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EnglandReligious Studies

Christianity: Figures and Texts (Component 1)

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Are the birth and resurrection of Jesus historical events, theological symbols, or both, and how far do the differing scholarly readings affect Christian faith?

Component 1 Jesus, his birth and resurrection: the Gospel and 1 Corinthians 15 accounts, historical versus theological readings, and the views of Vermes, Sanders, Wright and Bultmann.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the birth and resurrection of Jesus. Covers the Matthew and Luke birth narratives, the resurrection accounts in the Gospels and 1 Corinthians 15, the contrast between historical and theological readings, and the views of Vermes, Sanders, Wright and Bultmann that the exam asks you to evaluate.
17 min answer →

Which moral principles shape Christian identity and life, and is love of neighbour the single principle that governs Christian ethics?

Component 1 religious identity through ethical teaching: the key moral principles of Christianity (love of neighbour, agape, forgiveness, sanctity of life, imago Dei) and how they shape Christian identity and conduct.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the moral principles that shape religious identity. Covers love of neighbour and agape, God's love as the model for human behaviour, forgiveness, the sanctity of life, humans made in the image of God (imago Dei), and the tension between grace and law, with the evaluation the exam rewards.
16 min answer →

How does the death of Jesus reconcile humanity to God, and which model of the atonement (ransom, satisfaction, penal substitution or moral exemplar) is most defensible?

Component 1 the atonement: the models of how Christ's death saves (ransom and Christus Victor, satisfaction and penal substitution, moral exemplar), their biblical roots, and their strengths and weaknesses.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the atonement. Covers the models of how Christ's death reconciles humanity to God (ransom and Christus Victor, satisfaction and penal substitution, moral exemplar), their biblical roots, the moral objections to penal substitution, and their strengths and weaknesses, with the evaluation the exam rewards.
16 min answer →

Is the Bible the supreme authority for Christian belief and life, and how do literalist, conservative and liberal Christians differ in the authority they grant it?

Component 1 the Bible as a source of wisdom and authority: models of biblical authority (literalist, conservative, liberal), Scripture and tradition and reason, and the Bible in worship, ethics and decision-making.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the Bible as a source of wisdom and authority. Covers literalist, conservative and liberal models of biblical authority, the relationship between Scripture, tradition and reason, sola scriptura, and how the Bible functions in worship, ethics and personal decision-making, with the evaluation the exam rewards.
16 min answer →

Is the classical Christian picture of God as omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent coherent, and can it survive the challenge of evil and suffering?

Component 1 the nature of God: the attributes (omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, eternity), personal versus impersonal models, and the challenge that evil poses to God's nature.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the nature of God. Covers the divine attributes (omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, eternity, simplicity), the contrast between a personal and an impersonal God, the tension between omniscience and human freedom, and the challenge evil poses to God's nature, with the evaluation the exam rewards.
16 min answer →

Is the doctrine of the Trinity a coherent and biblically grounded account of God, or an incoherent later invention, and why does it matter for Christian worship and life?

Component 1 the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one God in three persons, the biblical roots and creedal development, the heresies it excludes, and its significance for worship.
An Eduqas Component 1 (Christianity) guide to the doctrine of the Trinity. Covers Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one God in three persons, the biblical foundations and creedal development, the heresies (Arianism, modalism) the doctrine excludes, the charge of incoherence, and the significance of the Trinity for worship, with the evaluation the exam rewards.
16 min answer →