Handing on Christ’s Revelation: The Foundational Role of the Twelve Apostles (By Carolyn Leatherman, Theology Instructor)

For students in Theology I, a central focus of study this semester is a foundational topic in Christianity: Revelation. Christianity is based on God’s revelation. The word “revelation” (‘apokalypsis’ in Greek, which literally means ‘unveiling’) was first used by the earliest Christians to describe the process of God revealing himself to mankind throughout human history. Put simply, revelation is the idea that out of love, God has sought us out and revealed himself and the truth, and has taught us how to live life in a way that leads to the happiness we are created for.

This invitation to authentic happiness lies at the heart of accurately understanding the Christian concept of Revelation. In the Person of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Father fully revealed himself and his plan of love to the world. This is why Jesus says “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). But Jesus lived some 2,000 years ago; how can we today know with certainty all that Jesus did and taught? How does Christ’s revelation reach us today, and how can we know it is true? These are a few of the essential questions students are asking and seeking the answers to in the current unit of study.  Key to discovering the answers is understanding the foundational role that the Twelve Apostles played in the earliest years of Christianity and the handing on of Christ’s revelation to the successive generations of Christians through the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.

To help make this history of the early Church come alive, students have been watching the first three episodes of "AD Kingdom" and "Empire," a miniseries (available on Netflix) based on the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Watching these episodes that depict the events from Jesus’ passion through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost has sparked class discussion and guided our further study of the process of how God’s revelation has been handed on throughout history in the Church. In order to invite students to consider the personal invitation to abundant life that Jesus extends to each person through his revelation, we will end this unit by considering Pope Saint John Paul II’s words on revelation in his encyclical Fides et Ratio:

“History therefore becomes the arena where we see what God does for humanity. God comes to us...in the Incarnation of the Son of God...God takes on a human face. The truth communicated in Christ’s Revelation is...no longer confined to a particular place or culture, but is offered to every man and woman who would welcome it as the word which is the absolutely valid source of meaning for human life.”
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