FoxChild@Learn
Paper 2B Perspectives on faith (textual studies)
June 2021
Q1.1: Jesus was rejected in his home town. Which one of the following was his
home town?
Put a tick () in the box next to the correct answer. A Nazareth B Bethany C Caesarea Philippi D Jerusalem
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Answer: A Nazareth
Q1.2: Name two of Jesus’ disciples who were present at the Transfiguration.
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Peter (Simon) / James / John
Q1.3: Explain two contrasting beliefs in contemporary British society about the meaning of
Jesus’ words ‘This is my body’ when he gave bread to his disciples at the Last Supper. • You must refer to a Christian belief. • Your contrasting belief may come from Christianity or from another religious or non-religious tradition.
Question 1 continues on the next page
Answer:
similarities and differences within and/or between religions and beliefs First contrasting belief Second contrasting belief Some Christians believe in Transubstantiation / the Real Presence / that the bread actually becomes the Body of Christ / joining in the sacrifice of Calvary / spiritual food, etc. Some Christians believe in Consubstantiation / that the bread is spiritually the body of Jesus yet the bread is still actually only bread / it is a symbol of Jesus’ body / reminds Christians of Jesus’ death / h spiritual presence among followers, etc. Some Christians believe that Jesus’ death was self-sacrifice / Jesus referred to the bread as ‘my bod Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many, etc. Some Christians believe there is no sacrificial aspect / the bread is a symbol of Jesus’ body, etc.
Q1.4: Explain two Christian beliefs about the importance of the resurrection of Jesus.
You must refer to St Mark’s Gospel in your answer.
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Relevant and accurate reference to St Mark’s Gospel – 1 mark It is central to the Christian faith / death is not the end / hope of eternal life / good can overcome evil hope over despair / shows God’s power that he can create such a miracle / shows Jesus was telling the truth when he predicted his death and resurrection / belief that death is not the end brings comfor for the bereaved / hope of seeing our loved ones again / encourages trust in the rest of what Jesus s and did, as what he said about his resurrection came true / gives Christians encouragement to face persecution – that God will reward them in the next life / resurrection life is a present reality for Christians through baptism and other sacraments / the effects on the way in which Christians live – idea of judgement at the end of time, etc. Sources of Authority Mark 8: 31 – Jesus’ first prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection Mark 9: 31 – Jesus’ second prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection Mark 10:33 – Jesus’ third prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection Mark 10: 37 – The request of James and John Mark 14: 62 – The trial before the Jewish authorities Mark 16: 6; 9:20 – The empty tomb and the resurrection appearances NB The focus of this question is on the importance of the Resurrection, so mere narration of the text will receive only limited credit. Accept all other sources of authority that correctly support the beliefs given.
Q1.5: ‘Son of Man is the best title to help 21st century Christians understand the
importance of Jesus.’ Evaluate this statement. In your answer you: • should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement • should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view • should refer to St Mark’s Gospel • may refer to non-religious arguments • should reach a justified conclusion.
Extra space
Q2 Theme E: St Mark’s Gospel as a source of spiritual truth
Answer:
In your answer you: • should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement • should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view and understanding of relevant evidence and information. References to religion applied to the issue. relevant evidence and information. Clear reference to religion. relevant evidence and information.
Arguments in support
It is the title that Jesus preferred for himself / in some Old Testament passages it meant ‘man’ / Son Man simply means ‘I’ / showed Jesus as a human being / with human emotions and feelings / therefo he understands us better and we can relate easier to him / a representative figure / authority to forgiv sins / eg paralysed man / Christians know that if they repent they can be forgiven / authority over religious practices / eg working and eating on the Sabbath / he was a supernatural figure / he will jud at the second coming / the Old Testament book of Daniel refers to the Son of Man coming back in judgement at the end of time / Mark’s Gospel contains the same picture eg at his trial before the Sanhedrin Jesus stated ‘you will see the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven and seated a God’s right hand side’ / it is therefore very important to live a good Christian life / in the Old Testamen book of Isaiah Son of Man is linked with the suffering servant / Jesus came to serve / and give his life as a ‘ransom’ for many / he showed his humility when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey / example for Christians to put others first / he has power to heal and save – his power and authority came from God / Christians know that they can ask for his help in times of need and that he has the power to he / ambiguity means Jesus cannot be put in a ‘box’ / Christians know that Jesus is there for everyone,
Arguments in support of other views
Some Christians find it hard to relate to a Jewish title which is so tied to the Old Testament / Son of Man is too ambiguous and requires an understanding of Old Testament thinking / Messiah and Son o David also show Jesus’ Jewish roots and have political connotations relating to kingship and liberatio through revolution / status and power are important to people nowadays, and this title might encoura them to think of Jesus as a worldly king which was not how Jesus saw himself / many Christians thin Son of God states clearly what Christianity teaches / it is not vague, has no political links and is not ti to a particular culture / it shows the closeness of Jesus’ relationship with God / and his power to heal and save / however it can be off putting for some Christians as they prefer the more personal figure t whom they can be close / all the titles help to give a more detailed insight into the person of Jesus, e Q2 Theme E: St Mark’s Gospel as a source of spiritual truth
Q2.1: Which one of the following did Jesus say to his disciples when they asked why they
could not cast out the evil spirit from the epileptic (demon-possessed) boy?
