The Resurrection

1. The Resurrection was important because Jesus rose from the dead three days after he was crucified, which many people thought as what happens and awaits us after death, (people continue on to the afterlife and God is revealed). It is also important that people recognized that Jesus set out on his ascension and his teachings of God stayed with the people on earth. It showed God's power and love for the people by Jesus being resurrected and for the people to have faith in God because of the good things that happen in the afterlife. Many Christians believe that God entered the church in the form of the Holy Spirit 50 days after the resurrection and has remained in the Church.

The Crucifixion

1. This source explains how Jesus came into conflict with the Temple authorities because he claimed that he spoke with God's authority and a true relationship with God depends on faith and expressing that faith. The Temple authorities believed that God gave Moses the laws that must be kept before the Messiah which could bring God's kingdom on earth. The authorities and the priests disagreed with Jesus said about him being the messenger and bringing the word of God which led to his arrest. Also, he refused to submit to the High Priest, which is punishable by death and led to his crucifixion.

2. "This is the proof of love, that he laid down his life for us, and we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" -John 3:16

This quote is significant because it tells how Jesus died for our sins. The damage sin has caused in the past is so great that there needed to be a sacrifice that would pay for the amount of sinning in the past. Jesus sacrificed for the people for the sins they committed. Also, it shows the love of Jesus for the people and how death can't stop the love of God. This message was passed onto the people and showed them how they should respect the people around them and love their neighbors as themselves because it is what Jesus did for them.

3. The first image starts with Adam and Eve, and how they both brought sin into the world because they disobeyed God. Their mistake caused everyone to be sinful. However, Jesus' sacrifice became a substitute and took the punishment according to other Christians. After the Last Supper, Jesus prayed to be spared from his suffering, when an angel appeared and gave him strength and in my opinion, gave him the confidence to sacrifice for everyone's sins. He was then identified and brought before the High Priest, where he was ordered to be crucified. He was also brought before Pilate who agreed to his crucifixion. It is interesting though how Pilate did not find a case against Jesus but agreed to his crucifixion anyways. He was then crucified with two other thieves and put in a case where it was protected by guards.

Year of Living Biblically ch.10

1. When Jacobs decides to follow the traffic laws, he has a hard time doing it at first because he never even knew traffic laws existed in New York City, but he finds two upsides to his experience. The first upside is that obeying traffic laws forces him to pause, and by doing this he begins to notice a lot more of his surroundings. The second upside is he doesn't have to worry about breaking rules because before, he use to jaywalk often to save time. In my opinion, I think these consequences from obeying the traffic laws are partially coincidence, but they do make him stop for a moment and think of his surroundings, which has to do with the earlier chapters about him appreciating what God has created in the world.
2. One of the ways Jacobs recognizes the problems with absolute literalism in this chapter is when he goes to Tennessee and Jimmy is snake handling, which is an action taken literally from a the passage of Mark 16:18. One of the problems with this is that it is really dangerous and people die from playing with snakes. There are also other instances where Jacobs points out from the Bible that Jesus tells Peter to forgive his brother seventy times seven when he means an infinant number of times. Jacobs has some fun with this and decides to take it literally even though it is supposed to be taken metaphorically. There is also a part saying you should chop off certain body parts if they cause you to sin, such as taking out your eye if your eye causes you to sin. People actually try to take this literally even though they aren't necessarily supposed to.
3. Reconstructionism or the dominionism movement(dominionism is slightly less extreme) are thousands of radical fundamentalists who want a biblical government, which enforces the laws set out in both testaments, including executions of homosexuals, aldulters etc. As Jacobs describes them, "they are the American Taliban." They are very extreme and somewhat racist, depending on the person. It relates to Christianity by them taking everything said in the bible seriously.
4. The most important thing Jacobs learns from the snake handlers in my opinion is how the serpent handling isn't as bizarre as he expected it to be. Jacobs quotes from something he once read, "Religion makes the strange familiar and the familiar strange." In this case, serpent handling becomes more familiar to him for some reason. Also, Jacobs learns from the passion of the preachers in the Tennessee church and felt very hypnotized by their sermons and had to snap himself out of it and not surrender yet. The passion of the preachers showed Jacobs how much faith people really have in God.

The Last Supper

The Last Supper was the last meal Jesus ate before his death. He ate it with his desciples and one of the most important things he told them was that his teachings would be with them even after he died. The breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine symbolized his body and his blood, which meant eating the bread and drinking the wine would make sure for eternal life for all. It can be reinacted by Christians through the form of communion and other forms of interpretation.
One of the aspects of imagery is the thirteen places set. This symbolizes the thirteen place Jesus set for himself and his twelve disciples for the Last Supper. One of the other aspects of imagery is the Passover meal. Jesus and his disciples celebrate this Jewish holiday and Jesus breaks the bread for the rememberance of him. Some people question whether though if it was a passover meal and something different.
The changing role of the Eucharist- The role of the Eucharist changed from one of sacrifice to one of rememberance, which meant that people who celebrate the Eucharist must remember Jesus and view the bread and wine as something that represents Jesus himself. Also, faith is really important in order to view how Christ is among them. The Eucharist meal can be celebrated once a month which used to be every Sunday.

