About the unit

This module provides candidates with the opportunity to make an introductory study of two key concepts that are fundamental to religious faith and practice: subjective religious experience and one aspect of objective religious authority, namely the authority and inspiration of sacred writings.

Candidates will need to illustrate and exemplify these concepts with appropriate examples, which may be drawn from the Old or New Testaments or from any of the six major world religions. It is not necessary to provide exemplification from more than one textual or religious tradition, but candidates may refer in their answers to more than one if they wish. Answers to questions on religious experience may draw on insights from the philosophy of religion, though this is not a requirement.

Where the unit fits in

Two areas of study are relevant to the unit, one of sacred writings the other Religious Experience.

Sacred Writings

The nature, purpose and role of The New Testament as a source of authority and inspiration for faith and practice in the Christian tradition. General understanding of different ways of interpreting The New Testament (e.g. literally or symbolically) in the tradition, with some illustrations and examples. The authority and status of scriptures in the tradition in the light of the relevant religious beliefs about the revelation or inspiration of the scriptures. The importance of scriptures for believers in relation to other sources

Religious Experience

What is religious experience? Definitions from theoretical studies. Identification and analysis of different forms of religious experience (including conversion, visions, revelation, mystical experience) and their characteristics; illustrations and examples of each from the New Testament. The importance of religious experience as a source of faith and practice, in relation to the New Testament.

The unit is taught as the first compulsory module of the AS Level course and is taught by two teachers, one teaching Sacred Writings, the other Religious experience.

Expectations

At the end of this unit

most pupil’s will: Select and demonstrate clearly relevant knowledge and understanding through the use of evidence, examples and correct language and terminology appropriate to the course of study. Advanced candidates should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the connections between different elements of their course of study.

some pupils will have progressed further and will: Advanced candidates should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the connections between different elements of their course of study

Prior learning

It is helpful if pupils have:

This Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced specification accommodates the needs of candidates with no prior knowledge of the subject.

However, the opportunity is provided to build on knowledge, understanding and skills gained in Religious Studies at GCSE and in the GCSE Religious Education short course.

Language for learning

Through the activities in this unit pupils will be able to understand, use and spell correctly words relating to the study of:

Words will be added here as we come across them.

Resources

As well as a range of textbooks and published resources, this unit will be enhanced by the use of ancient and modern materials from believers’ sources, including:

Out-of-school learning

Pupils could:

Improve and evaluate note taking and essay technique.

Future learning

Pupils could go on to:

A2 Level

Sacred Writings: The New Testament

• What is the link between the Old Testament and the New?

• What are sacred writings: Look at how religions as well as Christians treat their sacred books.

• Look at an overview of each book of the bible. What does each book teach us? (p38-39 in folder) Brief look at intertestemental period and the Apocrypha.

• Ask question why do Christians see the Old Testament as sacred? Why not just the New? Jesus was a Jew! Find passages in the Bible that show Jesus’ Jewish ness.

• Jesus fulfils Jewish expectation of the messiah. Look at and understand relevant OT passages (i.e. suffering servant in Isaiah; Zechariah)

• Jesus seen as new Moses by Matthew (Link to New Testament aspect of course)

• Basic overview of what the Bible is.

• That the New Testament cannot be understood or researched critically without reference to the Old.

• Where do we see links between the two?

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• What is the Canon

• Look at authority, what is it and why do we need it?

• What is the Canon? Differences between denominational Bibles and why.

• Research topic on the Gospel of Thomas. What was it and why might it not have been included in the original Canon?

• Understanding of why people need authority

• Knowledge of what the Canon is and how it came about.

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• Does the New Testament hold authority?

• Explain how the New Testament came about, why did it take 30 years (Link to Form + Red Crit)

• What is authority? Why do we need it?

• How was the New Testament used by the Early Church (Form Crit)

• Explain how it is used by Christians today (teaching; rebuking; correcting; training; (didache; Kerygma))

• Contrast how the New Testament is seen as Christian scripture compared to other holy books.

• Answer this question: Assess this view

“The Koran is to Muslims what the Guru Gran Sahi’b is to Sikhs and Christ is to Christians.”

• An understanding of Biblical interpretation? To look at the Bible and to understand what it teaches.

• How the New Testament is used by Christians today.

• Knowledge that the most important thing in Christianity is not the New Testament but belief in Christ and Christ crucified.

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• Different approaches to New Testament (literal and symbolic)

• Study of the different types of genre in the New Testament:

Gospels - proclamations of the "good news" about Jesus intended to establish and/or strengthen people’s faith in him; quasi-biographical, semi-historical portraits of the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus (Mark, Matt, Luke, John)
Acts - a partial narrative account about the beginnings and the growth of early Christianity; not a complete history of the early Church, since it focuses only on the actions of a few missionary leaders (Acts)
Letters - real letters addressing practical and theological issues relevant to particular communities (Paul’s)
Church Orders - collections of instructions for the practical organization of religious communities (1 Tim, Titus)
Testament - a document that gives a dying person’s last wishes and instructions for his/her successors (2 Tim)
Homily - a sermon that cites and interprets older biblical texts in reference to Jesus (Heb)
Wisdom Collection - a collection of general instructions on how to live a Christian life well (James)
Epistles - more stylized literary works in letter format, intended for broader audiences (1 & 2 Peter)
Apocalypse - a vividly symbolic narrative that "reveals" God's views about a historical crisis, in order to provide encouragement for a difficult present and hope for a better future (Rev)

• Is the New Testament reliable? Quest for the historical Jesus. Is it 100% true?

• Understanding that the New Testament is not an Historical narrative but a religious one based upon the needs of certain communities.

• Look at where the New Testament becomes historically unreliable (i.e. Crucifixion when was J crucified acc to Syn Fri and John Sat; why? To show in John J being crucified at the same time as the lambs were being slaughtered in the temple. J is the true lamb of God = religious reason not historical.)

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