Put a tick () in the box next to the correct answer. A This kind can come out only through a miracle. B This kind can come out only through a blessing. C This kind can come out only through prayer. D This kind can come out only through anointing.
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Answer: C This kind can come out only through prayer.
Q2.2: Give two things that Jesus said to the disciples when they tried to stop people
bringing little children to him.
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Let the little children come to me / do not hinder them / for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these / Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never en
Q2.3: Explain two contrasting views in contemporary British society about the healing of the
woman with a haemorrhage. • You must refer to a Christian view. • Your contrasting view may come from Christianity or from another religious or non-religious tradition.
Question 2 continues on the next page
Answer:
similarities and differences within and/or between religions and beliefs First contrasting view Second contrasting view If similar views are given, only one of them may be credited up to 2 marks. The woman was cured by her faith in Jesus / the woman had such faith that if she just touched Jesus clothes she would be healed / she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak / immediately she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint / Jesus said her faith had made h well and to go in peace, etc. The woman was healed by the power of God / as God’s Son Jesus had inside himself the power to heal people / this cure was instant / Mark tells us that the strength of the power leaving Jesus was so great that he asked who touched him, etc. A non-religious view would be that the story never happened / such a cure was all in the woman’s mi / the story is unreliable / this was not a natural event / and not a miracle / there could be a natural cause for the bleeding to have stopped coincidentally / it was a creation by the Early Church to illustrate the importance of faith, etc.
Q2.4: Explain two teachings about the Kingdom of God found in the parable of the
Growing Seed. You must refer to St Mark’s Gospel in your answer.
Answer:
beliefs, practices and sources of authority Relevant and accurate reference to St Mark’s Gospel – 1 mark The Kingdom of God continues to grow / it may not be very visible but its growth is inevitable / the seed grows no matter what the man does / the growth of God’s Kingdom will be gradual – in stage
- slowly but surely it will develop / the Kingdom of God grows by the grace of God / no one knows how God’s Kingdom grows in a person’s heart – you cannot buy it or demand it / it is a gift from G called grace / it is a mystery / ‘someone’ sows the seed, God provides the increase / the Kingdom God will grow to the end of time when God will gather the harvest / in the Old Testament the harve is a metaphor for judgement [eg Joel 3:13], etc.
Sources of authority
The Parable of the growing seed – Mark 4 :26-29 26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” NB The focus of this question is on teachings about the Kingdom of God contained in the parable so mere narration of the text will receive only limited credit. NB Marks should be salvaged in relation to teachings about the Kingdom of God which are in common with the Parable of the Sower. Accept all other sources of authority that correctly support the beliefs given.
Q2.5: ‘The example of the widow at the treasury shows that all Christians should be poor.’
Evaluate this statement. In your answer you: • should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement • should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view • should refer to St Mark’s Gospel • may refer to non-religious arguments • should reach a justified conclusion.
Extra space
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Answer:
In your answer you: • should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement • should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view and understanding of relevant evidence and information. References to religion applied to the issue. relevant evidence and information. Clear reference to religion. relevant evidence and information.
Arguments in support
The widow gave all she had so Christians should follow her example / Jesus praised her sacrifice as she had nothing left / he was critical of the rich men who only gave a little of their wealth / Jesus recognised that the rich people could afford what they gave / whereas the widow could not afford her donation / this showed that the woman was prepared to make the greater sacrifice / it is in line with Jesus’ advice to the rich man to sell everything he had in order to gain eternal life / he warned his disciples of the spiritual dangers of wealth / Pope Francis taught that he wanted ‘a poor Church, for t
Arguments in support of other views
Jesus’ teaching in this story is about the nature of generosity / it is not the amount you give but the proportion of your wealth / and the level of sacrifice that is important / the widow gave a small amoun which people would have looked down upon but Jesus praised the woman for her sacrifice and generous spirit as she had nothing left / he was not praising her for her poverty / it is not about taking the story literally / but seeing it as about motive/intention behind giving / if all Christians were poor the would be a burden to others / it would be irresponsible and neglectful to give away everything as people have family commitments / we live in an economy which is based on possessions / it is not wrong in itself to have money / it depends on how it is used / some wealthy people give away a lot of their wealth to help the rest of society / Christians support programmes that try to eradicate poverty, encourage it / many Christians today give generously to charities eg Trocaire, Cafod, etc.