Key term
CCEA A-Level Religious Studies 4610
An Introduction to the Gospel of LukeAS unit
Topic overviewPalestine at the time of JesusThe Pharisees and the SadduceesThe authorship, date and characteristics of Luke's GospelThe purposes of the Gospel and Luke-Acts as a Christian apologyThe historical accuracy and reliability of Luke's GospelThe annunciations and the births of John and JesusThe shepherds, the Presentation and the boy Jesus in the TempleThe baptism and temptation of JesusThe rejection at Nazareth and controversy with the religious authoritiesThe meaning, purpose and interpretation of parablesThe parables of mercyThe parables of the KingdomThe meaning, purpose and credibility of miraclesHealing, raising and nature miracles in LukeThe call to discipleship, mission and its demandsTeaching to the disciples and the role of PeterSalvation History and the relevance of the Gospel today
An Introduction to the Acts of the ApostlesAS unit
Topic overviewThe authorship of Acts and the 'we' passagesThe date of Acts and challenges to its authorship and accuracyThe purpose, characteristics and context of ActsThe Ascension and the Day of PentecostPeter's speech at Pentecost and the reaction to itThe early church as a fellowship of believersDiscipline in the church and the role of miracles in the spread of the GospelPeter and John: teaching, miracles and oppositionThe seven helpers, Stephen's speech and martyrdomPhilip the evangelist and the mission to SamariaPeter, Cornelius and the mission to the GentilesPeter's escape from prison and the Jerusalem church under HerodPaul's conversion and the three missionary journeysPaul's speeches at Pisidian Antioch and at AthensMission, witness and religious experience in any age
An Introduction to Themes in the Old TestamentAS unit
Topic overviewCovenant: the concept, the Noahic and Abrahamic covenantsThe Mosaic covenant and the DecalogueCovenant failure and the call of IsaiahThe rib: the covenant lawsuit as a literary devicePost-exilic exclusion: Ezra and NehemiahElection, inclusion and the reign of GodThe rise and reign of DavidThe Davidic covenant and Deuteronomistic kingshipThe purpose of the Davidic narrativesThe monarchy, the role of the king and royal propagandaElijah, Elisha and the challenge to royal powerTrue and false prophecyAmos: call, visions and the nature of GodAmos, social justice and the Day of the LordHuman experience: exclusivity, leadership and the prophetic voice
The Origins and Development of the Early Christian Church to AD 325AS unit
Topic overviewThe growth of the early church: religious and political factorsMartyrdom and the martyr accounts: Polycarp, Justin and BlandinaThe causes and effects of persecutionPersecution under Nero and DomitianTrajan, Pliny's letter and Marcus AureliusThe later persecutions: Decius and DiocletianThe origins of baptism in the New TestamentThe development of baptism from the Didache to CyprianThe origins of the Eucharist in the New TestamentThe development of the Eucharist from the Didache to CyprianThe Apostolic Fathers and the life of IgnatiusThe letters of Ignatius and their key themesThe apologists and Justin MartyrConstantine's rise to power and his conversionConstantine's religious policy and the duality of his motives
The Celtic Church in Ireland in the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh CenturiesAS unit
Topic overviewIreland before Christianity: politics, society and religionChristianity before Patrick, and the mission of PalladiusPatrick's ConfessioPatrick's Letter to CoroticusPatrick's mission and the portrait his writings giveThe origins of monasticism in IrelandThe monastic foundersThe nature, appeal and distinctive features of Celtic monasticismMonasticism in church and society, and the shift from bishops to abbotsThe development of Celtic penitential practiceThe penitentials of Finnian, Columbanus and CummeanThe impact and value of the penitentialsCeltic hagiography: Muirchú's Patrick and Cogitosus' BrigitThe purpose, reliability and devotional value of hagiographyHuman experience: faith, asceticism, sin and the example of the saints
An Introduction to IslamAS unit
Topic overviewArabia before Islam and the early life of MuhammadThe call to prophethood and the Night of PowerPreaching and persecution in MeccaThe Hijra and the community at MedinaConflict with Mecca and the return to the cityThe death of Muhammad and his continuing significanceThe revelation, collection and compilation of the Qur'anThe structure, language and devotional use of the Qur'anSunnah, hadith and the sources of Islamic authoritySharia, the law schools and systems of governmentShahada, Zakat and the meaning of the pillarsSawm, Ramadan and Eid-ul-FitrHajj and Eid-ul-AdhaSalat, Friday prayer and worship as ibadahThe mosque and its place in Muslim life
Foundations of Ethics with Special Reference to Issues in Medical EthicsAS unit
