LECTURE 1- JESUS CHRIST AS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD

HOW SHOULD WE UNDESTAND THE CHURCH AS A

OUTLINE SOCIETY
I Introductory Concepts on Man and Society
II Human Dignity as Inviolable and Inalienable • The human person is an image of God and resembles the
communion of the divine persons in the Trinity, he must
therefore establish himself a community with other persons in
A. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPTS ON MAN AND SOCIETY order to live in a society.

• Society- comes from the Latin word socius (companion or ally), CHURCH
societas (fellowship, association, alliance, union, community) • Comes from the Greek ἐκκλησία, which entered Latin as ecclesia.
o The relationship of men to one another when associated in o Originally meant a gathering or assembly.
any way o It is a compound of:
o An organized association of persons united for the ▪ έk- (Greek preposition) which denotes origin
promotion of some common purpose or object, whether ▪ καλῶ- from καλέω meaning to call
religious, benevolent, literary, scientific, political, convivial, o So that the compound word means a calling out, as to a
or other. meeting.
• The human person by nature is a social being. • The Septuagint used ekklesia to translate the Hebrew word
o They are relational beings, who are free and responsible, qâhâl, meaning a congregation, assembly, company or other
recognizes the necessity of integrating themselves in organized body
cooperation with fellow human beings, and who is capable
of communion with them. OLD TESTAMENT
o They belong to various societies such as family, civil and
religious communities, and are bound together by a • The community of Israel foreshadows the Church.
principle of unity and common good. • Just as God chooses us to be saved as part of the Church, so too
did God call Israel as a nation to be his chosen people as part of
GERHARD LENSKI’S THEORIES OF SOCIOCULTURAL his larger plan of salvation.
EVOLUTION, SOCIAL STRATIFICATION & TECHNOLOGY o God's special relationship with Israel was not just about
Israel: it had a deeper meaning for the rest of the world as
well.
• Gerhard Emmanuel "Gerry" Lenski, Jr. o The prophets proclaimed a future when all nations would
o Technology is defined as 'information about how to use the
gather together with Israel in true worship.
material resources of a given society or culture to meet
o The gathering of all nations into one People of God.
human needs and satisfy human desires.'
o Lenski then viewed that through technology, societies will
evolve, change and survive. NEW TESTAMENT
o When looking at the technology of a society, Lenski • In the NT, the Church designates the community of Christian
focused on information - the amount of information a disciples who gathered at least weekly for common liturgy and
society has and how it uses that information. prayer.
▪ The more information (or knowledge) a society has, the • The word "church" is used 114 times in the NT, but only three
more advanced it will become. times in the Gospels (once in Matt 16:18 and twice in Matt 18:17).
• In the letters attributed to Paul, the word "church" is used 62
TYPES OF SOCIETY times, most often to denote the local Christian community or
HUNTERS AND They are nomadic and rely on readily clusters of communities, or occasionally to refer to the whole
GATHERERS available food and fiber from nature. church in a universal, cosmic sense.
HORTICULTURAL They are semi- sedentary (or semi-
settled. They engage in small-scale SYNAGOGUE
farming and the use of simple hand
tools. • Gk. συναγωγη
o synagoge = "assembly, congregation"; derived from:
PASTORAL They are semi- sedentary, and their
▪ preposition sun = "with, together"
livelihood is dependent upon the
▪ verb ayw = "to lead, gather".
domestication of animals.
AGRICULTURAL They use improved technology like • In the Septuagint (the Old Testament in Greek), it usually refers to
fertilizer and irrigation systems for a local assembly of Jews.
large-scale farming. • The word is used 56 times in the NT, mostly in the Gospels and
INDUSTRIAL People are focused on mechanized Acts, but also in James and Rev
production of goods and services
POST-INDUSTRIAL Focused on a system primarily on TEMPLE/SANCTUARY
the processing and controlling • Gk ιερον
information o hieron = "temple area, holy grounds"; 74x in NT
POSTMODERN A society preoccupied with o designates the totality of the holy space or "temple
consumer goods and media images precincts",
• ναος
o naos = "temple building, sanctuary"; 45x in NT
o "sanctuary building" within the temple area, in which the
deity resides

