A Level RS Christianity Topics 1 + 2 Summary with A* Notes

Jesus' Birth

Ever wonder why the Christmas story seems different depending on which Gospel you read? Matthew and Luke tell Jesus' birth story from completely different angles, and understanding these differences is crucial for your exams.

Matthew focuses on Joseph's perspective and includes dramatic elements like the wise men, Herod's massacre of baby boys, and the family's escape to Egypt. Luke tells it from Mary's viewpoint with shepherds, angel choirs, and detailed accounts of John the Baptist's birth. Both agree on the essentials: virgin birth, Bethlehem location, and Jesus as Messiah.

Redaction criticism suggests Gospel writers weren't just recording history—they were editing sources to convince specific audiences. This raises questions about historicity (how historically accurate these accounts are). There's no historical record of Herod's baby massacre, though some scholars argue it fits his brutal character.

Key Insight: Two theological models explain Jesus' nature—the Substantial Presence Model (Jesus fully protected by divine nature) versus the Kenotic Model (Jesus "emptied" himself of divine qualities, making him vulnerable).

Jesus' Resurrection

The resurrection is Christianity's make-or-break moment, and two major scholars offer completely opposite views that you absolutely need to understand.

Bultmann argues the resurrection is pure myth—not historical fact. He believes we can't expect modern people to believe in corpses coming back to life. Through demythologisation, he strips away supernatural elements to reveal existential meaning. For Bultmann, what matters isn't that Jesus literally rose, but that believers experience him as "risen" in their faith.

Wright counters that the resurrection is solid historical fact. He argues early Christians wouldn't have invented such a story, and identifies six major ways Christianity "mutated" Jewish resurrection beliefs. These changes only make sense if something unprecedented actually happened.

The key biblical texts show this tension: Matthew 10:28 speaks of souls surviving bodily death, while John 20:27 emphasises Jesus' physical resurrection body. 1 Corinthians 15:36 uses agricultural metaphors about death leading to new life.

Key Insight: This isn't just academic debate—your view of the resurrection's historicity fundamentally shapes how you understand Christian faith and practice.

Bible in Daily Life

The Bible isn't just an ancient book collecting dust—it's meant to be a practical guide that transforms how Christians live every single day.

As a source of comfort, the Bible offers reassurance during tough times, reminding believers that God is their "refuge and strength" and instructing them not to worry about life's challenges. It reveals God's character and shows life's ultimate purpose isn't just survival, but following Jesus who claimed to be "the way, the truth and the life."

For moral guidance, Christians look to multiple biblical sources. The Mosaic Law and Ten Commandments provide clear ethical boundaries, while Jesus' life and teachings offer both example and instruction. The principle that both action and motive must be right comes straight from Jesus' emphasis on righteousness.

St Augustine's famous quote captures the Bible's unity: "The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New." This means both parts work together to guide Christian living, connecting moral principles across thousands of years.

Key Insight: Christians don't just read the Bible for information—they use it as their primary resource for making daily decisions about relationships, money, career choices, and moral dilemmas.

Canon and Inspiration

Understanding how the Bible came together and whether it's literally God's word is absolutely crucial for your exams—and these debates are far from settled.

Biblical inspiration ranges from fully objective (fundamentalists believe in divine dictation) to fully subjective (liberals see it as human religious experience). Conservatives take a middle ground, believing God guided writers who used their own styles. Karl Barth's neo-orthodoxy argues Jesus, not the Bible, is the true Word of God.

The doctrine of accommodation suggests God simplified complex ideas for human understanding—like a parent explaining quantum physics to a five-year-old. This helps explain apparent contradictions or outdated scientific views in scripture.

Theopneustos (literally "God-breathed") is the key Greek term, but scholars interpret it differently. Some see it as proof of divine dictation, others as evidence that scripture carries divine authority without being literally dictated word-for-word.

The Apocrypha (hidden books) highlights ongoing debates about which books belong in the Bible. Protestants reject these texts, while Catholics accept them as "deuterocanonical."

Key Insight: Your view of biblical inspiration directly affects how you interpret everything from creation accounts to moral teachings—it's not just theoretical theology.

The Early Church in Acts

The kerygma (proclamation) was the early Church's core message about Jesus, but scholars fiercely debate whether Acts gives us reliable history or later theological interpretation.

C.H. Dodd identified six elements in the early Christian proclamation and distinguished it from didache (practical church organisation teachings). His concept of realised eschatology argues we don't need to wait for the world's end to experience God's kingdom—it's available now.

Bultmann challenged Dodd's approach, arguing there's no "pure kerygma" separate from the cultural myths of its time. He proposed demythologisation—removing supernatural elements to reveal existential meaning. Bultmann identified two key mythologies: Jewish apocalypticism (which history disproved) and Gnosticism (which Christians adapted).

Acts' reliability remains contentious. While early churches never questioned its accuracy, some modern scholars see it as Luke's theological interpretation rather than straight history. The 40-50 year gap between events and writing raises questions about historical precision.

Key Insight: Bultmann's re-worded kerygma speaks to modern concerns—we're not masters of the world, our powers are finite, but transcendent reality offers forgiveness and hope for the future.

Two Views of Jesus

Crossan and Wright offer radically different pictures of Jesus that represent major approaches in contemporary scholarship—and your exam will likely test your understanding of both.

