An example of a heresy is Gnosticism, a first century influential idea that believed the spirit was good and the flesh was evil. It resulted in Gnostics abusing their bodies or subjecting it to extreme forms of penance. As a result of their belief that the flesh was evil, they taught that Jesus was not actually fully human but rather a “phantom.” St John writes His Gospel to counteract the Gnostic idea, he writes “the Word (Jesus) was made ‘flesh’ and dwelt among” (Jn. 1:14). This helped the early Church affirm their belief that Jesus was fully human.
Other heresies developed such as Arianism.
- When and where did Arianism develop?
- Who was Arius?
- What did Arianism teach?
- How did the Church respond?
- What statements in the Nicene Creed express Christian belief in the divinity and humanity of Jesus?
Class Discussion Question: Were the early heretics and their heresies were necessary for the Church to understand Jesus Christ?
Resources:
- Christian Research Ministry: Arianism (click here)
- Catholic News Agency: Arianism (click here)
- Orthodox Wiki: Arianism (click here)
- The Nicene Creed (click here)
Different expressions of Christianity place different significance on the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus