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 Lecture 3- Concept of Man and Society
o In the NT, "temple" normally refers to the sacred precincts
of Jerusalem.
• Paul uses "Temple of God" as a metaphor for the Christian
community, in that the community is the "sanctuary" where the
Spirit dwells
• As the locus of the abiding presence of the Spirit, the Church
is sometimes described using other architectural or
agricultural images:
o God’s household/house
o God’s field
o God’s vineyard
o Olive tree
COMMUNITY/ COMMUNION
• Gk. Κοινωνια
o koinonia = "placed in common"
o Related to Κοινωνευ ("to share") and κοινωνς or
("partner").
• Koinonia refers to a relationship of fellowship among believers
based on participation in Christ and sharing common life in the
Spirit by way of baptism and the Eucharist.
o In addition, this communion is demonstrated by sharing
goods in common use
• Paul's ministry to support the poor financially in the Jerusalem
church is a sign of this communion
PEOPLE OF GOD
• Gk. λαος του θεου (laos tou theou) - God's Chosen or Elect
• In the OT, the Hebrews are "chosen" by God to belong to him;
thus the descendants of Israel are called the "people of God"
• In the NT, Luke uses the term to identify Israel
o Later, it includes both Israel and the Gentiles
o God reconciles Israel to the nations in common faith in
Jesus.
o Twice, the "People of God" are designated as an εθνος
(ethnos), both times implying the Christian community
SAINTS
• Gk agioi
o hagioi = "holy ones, those set apart"
• In the NT, all Christians are called "saints"
• Paul commonly addresses the Christian community as "saints",
especially the community in Jerusalem
• The Book of Revelation uses the term for Christian martyrs, while
later Christian tradition restricts the term to denote outstanding
Christians publicly recognized for their exemplary lives.
BODY OF CHRIST
• Gk    (soma tou Christou).
o The "Body of Christ" is a prominent Pauline metaphor for
the church, as a community of different members with
different gifts and ministries united in the same Spirit by
baptism and the Eucharist
o Colossians and Ephesians employ the same metaphor, but
add that Christ is the head of the body
THE WAY
• literally "road, path, journey,"
• it sometimes specifically refers to individuals following Jesus;
• it is also used as a group designation for early Christians
BRIDE OF CHRIST
• The Church is the bride of Christ, and just as a husband and wife
are one flesh, so is the Church holy because of the bridegroom.
• This is seen in paragraph 824 of the Catechism which states,
"United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through
him and with him she becomes sanctifying”
CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM / NEW ISRAEL / NEW JERUSALEM
• Traditional Jewish interpretation, and that of most Christian
commentators, define Abraham's descendants as Abraham's
seed only through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, to the
exclusion of Ishmael and Esau.
o This may however reflect an eisegesis or reconstruction of
primary verses based on the later biblical emphasis of
Jacob's descendants.
o The promises given to Abraham happened prior to the birth
of Isaac and were given to all his offspring signified through
the rite of circumcision.
• In the New Testament, the descent and promise is reinterpreted
along religious lines.
o In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul the Apostle draws
attention to the formulation of the promise, avoiding the
term "seeds" in plural (meaning many people), choosing
instead "seed," meaning one person, who, he understands
to be Jesus (and those united with him).
HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND CHURCH IN SOCIETY
ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN
• Saint Ambrose expresses this nicely by presenting the moon as a
metaphor for the Church: MYSTERIUM LUNAE
• "The moon is in fact the Church... [she] shines not with her own
light, but with the light of Christ. She draws her brightness from the
Sun of Justice, and so she can say: 'It is no longer I who live, but
Christ who lives in me".
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
• What is this one bread? Is it not the "one body," formed from many?
Remember: bread doesn't come from a single grain, but from
many. When you received exorcism, you were "ground." When you
were baptized, you were "leavened." When you received the fire of
the Holy Spirit, you were "baked." Be what you see; receive what
you are. This is what Paul is saying about the bread. So too, what
we are to understand about the cup is similar and requires little
explanation. In the visible object of bread, many grains are
gathered into one just as the faithful (so Scripture says) form "a
single heart and mind in God" [Acts 4.32]. And thus it is with the
wine. Remember, friends, how wine is made. Individual grapes
hang together in a bunch, but the juice from them all is mingled to
become a single brew. This is the image chosen by Christ our Lord
to show how, at his own table, the mystery of our unity and peace
is solemnly consecrated. All who fail to keep the bond of peace
after entering this mystery receive not a sacrament that benefits
them, but an indictment that condemns them. (Excerpts from
Sermon 272 of St. Augustine, 408 AD)
• “There must exist in the world space for God, where he can dwell
freely so that the world becomes His ‘Kingdom’. Holiness is
something greater than a moral quality. It is the presence of God
with men, of men with God; it is God's ‘tent’ pitched amongst men
in our midst (cf. Jn 1,14). The Church exists to become God's
dwelling place in the world, to become ‘holiness’”.
HOW DOES THE CHURCH UNDERSTANDS SOCIETY
• A society is a group of persons bound together organically by a
principle of unity that goes beyond each one of them.
o As an assembly that is at once visible and spiritual, a
society endures through time.
o He rightly owes loyalty to the communities of which he is
part and respect to those in authority who have charge of
the common good.
o Society is a requirement of man‘s nature through
exchange, mutual service and dialogue with others.
▪ By this he develops and responds to his vocation – love
for neighbor and love for God.
• God, Who has fatherly concern for everyone, has willed that all
men should constitute one family and treat one another in a spirit
of brotherhood. For having been created in the image of God, Who
"from one man has created the whole human race and made them
live all over the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26), all men are called
to one and the same goal, namely God Himself. GS. 24
• Each community is defined by its purpose and consequently obeys
specific rules; but “the human person . . . is and ought to be the
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 Lecture 3- Concept of Man and Society

