RE notes.

1. Mark’s Gospel.

• Jesus – Son of God – main message of the Gospel

• Good News means gospel
• Gospel comes from the greek word evangelion, which means good news.
• Written in Rome.
• John Mark wrote it – secretary and interpreter to Peter.
• Based on the eyewitness and preachings of Peter.
• AD 50-67
• Written in Greek, but Mark also spoke Jesus’ language, Aramaic.
• Gospel was written for Roman Christians who were not Jewish (gentiles)
• Evidence – Jewish terms and customs are explained.
• Old Testament quoted only once.
• Colloquial Latin and Greek
• Coins reduced to their value in Roman money.
• Message of the gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God.
• Jesus’ life and mission.
• Miracles of Jesus.
• First and last sentence.
• Gives hope to persecuted Christians. Jesus suffered as they are suffering.
• Structure.
1. The wilderness 1: 1-15
2. Galilee 1:16- 8:21
3. The Way 8:22 – 11:11
4. Jerusalem 11:12 – 14:52
5. The Tomb 14:53 – 16:20
• Sections 2 and 4 contrast, middle section is key.
• Prologue – establishes the identity of Jesus.
• Galilee – longest section
• Stories of discipleship
• Miracle stories
• Teaching about the kingdom of God.
• Messianic secret
• The way.
• Identity of Jesus
• Cost of following him – what makes someone a disciple of Christ.
• Jerusalem.
• Darkness and threat in contrast with hope and triumph of Jesus in Galilee.
• Jesus the Passover lamb.
• The tomb
• Good Friday
• Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
• Jesus rises on Sunday
Piece of text analysis

Mark 5: 1-13
Jesus heals the Gerasene Demoniac

Sea – place of danger, and centre of the Galilee section.

The boat is from the previous story about calming the waters.
Tombs- place of death, isolated from the community.
Unclean spirit – image of non jewish purity, tainted.
Theme of gospel – son of god.
Sends the unclean spirit into the pigs – 2000 drown themselves
Power of Jesus
power of this disease is shown too.
Jesus cares for everybody.
Violent lunatic

Mark 15: 21-39

The crucifixion of Jesus

Simon of Cyrene – connection to the community

Golgotha – place of a skull – Aramaic translation.
Myrrh – drug to ease pain. Start and end.
King of the Jews – charge of blasphemy.
Jesus is the new temple, destroyed, and risen in 3 days.
Aramaic- seen in Psalm 22
Centurion exclaims that he is God’s son – temple is torn in two.
Crucifixion – slow process, torturous.
Company of outcasts
Humanness of jesus – suffers and dies showing he is the messiah, no miracles.
Doesn’t boast.
Darkness came at 3pm – eclipse, sandstorm, thunderstorm – terrible yet important.
World religions

Islam “peace, submission to god”

Qur’an – Word of God
Hadith – saying of Muhammad.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia AD 610

One god “Allah” came to Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel, and gave him
truths he was to teach to fellow citizens.
Qur’an exact word of God.

Teaches
Allah is one god
Merciful and all powerful
Controls destiny, and will judge people on last day of the world.
Heaven/hell
Qur’an is linked to the bible – stories from OT, and refers to Jesus and Mary. Justice
Facing opposition from the people of mecca, Muhammad and followers fled to
medina
Community took shape. Formed pillars.

Shahada, creed – one god.

Salat, prayer – muslims pray 5 times every day, sunrise, noon, late afternoon, sunset,
evening.
Face mecca, and watch face and hands. Shoes off.

Zakat, almsgiving 2.5% of income goes to the poor.

Saum, fasting. Ramadan, don’t eat between sunrise and sunset.

Hajj, pilgrimage – every muslim to travel to Mecca once in a lifetime.

AD 630, Muhammad and followers conquered Mecca. Muhammad – head of state.

Law the same, Islamic state.

God cannot be understood or described in Human terms.

Celebrations – Eid ul fitr – end of Ramadan

Prophet’s birthday.

Symbols

Leaders
Judaism.

Originated in 1800 BC – Abraham is the father of Judaism. Iraq, Middle East.

Beliefs

One god
Covenant is expressed in the law given to moses on Mt Sinai
Sabbath is central
Sacred text- Torah, kept on scrolls – Hebrew.
Pray in synagogue
Scrolls are kept in a holy place
Men and women sit separately in orthodox syn.
Men cover their heads with a skullcap –
Circumcision, Marriage, Sabbath.
Symbols
Star of David said to be the symbol on the shields of king david’s army
Menorah, 7 pronged candle represents 7 days of creation.

Shabbat
Keeps the 7th day holy.
The house will be prepared.
Lights 2 candles and prays.
Meal
Challot – bread god provided in the desert.
No work done on Shabbat.
39 melachot prohibited.

Aboriginal spirituality.

It is wrong to say primitive, as they are complex, satisfying to the people, and suited
to the local environment.

“Primal” – part of everyday existence, basic features to all religions, connection with
their culture and locality. “first”

The dreamtime is not a specific time, rather it is a continuous, parallel, timeless spirit
world.
Through the dreamings that aboriginals experience the wholeness and holiness of all
aspects of life.

Aboriginal rituals
Turning points in lives.
Song, dance, music
Rites of passage
Spirit celebrations
Increase rituals for maintenance of natural species
Reconciliation
Healing and harming rituals
Harming performed for the good of the community, and punishment of wrongdoers.
Healing is different from use of native medicines.
Use of special powers from a healer.
Smoke cleanses people from their illness. Purifies them

Origin of life
Spirit child who has been waiting in a clan centre enters the mother. This child
announces its presence and its identity by certain signs.
Spiritual identity – totem influences everything in a persons life.

Death is not natural, spiritual beings live forever. At death, spirits return to particular
significant sites they belong to.

Sacred objects and art – very important to a religion without texts.

Sacred objects are handled by boys during initiation.

Paintings- mythscapes.