Topic overviewThe Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount and the role of moral commandsNarrative ethics, moral absolutes and faith in the public squareNatural moral law: origins and historical developmentNatural moral law: the precepts, key features and proportionalismBentham, Mill and classical utilitarianismSinger, preference utilitarianism and Christian utilitarianismSituation ethics: origins and the moral teaching of Jesus and PaulFletcher's principles, agape and the link with utilitarianismAbortion: circumstances, the moral status of the unborn and personhoodAbortion: the rights of the woman, and religious, secular and feminist viewsTherapeutic abortion, double effect and the slippery slopeEuthanasia: types, autonomy and the acts and omissions doctrineEuthanasia: sanctity of life, quality of life, assisted dying and trustInfertility, IVF, surrogacy and the status of the embryoPGD, embryo research, mitochondrial donation and the HFEA
An Introduction to the Philosophy of ReligionAS unit
Topic overviewReason and faith in the philosophy of religionThe ontological argument: Anselm and DescartesCritiques of the ontological argumentThe cosmological argument: Aquinas's three waysCritiques of the cosmological argumentMoral and natural evil and the problem of sufferingThe Augustinian theodicyThe Irenaean theodicy and Hick's modificationProcess theodicy, Swinburne and the free will defenceDefining miracle: Aquinas, Hume and the BibleMiracle as coincidence and interpretationThe variety of religious experienceReligious experience as proof for God's existenceReason, faith and secularisation in the modern worldEvil, conversion and moral behaviour in the life of the believer
Themes in the Synoptic GospelsA2 unit
Topic overviewThe Synoptic Problem and the relationship between the first three gospelsSource criticism and the sources of the synoptic traditionBiblical criticism, narrative criticism and the contribution of scholarshipChristological titles: Son of Man and Son of GodThe ethics of Jesus: compassion towards enemies and sinnersThe command to love and the treatment of the poorWealth and poverty in the teaching of JesusThe Passion Narratives: theology and critical comparisonThe empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearancesResuscitation or resurrection: contemporary theological critiqueThe interpretation of religious texts and the problem of sufferingLeadership in society and faith communities
Themes in Selected Letters of St PaulA2 unit
Topic overviewGalatians: context, audience and the crisis in GalatiaJustification by faith and the purpose of the Law (Galatians 3:1–5:6)Life in the Spirit, Christian freedom and codes for living (Galatians 5:7–6:10)Corinth: the city, the church and the problems Paul facedUnity and the wisdom of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:1–4:21)Church discipline and sexual ethics (1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 6:12–20)Marriage, celibacy and food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 7:1–8:13, 10:14–11:1)Church life, worship and spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 11:2–14:40, 16:1–4)Ephesians: background, authorship and Paul as pastor and theologianGod's plan of salvation in Christ (Ephesians 1:1–3:21)Living the Christian life and the armour of God (Ephesians 4:1–6:18)Controversy, division and reconciliation
Themes in the Old TestamentA2 unit
Topic overviewThe compassionate God: creedal statements and self-revelationThe compassionate God traced through the Old TestamentThe widow, the orphan and the foreignerGod as warrior: the exodus and the wars of conquestHerem, the conquest narrative and the AmalekitesThe divine warrior in the prophets and the problem of divine violenceJeremiah's call and public proclamationThe Temple sermon, the broken covenant and the new covenantJeremiah's confessions and the form of the lamentEzekiel before the fall of JerusalemEzekiel after the fall: individual responsibility and future hopeLeadership, religious texts and the theme of sin
Themes in the Early Church and the Church TodayA2 unit
Topic overviewChurch government in the New TestamentFrom charism to office: church government in the Apostolic Fathers, Irenaeus, Tertullian and CyprianThe Bishop of Rome and the threefold ministryGnosticism and the Gnostic challengeMarcionism and MontanismThe church's threefold defence: rule of faith, canon and successionIrenaeus and his polemic against heresyTertullian: life, writings and MontanismCyprian: unity, the lapsed and baptismReligious leadership, organisational models and secularisation todayC S Lewis, Alister McGrath and Karl RahnerReligion, the state and the resolution of conflict
Themes in the Celtic Church, Reformation and Post-Reformation ChurchA2 unit
Topic overviewThe Paschal Controversy and the road to WhitbyThe Synod of Whitby and the Roman-Celtic disputePatrick and the authority of ArmaghThe Peregrini and the ideal of exile for ChristIrish missionaries in Northern Britain and EuropeColumbanus: his Rule, controversies and writingsThe Reformation and Counter Reformation: authority and church orderVatican II: aggiornamento, collegiality and authorityMissionary outreach in the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesMission, secularisation and modern atheismReligion and the stateReligion, moral witness and the resolving of conflict
Islam in a Contemporary ContextA2 unit
