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Austin Macauley Publishers - Carol Worthington

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59 pages

English

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This most approachable book tells the story of the growth of Christianity from its roots in Judaism through the life, teachings and death of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe fulfilled the Jewish prophecies for the Messiah, or Christ, to save and redeem God's chosen people. It goes on to trace the development of the Christian church and its relationship to Judaism and Islam. It emphasises the significance of the Church of England and its impact on developing British culture and values. A Window on Christianity brings to life the personalities and events that have shaped the origins of the religion and its development from Roman times to the modern day. It examines artefacts and customs and various different churches, as well as what Christians believe and how they show their beliefs in their pattern of worship and use of specific artefacts.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christianity

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Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers
Date de parution	31 janvier 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781528965583
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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A Window on Christianity
Carol Worthington
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-01-31
A Window on Christianity About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgment 1 What Is Christianity? 2 How Christianity Began Creation Story Abraham, the Founding Father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam Isaac, Jacob and Joseph Moses The Exodus The Passover The Giving of the LAW After Moses The Rise of the Prophets The Exile The Return to Jerusalem From Greeks – to Independence – to Romans The Maccabean route to independence The Roman Empire ‘A cold coming we had of it…’ 3 Jesus Christ This Was the Beginning of the Christian Church 4 Christian Worship The Christian Year Christmas Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25? Why Twelve Days? Candlemas Towards Easter Lent Easter Day Hallowe’en Christ the King 5 The Bible The Old Testament The Law The History The Prophets The Poetry and Wisdom The New Testament The Last Word in the Bible Is AMEN – So Be It 6 Religions of the Holy Land 7 Christian Churches in Britain 8 Saints and Angels, Signs and Symbols Saints Angels Signs and Symbols of Christianity The Cross The Fish The Chalice and Paten The Trinity The Christingle Rosary Icons Epilogue
About the Author
This book is for those in our secular society who wish to know more about Christianity. It will appeal to everyone with an interest and a curiosity, and will be useful for teachers of religious education (RE), which is compulsory in schools and academies.
In multicultural Britain, the religions of ethnic minorities are sometimes given disproportionate attention. People are often wary of emphasising Christian festivals and ideals for fear of upsetting others, but Christianity has been the dominant religion in the United Kingdom and Western Europe for nearly 2000 years, and has been the foundation for the development of values such as equality, freedom and toleration. It is important that people learn about Christianity and how it has shaped our culture so that we can discuss freely and knowledgably the beliefs and customs of any religion and be able to make up our own minds about religious values.

C:\Users\ViralWebbs\Pictures\FP\1.jpg
This Faith, Hope and Charity window in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, was made by the William Morris Company, a firm at the forefront of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 19 th century. Designed by Edward Burne-Jones, an artist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Movement and credited with the rejuvenation of the stained glass-making tradition in Victorian England.
Carol Worthington was educated at Nottingham Girls’ High School and went on to gain a degree in biochemistry from the University of Oxford. She worked in the pharmaceutical industry for six years before becoming a secondary school teacher, faculty head in science and technology, and an Open University tutor for the MA (Ed.) course in technology.
She was an Ofsted Inspector for 20 years and is now an independent education consultant who has served on the Oxford Diocesan Education Board. She is a member of the Oxfordshire SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education) and works as a volunteer in the education service of Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford.
She lives in Oxfordshire, near her daughter, son and two grandchildren.
Dedication
In memory of my beloved husband, Tony, who never failed to encourage me in all my endeavours.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Copyright Information ©
Carol Worthington (2020)
The right of Carol Worthington to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution, and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528928670 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528965583 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgment
Grateful thanks to my dear friend, Angela, who has given me invaluable encouragement and support in the writing of this book.
Thanks to Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford, for permission to use the pictures of the Faith, Hope and Charity and Frideswide Windows, to St Helen’s Church Abingdon for the Moses Panel and Lily Crucifix from the mediaeval ceiling in the Lady Chapel and the Noah window in the Baptistery.
Thanks to all those friends and colleagues who have given me photographs and documents for this book.
I am ever grateful to my wonderful RE teacher at Nottingham Girls’ High school, Miss Tether, whose notes on the Old Testament provided an invaluable source for this book.
Other sources I have used include:
The Book of Common Prayer 1662 (Cambridge University Press)
Anglican Common Worship 2000 (Church House Publishing)
The Holy Bible in various translations:
King James (The Bible Societies)
Good News (The Bible Societies)
New Revised Standard Version (Oxford University Press)
The Holy Qur’an in translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)
The Lion Handbook to the Bible, 4 th edition, updated by Pat and David Alexander
1 What Is Christianity?
With about 2.3 billion followers, Christianity is the largest world religion, and still growing rapidly, particularly in China, Africa and South America, although it appears to be in decline in Europe. It is based on the life of Jesus Christ, a Jew, born over 2000 years ago of an earthly mother, Mary. Christians believe Jesus was the son of God. His first followers were Jews, who saw him as the Jewish Messiah – long promised in their scriptures by the prophets, who would restore their freedom after years of conquest and exile. It took about 300 years for Christianity to become an established religion in the Roman Empire, and from there spread throughout the world, in the Roman church of the west and the Orthodox church of the east.

1
Virgin Mother and Child
Copy of an icon in the Byzantine style (Cretan school) by Fr. Pefkis of Mount Athos
BEHOLD
A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son
And shall call His name
EMMANUEL*
Isaiah 7: 14
*God with us
Christians believe that
There is only one God
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
His earthly mother was a virgin at his conception
Sentenced to death by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, he was crucified, died and was buried
On the third day afterwards, he arose from the dead
He died so human sins are forgiven, and that people will have everlasting life
He ascended to heaven to live with God, his Father
His Holy Spirit descended after his death
Jesus will come again at the day of judgement
Christians declare their faith in a statement known as the Creed (taken from the Latin Credo ‘I believe’). The simplest creed is the one declared by those about to be baptised (Christened), or their Godparents if they are too young to speak for themselves. It is known as the Apostles’ Creed, because Jesus’s twelve followers, originally known as disciples, became Apostles after his death, charged with telling the good news about his life and death to the whole world. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Also the one God of Judaism and Islam Creator of heaven and earth I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,
These lines briefly summarise the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus; they
prophesy his second coming to judge
all humanity 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; He ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit Sent at Pentecost The holy catholic church, Catholic means ‘world-wide’ The communion of saints, all Christians, alive and dead The forgiveness of sins, Jesus died, so his followers could achieve salvation. the resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting. Amen. So be it
2 How Christianity Began
The origins of Christianity lie in the Jewish religion. From ancient times, Jews were unique in their worship of one God, whom they could neither see nor name, and of whom they made no idols, or graven images. Nevertheless, the impact of this deity on their lives led them to believe that they were God’s chosen people. Their story is told in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, which is virtually the same as the Jewish (or Hebrew) Bible.
The Old Testament starts with the Book of Genesis, which means ‘beginning’, or ‘origin’. Versions of the first two stories are found in many other cultures and religions.

Creation Story
‘In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void…’ The narrative goes on to tell how God spoke and created the earth, day and night, land and sea, all living things, plants and animals, and then two human beings – Adam and Eve – made in his own image. God blessed them and told them to have many children. Their descendants would populate the earth, have control over it and look after all living creatures. All would have food in plenty. After working for six days, God was pleased with his work; he rested on the seventh day, and called it holy: Sabbath .

Adam and Eve were given a home, a beautiful garden which provided for all their needs. They had food in plenty, but God specifically forbade them to eat the fruit of a particular tree. When evil crept into the garden in the form of a snake, Eve was tempted to eat the fruit, and Adam soon copied