Religion Chapter 9 - The Gospel of John Test Study Guide

What is the opening sentence of John's Gospel? What is its importance?

"In the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God." - Poem - "In the beginning" parallels Genesis 1, revealing Jesus' preexistence as the Word of God - The word "Logos" is Greek for Word, revealing how Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God - The introduction sentence to John's Gospel describes how Jesus simultaneously is the same as and is separate from God the Father

What makes John's Gospel unique from the synoptic Gospels?

- Highly symbolic - Very poetic - Emphasizes that Jesus Christ is true God and true man - New characters appear (Nicodemus, Lazarus) - Jewish feasts are highlighted over Jesus' three-year ministry - Center of Jesus' ministry is Jerusalem - Long, extended discourses rather than short sayings or parables - Jesus is the focus of God's Revelation - "I AM" - Washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper - Mysterious figure known as Beloved Disciple - John - Piercing of Jesus' side on the cross with blood and water flowing out - Post-Resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene at the tomb - Post-Resurrection appearance when Jesus invites "doubting Thomas" to faith

Explain the reason for the different stories about the Resurrection in the four Gospels.

- None of the Gospel writers were eyewitnesses of Jesus' Resurrection, they only encountered him after he rose from the dead - Each agrees that Jesus first presented his resurrected self to women, so none of the writers could be eyewitnesses - Different accounts emphasize different aspects of the Resurrection, may be for each Gospel's audience

Write about how you can personally come into contact with Jesus.

- Prayer, whether in private or as a Church, is the sincerest way to communicate with God if it has the right motives - Eucharist, accepting the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ into my life

Why might Jesus have wanted these signs to be public?

- Publicly performed so that he could have disciples, Wedding at Cana began public ministry, walking on water urged apostles to believe in him, all other miracles led to disciples - Fulfill Old Testament and God's message of Salvation, Cure on Sabbath, Cure of Man Born Blind, Raising of Lazarus caused Sanhedrin to challenge or persecute Jesus because they felt threatened, leading to Paschal Mystery

What might you name as a common theme for all seven signs?

All urged someone to believe in his divinity, all had to do with either physical or spiritual healing.

Only in John's Gospel does Jesus go before _____ prior to his encounter with _____, the high priest.

Annas, Caiaphas

What is Docetism?

Docetism is an early heresy associated with the Gnostics that taught that Jesus had no human body and only appeared to die on the Cross.

How is Jesus the Word of God?

Jesus is the Word of God because he is the Father's messenger. All of his teachings and words on earth come from God. In addition, he is the physical manifestation and earthly body of God. This also means he is the personification of God. In Genesis, God created by speaking using his Word. John reveals that Jesus is the Word that has existed since the beginning of time.

Who was the first person to look into the empty tomb in John's Gospel?

Mary Magdalene

What is the meaning of Jesus' Resurrection for Christians?

Our faith is justified.

Name and define the 4 sections of John's Gospel.

Prologue - Highlights Jesus' divinity and states Jesus' preexistence as the Logos or Word of God that became flesh through the Incarnation Book of Signs - Tells us about the 7 signs or miracles of Jesus' public ministry leading up to the Resurrection Book of Glory - States the glorious meaning of Jesus' Passion, Death, and Resurrection Epilogue - Describes the resurrected Jesus' encounter with his Apostles (added later)

Defend or oppose this statement: "The Gospel of John shares more similarities than differences with the synoptic Gospels." Explain.

Reasons why there's more differences above^

Define Incarnation in your own words.

The Incarnation is the essential dogma of Christianity that expresses the belief that the Word of God became flesh and assumed human nature through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, from his Mother Mary and by the Holy Spirit. It literally means "enfleshment."

Which miracle involved the Apostles only?

The Walking on the Water.

Which story of service was unique to the Last Supper account in John's Gospel?

The Washing of the Apostles' Feet

What does the heresy of Docetism teach about Jesus? What does this imply for the Resurrection?

The heresy of Docetism taught that Jesus only seemed to be a man. Regarding the Resurrection, this heresy implies that he could not have really died and risen from the dead and that he only appeared to die in the Crucifixion. This implies that the Paschal Mystery would not have taken place, meaning that Jesus would not have saved humanity. This means there would be no Salvation History, meaning there would be no Christianity.