Topic overviewTawhid, the attributes of God and the sin of shirkGod as creator and sustainer, and the angelsProphets and messengers: Ibrahim, Isa and MuhammadThe holy books before the Qur'anAkhirah: the Day of Judgement, heaven and hellAl-Qadr: predestination and the will of GodSuccession and the Caliphate: the roots of the Sunni-Shi'a divisionShi'a Islam: the Imams, the Mahdi and MuharramMarriage, family and the status of womenRespect for life: abortion, euthanasia, suicide and assisted conceptionJustice, law and punishmentOrthodoxy, freedom of belief and religion in resolving conflict
Global EthicsA2 unit
Topic overviewAristotle and the origins of virtue ethicsModern virtue ethics and the challenge of ethical relativismFree will, compatibilism and incompatibilismDeterminism, causation and moral responsibilityThe evolution of human rights: Hobbes, Locke, Paine and BenthamThe UDHR, cultural and religious critiques, and animal rightsSexual identity, same sex relationships, marriage and parenthoodThe rights of women, contraception and feminist viewsJust War: jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus post bellumNon-combatant immunity, weapons of mass destruction and pacifismThe purpose of punishment and religious perspectivesCapital punishment, diminished responsibility, compassion and mercyConscience, moral duty and the prisoner of conscienceThe role of the state, the common good and religious tolerance
Themes in the Philosophy of ReligionA2 unit
Topic overviewEquivocal, univocal and analogical languageLogical Positivism and the Verification PrincipleFalsification, language games and religious meaningReligious truth and the challenge of scienceEvolution, creationism and intelligent designDualism, Plato and the soulMaterialism and theories of mindPersonal identity and life after deathReligion and morality: the Euthyphro dilemmaMoral arguments for God's existence and their criticsFaith, freedom and atheismReligion as alienation, and humanism
An Introduction to Islam
- 15 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- AS
- Two AS units chosen from eight
What An Introduction to Islam covers
An Introduction to Islam is examined in AS 6, one of the two AS units chosen — area of study: Systematic Study of One Religion. Worth 20% of the A level. A student may not take two units from the same area of study.. It covers Arabia before Islam and the early life of Muhammad, the call to prophethood and the Night of Power, preaching and persecution in Mecca, the Hijra and the community at Medina, conflict with Mecca and the return to the city, the death of Muhammad and his continuing significance, the revelation, collection and compilation of the Qur'an, the structure, language and devotional use of the Qur'an, sunnah, hadith and the sources of Islamic authority, sharia, the law schools and systems of government, Shahada, Zakat and the meaning of the pillars, sawm, Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha, salat, Friday prayer and worship as ibadah and the mosque and its place in Muslim life.
Where it is assessed
AS
One of the two AS units chosen, from four areas of study.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 15 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Arabia before Islam and the early life of MuhammadWhat Muslims mean by the Jahiliyyah, religious situation in Mecca before Islam and three deities worshipped in Mecca before Islam.Open →
- The call to prophethood and the Night of PowerNight on which the first revelation came and which words of the Qur'an were revealed first.Open →
- Preaching and persecution in MeccaFour of the earliest Muslims, boycott of the Banu Hashim and year of Sorrow.Open →
- The Hijra and the community at MedinaTerm Hijra, pledges of al-Aqabah and name by which Yathrib came to be known.Open →
- Conflict with Mecca and the return to the cityBattle of Badr, what went wrong for the Muslims at Uhud and battle of the Trench.Open →
- The death of Muhammad and his continuing significanceFour things Muhammad taught in the Final Sermon and uswa hasana.Open →
- The revelation, collection and compilation of the Qur'anPreserved Tablet and annual review of the Qur'an.Open →
- The structure, language and devotional use of the Qur'anHow the Qur'an is divided, al-Fatihah and the place it holds in Muslim worship and longest and the shortest surahs.Open →
- Sunnah, hadith and the sources of Islamic authorityTwo parts of a hadith, grades into which hadith are classified and principal Sunni hadith collections.Open →
- Sharia, the law schools and systems of governmentSharia and distinguish it from fiqh, five categories into which actions are classified and maqasid al-shari'ah.Open →
- Shahada, Zakat and the meaning of the pillarsFive Pillars of Islam, words of the Shahada and their meaning and tawhid and shirk.Open →
- Sawm, Ramadan and Eid-ul-FitrSawm and state when it is obligatory, two meals that frame the fasting day and tarawih prayers.Open →
- Hajj and Eid-ul-AdhaForbidden to a pilgrim in ihram, sa'i and state what it recalls and stoning of the Jamarat.Open →
- Salat, Friday prayer and worship as ibadahFive daily prayers and their times, actions of one rak'ah and adhan and the iqamah.Open →
- The mosque and its place in Muslim lifeMeaning of the word masjid, first mosque like and prayer hall.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Describe the religious situation in Mecca before Islam.