principle, the subject and the end of all social institutions.” (CCC
1881)

PRINCIPLES TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE SOCIETY

OR IN FORMING A GROUP OR COMMUNITY

1. SOCIALIZATION
• Expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate with
one another for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed
individual capacities.
• It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of
initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights. (CCC
1882)

2. PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY
• "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal
life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its
functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to
coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always
with a view to the common good." (CCC 1883)

3. COMMON GOOD
• Three essential elements of Common Good
o Respect for the person as such- Fundamental and
inalienable rights of the human person.
o Social well-being and development of the group itself-
Development is the epitome of all social duties.
o Peace- The stability and security of a just order.

• Our laws also support the formation of these organizations:

o 1987 Philippine Constitution Article XIII. Section 23-
The State shall encourage non-governmental, community-
based, or sectoral organizations that promote the welfare
of the nation.
o Civil Code of the Philippines Article 32- The right to
become a member of associations or societies for purposes
not contrary to law;

FAMILY

• Both the Church and the State recognizes the family as the most
important unit of the society.
• The family is the original cell of social life.
• A natural society in which husband and wife are called to give
themselves in love and in the gift of life.
• The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn
moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom.
Family life is an initiation into life in society. (CCC 2207)
• The family must be helped and defended by appropriate social
measures.

ARTICLE XV. THE FAMILY OF THE 1987 PHILIPPINE

CONSTITUTION

• Section 1. The State recognizes the Filipino family as the

foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its
solidarity and actively promote its total development.
• Section 2. Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the
foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State.
o Where families cannot fulfill their responsibilities, other
social bodies have the duty of helping them and of
supporting the institution of the family. Following the
principle of subsidiarity, larger communities should take
care not to usurp the family's prerogatives or interfere in its
life.
o Example: “In response to inquiries on cases of child
abandonment, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) stressed that its primary mandate is
to intervene on behalf of abandoned children to ensure their
welfare and protection. This came at the heels of cases of
children being abandoned in public places…
o "DSWD can take custody of abandoned children,
foundlings."

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