Crossan sees Jesus as a "Mediterranean Jewish peasant" who intended social revolution through an alternative lifestyle. Jesus practised "social healing," maintained an open table policy (eating with outcasts), and lived as a wandering cynic philosopher. Crossan uses cross-cultural anthropology and prioritises early non-canonical sources like the Gospel of Thomas.

Wright presents Jesus as "the true Messiah" who fulfilled Jewish expectations in unexpected ways. Using critical realism, Wright argues humans understand reality through stories and worldviews. Jesus was an eschatological prophet whose words and actions proved his messianic identity, even though his criminal's death initially caused rejection.

Their methodological differences are crucial. Crossan emphasises social and economic contexts, comparing Jesus to other revolutionary figures. Wright focuses on Jewish theological expectations and argues Jesus' story only makes sense within first-century messianic hopes.

Key Insight: These aren't just academic debates—Crossan's social revolutionary Jesus appeals to liberation theologians, while Wright's messianic Jesus supports traditional Christian doctrine.

Is God Male?

Sallie McFague challenges traditional masculine language for God, arguing our metaphors have become so "hardened" we've forgotten they're human constructions, not divine truth.

McFague's ecofeminist theology suggests replacing traditional Trinity language: "Mother" instead of "Father," "Lover" instead of "Son," and "Friend" instead of "Spirit." This isn't just political correctness—she believes masculine metaphors like "almighty" promote domination over creation rather than care for it.

Her panentheistic approach sees the world as part of God rather than separate from God. If God is "Mother," then Earth becomes God's body, encouraging environmental protection. This represents a fundamental shift from seeing God as distant ruler to intimate sustainer.

Biblical evidence offers mixed support. While "Father" dominates scripture, God occasionally appears in maternal imagery (Isaiah 66:13) and is described as beyond gender (Genesis 1, John 4:24). Critics argue "Father" adequately expresses God's loving, just character without requiring linguistic revolution.

Key Insight: This debate reflects deeper questions about whether language shapes thought—do masculine God-metaphors actually promote patriarchal attitudes, or can traditional language carry progressive meanings?

Can God Suffer?

Traditional theology insists God is immutable (unchanging) and impassible (unable to suffer), but modern theologians like Moltmann challenge these ancient assumptions with radical alternatives.

Moltmann's "Theology of the Cross" argues the crucifixion affects Father, Son, and humanity equally. God's "boundless love" means he chose to experience human pain—challenging Docetism (the heresy that Jesus only appeared human). This suffering God identifies with oppressed people, linking to Liberation Theology.

The crucifixion becomes both theodicy and political statement. If God suffers with victims of injustice, then Christianity isn't just about personal salvation but social transformation. Moltmann criticises churches for "sanitising the cross" and ignoring its horrific reality.

Weinandy defends traditional impassibility with three key arguments: suffering God helps no-one, God's suffering differs from ours, and God's intimate knowledge doesn't require personal experience of pain. He warns that if God eternally contains death through crucifixion, then evil isn't truly defeated.

Key Insight: This isn't abstract theology—your view of God's suffering directly impacts how you understand prayer, tragedy, social justice, and the meaning of Christ's death.

Trinity

The Trinity doctrine emerged from centuries of debate about Jesus' relationship to God, resulting in the Nicene Creed (325 AD) that still defines orthodox Christianity today.

Major heresies the Church rejected include Adoptionism (Jesus became divine at baptism), Arianism (Jesus subordinate to Father), Sabellianism (Jesus divine but not human), Tritheism (three separate gods), and Modalism (God playing different roles). Each heresy was seen as undermining either Jesus' full divinity or full humanity.

The Filioque Controversy split Eastern and Western Christianity over whether the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father" alone (Eastern view) or "from the Father and the Son" (Western addition). This seemingly technical dispute contributed to the Great Schism (1054) between Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Understanding these distinctions matters because they shaped fundamental Christian beliefs about salvation, worship, and God's nature. The Trinity isn't just mathematical puzzle about "three-in-one"—it's about how God relates to humanity through Jesus and continues working through the Spirit.

Key Insight: Trinity doctrine wasn't invented by theologians but emerged from early Christians' experience of God as Father, their relationship with Jesus, and the Spirit's ongoing presence in their communities.

Atonement

Three major theories explain how Jesus' death achieves human salvation, each presenting different views of God's character and the salvation process.

Christus Victor (Gustav Aulen) sees Jesus conquering evil powers rather than paying debts. This cosmic battle depicts God as loving liberator, appealing to Liberation Theology's emphasis on freedom from oppression. However, it may downplay individual sin and guilt by focusing on cosmic-level spiritual warfare.

Penal Substitution (Luther/Calvin) emphasises God's justice requiring punishment for sin—Jesus bears humanity's penalty. Evangelicals favour this theory for its biblical support, but critics argue it presents God as wrathful psychopath who demands innocent blood. The model risks splitting Father (angry) from Son (loving).

Moral Example (Abelard) presents Jesus' death as demonstration of God's love, inspiring human repentance and moral transformation. This appeals to modern sensibilities but struggles to explain why crucifixion was necessary—couldn't Jesus' life alone provide moral example?

Key terms: Expiation removes guilt through penalty payment, propitiation turns away wrath through offering. These concepts appear throughout biblical texts and theological debates.

Key Insight: C.S. Lewis wisely noted you can benefit from Christ's work without fully understanding its mechanics—like eating dinner without knowing nutrition science.