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What took place in the cave on Mount Hira?
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How is the experience of receiving revelation described in the tradition?
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Why did the Quraysh find the message threatening?
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How is the fate of the Banu Qurayzah assessed?
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State the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
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Why did the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah dismay many of the Muslims, and how is it now assessed?
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State four things Muhammad taught in the Final Sermon.
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How did Abu Bakr steady the community at Muhammad's death?
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Why does the Shahada name Muhammad alongside God?
Who and when
What did Uthman do about the Qur'an, and why?
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Why do Muslims say the Qur'an cannot be translated?
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Define tajwid and hifz.
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How is respect for the Qur'an shown in daily life?
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Define sunnah.
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Distinguish hadith from sunnah.
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Name the grades into which hadith are classified.
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Define sharia and distinguish it from fiqh.
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Where does each Sunni school predominate?
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Do the differences between the schools amount to division?
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Define tawhid and shirk.
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State the rate of zakat and explain the nisab.
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Explain the place of niyyah in Muslim practice.
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Who is obliged to perform Hajj?
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Define ihram.
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What does Hajj mean to those who make it?
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Describe wudu.
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Describe the actions of one rak'ah.
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What are the adhan and the iqamah?
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Why are washing facilities part of the mosque building?
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What does regular religious duty do for a believer?
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What challenges does a Muslim face in keeping the obligations in a secular society?
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Define the term Hijra.
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Why is Ramadan the month chosen for the fast?
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Summarise the content of the earliest preaching in Mecca.
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Why did people of Yathrib invite Muhammad to their city?
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Over what period was the Qur'an revealed?
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Name the two meals that frame the fasting day.
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Name three deities worshipped in Mecca before Islam.
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Name the night on which the first revelation came.
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Name four of the earliest Muslims.
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How did Muhammad escape from Mecca?
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Why do Muslims say the Qur'an was revealed piecemeal rather than all at once?
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Describe the tarawih prayers.
Take An Introduction to Islam further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Explain what Muslims mean by the Jahiliyyah.
Model answer
Jahiliyyah means the age of ignorance, the period in Arabia before the revelation of the Qur'an, when tribal custom and the worship of many gods governed life.
- 2
How was Arabian society organised in the sixth century?
Model answer
Arabian society was organised by kinship rather than by any state, so a person's security, legal standing and protection came from clan and tribe, and a killing was answered by the blood feud.
- 3
Describe the religious situation in Mecca before Islam.
Model answer
Mecca was a pilgrimage centre whose Ka'bah housed the idols of many tribes, so the Quraysh drew both prestige and income from the pilgrim trade; the city also stood on the caravan route between Yemen and Syria and sent out a winter and a summer caravan each year, while Jewish and Christian communities lived elsewhere in Arabia and a few Arabs known as hanifs worshipped one God alone.
- 4
Name three deities worshipped in Mecca before Islam.
Model answer
Hubal, al-Lat and al-Uzza were among the deities worshipped in Mecca before Islam.
- 5
Who were the hanifs?
Model answer
The hanifs were Arabs who rejected idol worship and sought the pure monotheism of Ibrahim without joining either Judaism or Christianity, and Zayd ibn Amr is one of those remembered by name.
- 6
What does the Qur'an say about the treatment of infant girls in that society?
Model answer
Surah 81 pictures the buried infant girl being asked at the judgement for what sin she was killed, a rebuke to the practice of female infanticide.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
An Introduction to Islam revision questions
- What does An Introduction to Islam cover in CCEA A-Level Religious Studies?
- 15 subtopics: arabia before islam and the early life of muhammad, the call to prophethood and the night of power, preaching and persecution in mecca, the hijra and the community at medina, conflict with mecca and the return to the city, the death of muhammad and his continuing significance, the revelation, collection and compilation of the qur'an, the structure, language and devotional use of the qur'an, sunnah, hadith and the sources of islamic authority, sharia, the law schools and systems of government, shahada, zakat and the meaning of the pillars, sawm, ramadan and eid-ul-fitr, hajj and eid-ul-adha, salat, friday prayer and worship as ibadah and the mosque and its place in muslim life. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is An Introduction to Islam organised?
- By the CCEA 4610 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in An Introduction to Islam, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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