Religious Education 1
INITIUM FIDEI: AN INTRODUCTION TO DOING CATHOLIC THEOLOGY
Notes for FINALS
Myth - A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining
some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
A myth is a story that sets up a world.
Often, myths are disregarded because they are found to be “unscientific” and not “historical,”
and immediately discredited by people.
It is just a MYTH!
Myth expresses the origin, foundation and destiny of the universe and humanity.
Christians also have myths, as represented in the Creation stories in Genesis, or the Incarnation
in the Gospels.
Christian myth is different from mythology. The Christian myth is not like the myths of other
religions, both past and present.
Religions contain not unadulterated, raw myths but broken myths, myths that have passed
through a process of deconstruction and have become infused with prophetic ethical vision and
with something of a metaphysical worldview [. . .] It is the symbolic, the mythic that gives
particular, ‘one off’ historical events that capacity to be of universal relevance. There are no
uninterpreted events. Myth may provide the interpretation, the vehicle that gives universal
timeless significance to an historical event.
For those who believe in the Babylonian myth and other examples in ancient mythology, their
view of the world and of the gods is rather bleak, with humans simply becoming pawns and tools
of the gods.
If a person believes in the Christian myth, their vision is charged with meaning and purpose.
Their lives are colored and tinted with a different kind of reality. Their story becomes part of a
story greater than themselves.
Mythology has been discarded in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Mythological thinking- the beings of Myth lord it over men.
In the Old Testament the world of mythology exchanged for a world of freedom.
Man is a partner of bond of love and kinship, while God is the Lord of History.
To accept a myth is to accept that it is expressing a fundamental truth about the world.
In our faith, the function of myth is not to explain the scientific mechanics of HOW the world
was created, but it answers the fundamental truth of WHY the world was created.
Myth, therefore, has a different purpose,
and to grasp its truth, you must use a different method of interpretation.
Each of the creation stories were actually written by two different sets of writers, and as
such, these myths reflect the situation and questions of the people who wrote them.
The Genesis Creation Myths
Each of the creation stories were actually written by two different sets of writers, and as
such, these myths reflect the situation and questions of the people who wrote them.
The First Creation Story
Genesis 1:1–2:4a
CHAOS
Priestly Tradition (P, sixth-fifth centuries BCE), during the Babylonian exile
The historical context of the Priestly account of creation is the Babylonian exile in the sixth
century B.C.
The exile was a devastating experience for Israel politically and theologically.
Those who survived the trauma reasserted their belief in God’s power over chaos. They did this
by developing their own creation narrative.
Kosmos - Greek word which means
“a beautifully ordered and harmonious system”
The response of God to the formless world is to bring order to it.
What was once chaos will be given order.
CHAOS TO KOSMOS
This shows the special care and concern God had put into the entirety of creation. What was
once chaotic and formless is now a beautifully ordered world.
ANTHROPOS
Ending the creation story with the creation of human beings is very anthropocentric - a belief that
the created order was created for the human.
Many have used the Genesis narrative as a “prooftext” for the legitimization of the wanton abuse
of the environment.
“Great harm has been done by using the Bible as a source of ‘proof-texts’ to support theological
doctrines. The Bible should be studies not to support our belief system but to determine it.
THEOS
God marked everything as good before finally resting.
It is a reminder that at the end of it all, the final source, foundation and direction of creation is
still God.
This is a movement from anthropos to theos.
God is the center of creation, not human beings.
SUMMARY OF THE FIRST CREATION STORY
The first creation story is an intricate movement from chaos, to kosmos, to anthropos, and
finally, to theos.
It is a beautiful representation of the intentionality of creation, of God putting order where chaos
is, and accompanying humanity in its dwelling here in created reality.
SECOND CREATION STORY
The Second Creation Story
Genesis 2:4b–25.
From the Yahwist Tradition, produced during the time of the Davidic monarchy.
Reflects the concerns of the united kingdom of David and his successor, Solomon (ca. 1010-930
B.C.)
