REL 126 Religions of the West
Review for Exams III and IV

Christianity (Exam III)

Hellenization
Gnosticism, Gnostic
The Mysterion
The Logos
Messiah/Christos
Grace
Jesus of Nazareth
The "Kingdom"
Euangelion
Gospel
The Synoptic Tradition/Hypothesis
The "Q" Source
Mark
Matthew
Luke
John
The Acts of the Apostles
The Epistles
The Apocalypse of John (The Book of Revelations)
Paul
Gentile
Ekklesia
Incarnation
Atonement
Trinity
Sacrament
Orthodoxy/Heresy
Medieval Pilgrimage Church
Relics
Basilica
Romanesque Architecture
Memento Mori
Monasticism
Benedictine Order/Rule of St, Benedict
Augustine (influenced by Plato)
Thomas Aquinas (influenced by Aristotle)
The Faith-Reason Controversy
"Proofs" of the Existence of God (Anselm, Aquinas)
Martin Luther/Protestant Reformation

The three primary divisions of the Christian church:

• Roman Catholicism
• Eastern Orthodoxy
• Protestantism

Islam (Exam IV)

Islam
Pan Islam
Orthodoxy / orthopraxy
SLM
Jinn
Muhammed
Allah
Kaaba (Kaba)
Quraish
Qur'an / Koran
Hadith
The Five Pillars of Faith:
    Confession
    Prayer
    Charity
    Fasting
    Pilgrimage
Ramadan
Medina / Yathrib
Sunni
Shi'a (Shi'ite)
Sufi/Sufism
Imam
Jihad
Shirk
Sharia
Umma
Masjid / Mosque
Minaret
Mihrab
Muezzin
Orientalism

New Religious Movements (Exam IV)

Cult (from Latin cultus), literal and pejorative meanings

General characteristics of NRMs

-Countercultural/separatist
-Responses to conditions of "modernism"
-Charismatic/authoritarian leadership

Categories of Western NRMs

-Apocalyptic/millenarian (examples?)
-Eastern/Asian influenced (examples?)
-"Scientific" (examples?)
-Natural/pagan (examples?)

Essay Question Pool

Exam III questions:

1. Why is the table such a central image in Jesus' ministry as reported in the gospels and in Christian ritual enactment?  Both then and now, what does the table represent?

2. Explain the "Synoptic Hypothesis."  What texts are included in this model and what is not included?  Why is one of the gospels not a part of this hypothesis?  In your answer, provide some indication as to the intended audience of each gospel.

3. Explain how the Christian theologians Anselm and Thomas Aquinas are both medieval reflections of the classical Greek philosophy of Plato and/or Aristotle.  Give some examples from Anselm's and Aquinas' respective "proofs" of the existence of God that illustrate these similarities.

4. If you had to explain Christian Protestantism to someone, how would you go about it?  What are its characteristics?  Beyond the theological, how has Protestantism also influenced social, political, economic and psychological perspectives that continue to be components of our cultural landscape?

Exam IV questions:

1. Islam differs from many other religious traditions in that it does not have a central authority or universal consensus as to how its practices are to be specifically carried out.   Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of this reality.  Is it restrictive as to what one can or cannot do, or it it liberating?  How can both sectarian diversity and even scriptural ambiguity be embraced as a positive thing?  Support your response with some examples that we have looked at in class.

2. Explain why it is important to understand the Qur'an as a "recitation."  How does the concept of recitation relate to the nature of its language, the history of its creation, and the manner in which the Qur'an is utilized by its followers?

3. When Islam is described as the "final revelation," what does this imply about previous revelations from God?  Is Islam simply disregarding any and/or all of the previous teachings of Judaism and Christianity?  What does the Qur'an say about them?  If all of these paths are grounded in the same "Abrahamic root," what is Islam declaring about the overall nature of these Abrahamic traditions?

4. Outline and discuss the theme and content of the video presentation "Jerusalem Stories."  Based on the presentation, what is your assessment of the issues that exist in Jerusalem?  In what way(s) is religion appropriated for political ends?  Did you see this as a reasonable and balanced assessment of the conflicts between the three major Abrahamic traditions?  Did any particular part of the story stand out for you as significant?

(Disregard this question for Spring 2008) Discuss some of the causes of, or premises for, the late twentieth century interest in "Alternative Religious Movements."  In what ways has traditional or mainstream Western religion "come up short" for adherents and followers of ARMs?  In the video that we watched in class, what sorts of needs or interests were behind this movement?  According to this video, what kinds of new (i.e., late 20th c.) scientific discoveries and re-evaluations of the physical nature of the universe have had an intrinsic effect on the spiritual consciousness?  Why?

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