The Life of Christ

I think the most important aspect of Jesus' life was that most of the things he did was in his last three years of his life, and throughout his first thirty years he didn't do anything too significant. When Jesus is mentioned, he is mentioned at his birth and at and right before his death. Not many things about him are mentioned in his middle years. Jesus is very interesting because he performed many miracles but the miracles he performed mostly were to other help individuals, not himself because he is the human form of God. Also, he didn't want to be regarded as the Messiah but insisted that he was an ordinary man and wasnted to carry the word of God and express it to the world, since that was his job.
One of the scenes in the middle two pages is his power over the elements. Jesus had power over the elements because of his power from God and ability to perform miracles. Also, Jesus was an amazing and mystifying man during his lifetime and it would be pretty lame if the weather got in the way of his job, healing people, forgiving sins, spreading the word of God, etc. One of the other images is Jesus healing the sick. In this case, he healed a man and gave him the ability to walk again. By doing this, Jesus showed the mercy of God and how God is able to help people out if they show faith in him. This is one of the aspects of Jesus' job on earth.
Caring for the outcasts- In Jesus' time on earth, he was very compassionate by healing the outcasts and especially those with leprosy. His healings showed the compassion of God and how God cares for everyone. Many people were considered outcasts, and once they were healed of "cleaned" then had to have confirmation from the temple that they were cleaned. After a while, everyone heard about Jesus and went to him for cures.

The Incarnation

1. Incarnation is the belief that God came to earth as a man through the human form of Jesus. It was the God who enabled Jesus to heal, restore and forgive people. The presence of God in Jesus' life made God and Jesus one, where Jesus was both truly God and human.
2. "The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God"
This quote is relating to Mary I think and talking about how the future Jesus will be both God and human. The angel is telling Mary the power and capability Jesus will have in his life, such as restoring and healing the people since he is the son of God. The part of about the Holy Spirit coming upon you refers to Jesus and the shadow part refers to the God's power and protection in the coming of Jesus.
3. Some of the significant roles women play in Christianity are caring for others and in the work of salvation. For instance, the women looked after Jesus when he was born, and it was the women for who the Lord first rose to after three days since his death. They have played a profound role in Christianity through thier faithful obediance to God and being the mother of the Savior.
4. One point I found interesting is the Roman poet Virgil, someone I have never heard of before. Virgil was around just before the early Christian at about he same time as Augustus and wrote of a king who turn the age of iron into the age of gold. Meaning that he will bring peace to nations and many more things. Some people relate this to Jesus. Another point I found interesting is the dove as the symbol of the holy spirit, which is the third person of the trinity. It is the sign of peace between humanity and God, and it refers to Jesus as the new declaration of peace.
These are interesting connections!

Christianity Overview

Christianity- Christianity began in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and recognizes that Jesus was the human form of God for restoring God's power and effect in the world from his teachings, healings and for forgiveness of sins. The Christian belief that Jesus was both God and man led to the basic doctrines of 1. Incarnation (God was present in every aspect of Jesus' life). 2. Christology (the two natures of the present and divine are always present in Jesus). 3.  The Trinity (God is revealed through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). 4. Atonement (Jesus' healings and restorations is done for everyone who has faith in God).

The Early Church- The body of Christ in the second century ended up in Roman Catholicism with strong chains of human authority such as a pope, bishop, priests, monks, nuns etc. Other denominations also tried to retain the model of the body of Christ, with equal parts under one head. Christianity began as a small movement but gradually became the religion of the Roman Empire. 

Divisions- Christianity has many denominations, since Christians have a hard time agreeing on their faith and practices. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed appeared as true statements of belief. The main major divisions that appeared were between Eastern and Western and Orthodox Christians, the Orthodox Christians who reject the claims of the Bishop of Rome. Orthodox Christianity is also made up of Russian Churches, while Western Christianity was divided in the Reformation and Reform churches divide into other denominations (Lutheran, Baptist etc.). 

Christian Life- The involvement of Christian Churches has led to different ways of worship, through various ways of practice and different orders. Schools have been set up and Churches have become centers for music and art. Christians also celebrate other lives of people besides Jesus through prayer and worship, (basic principles for Christian life). Christians also dedicate themselves to bring education and help the poor in order to heal the world.