The Yahwist tradition reveals biblical Israel’s appropriation of a royal ideology and its
development as a national identity
The era of the Davidic dynasty was often called the “Golden Age of Israel” primarily because of
the prosperity of the Israelite nation during this period, on the surface.
Hungry, poor and dying of overwork, Israel groaned under the rule of the Davidic dynasty.
In the face of the vast injustice faced during the time of David, Solomon and their sons, the
general Israelite populace began to question God.
Why does God allow injustice to occur?
Does God side with the corrupt and the unjust?
Is God the source of evil and injustice?
These are the questions that the Yahwist tradition sought to answer through their writing.
The Yahwist (J, tenth-ninth centuries BCE) account is an etiology- a story rich in symbolism that
attempts to locate and give expression to the causes of the present condition of the people.
This etiology encompasses both the experience of goodness and intimate relatedness with God,
the benevolent Gardener, and the contrasting experience of sin and estrangement from that God.”
This etiology attempted to highlight that the source of evil and sin is not God, but humans who
have abused the gift of freedom by God.
Therefore, in terms of this narrative’s focus, “this tradition tells of the creation of humankind and
the crisis of alienation.”
The human being, the Hebrew ADAM in Hebrew adamah , means is made from the
soil/ground/earth.
The similarity in wording highlights the intimate relationship between the man and the earth.
“The immediate emphasis falls on the earthiness of the person.
“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for
it” (Genesis 2:15).
1. The human being is created in order to participate in the creative process.
Every human being must work on something, and thus, all human beings have a created purpose.
2. Human as a co-creator is in the naming of the animals
“So the Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and
he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of
them would be its name.”
Human as a co-creator is in the naming of the animals.
Responsibility and accountability for creation has been given to man.
DISCIPLESHIP
DISCIPLE
is a dedicated follower of Jesus, who actively imitate the life and teaching of the Master.
Formation of Discipleship of Jesus
The formation of discipleship under Jesus Christ is a profound and structured process that
unfolded over approximately three and a half years during His public ministry. This process can
be understood through various phases that highlight how Jesus developed His followers from
initial curiosity to active leaders in the early Church.
Phases of Jesus' Discipleship
1. Come and See Phase:
This initial phase began with Jesus' baptism and included early interactions with His first
followers. During this time, potential disciples observed Jesus' teachings and miracles, fostering
a relationship based on curiosity and wonder (John 1:39–4:46) 1. This phase was crucial for
establishing trust and interest.
2. Come and Follow Me Phase:
Transitioning from observation to active participation, Jesus invited His followers to leave their
previous lives behind and follow Him (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:16–18). This phase marked a
deeper commitment where disciples began to learn directly from Jesus, witnessing His ministry
firsthand while developing their understanding of His teachings.
3. The Training Phase:
As disciples followed Him, they entered a period of training where they were not only taught but
also engaged in ministry alongside Jesus. This apprenticeship model emphasized practical
involvement, allowing disciples to experience the realities of ministry and the challenges of
living out their faith.
4. The Commissioning Phase:
After a period of intensive training, Jesus commissioned His disciples to spread the Gospel. This
included sending them out in pairs to preach and heal (Luke 10) 3. The commissioning was a
significant transition from being learners to becoming active participants in the mission of
spreading the Kingdom of God.
5. The Post-Resurrection Phase:
Following His resurrection, Jesus further deepened the disciples' understanding and commitment
through appearances and teachings, culminating in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Here, He charged them with making disciples of all nations, emphasizing the ongoing nature of
their mission.
Characteristics of Discipleship
Discipleship in the context of Jesus was not merely about acquiring knowledge; it involved a
holistic transformation where followers imitated both His life and teachings. The ancient model
of discipleship emphasized apprenticeship, where disciples learned through living with their
teacher rather than through formal education 23.
a. Imitation: Disciples were expected to emulate Jesus' character and actions, embodying His
teachings in their daily lives.
b. Community: The relational aspect was vital; disciples formed a community that supported
each other in faith and practice.
c. Mission: Discipleship was inherently missional, aimed at spreading the message of Christ
beyond their immediate circle.
