Evaluation
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
Themes in the Synoptic Gospels
- 12 subtopics
- 36 things to know
- A2
- Two A2 units chosen from eight
What Themes in the Synoptic Gospels covers
Themes in the Synoptic Gospels is examined in A2 1, one of the two A2 units chosen — area of study: Textual Studies. Worth 30% of the A level. A student may not take two units from the same area of study.. It covers the Synoptic Problem and the relationship between the first three gospels, source criticism and the sources of the synoptic tradition, biblical criticism, narrative criticism and the contribution of scholarship, Christological titles: Son of Man and Son of God, the ethics of Jesus: compassion towards enemies and sinners, the command to love and the treatment of the poor, wealth and poverty in the teaching of Jesus, the Passion Narratives: theology and critical comparison, the empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearances, resuscitation or resurrection: contemporary theological critique, the interpretation of religious texts and the problem of suffering and leadership in society and faith communities.
Where it is assessed
A2
One of the two A2 units chosen, from four areas of study.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 12 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The Synoptic Problem and the relationship between the first three gospelsSynoptic Problem, triple tradition and double tradition.Open →
- Source criticism and the sources of the synoptic traditionSource criticism, two arguments for the existence of Q and two arguments against the existence of Q.Open →
- Biblical criticism, narrative criticism and the contribution of scholarshipBiblical criticism, textual criticism and form criticism.Open →
- Christological titles: Son of Man and Son of GodThe origins and range of each title, how the synoptic writers use them, and what they claim about the person of Jesus.Open →
- The ethics of Jesus: compassion towards enemies and sinnersLove of enemies, table fellowship with outcasts, and how far the teaching challenged the attitudes of its day.Open →
- The command to love and the treatment of the poorThe double command, the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and what the synoptic teaching demands of wealth.Open →
- Wealth and poverty in the teaching of JesusSaying about the camel and the eye of a needle, closing judgement of the parable of the Rich Fool and widow's Offering.Open →
- The Passion Narratives: theology and critical comparisonLast words of Jesus in each of the three accounts and two details of the burial that matter for later argument.Open →
- The empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearancesDebate about the ending of Mark, distinctive about Matthew's account of the tomb and said to the women at the tomb in Luke.Open →
- Resuscitation or resurrection: contemporary theological critiqueTwo objections to the subjective vision theory and swoon theory and the usual reply.Open →
- The interpretation of religious texts and the problem of sufferingStrengths of a literal approach to scripture, difficulties of a literal approach and propositional and a non-propositional view of revelation.Open →
- Leadership in society and faith communitiesTwo arguments for a leadership that is ordained and institutional and two arguments for a leadership that is charismatic and shared.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
Give the case for holding that Jesus used the title Son of Man of himself
Key term
At which points in Mark is Jesus declared Son of God?
Key term
How does Matthew present the title Son of God?
Key term
What point does Jesus make about loving those who already love you?
Key term
Describe what the woman does in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
Key term
How does Mark's version of the question about the greatest commandment differ in tone?
Key term
How does Luke's account of the greatest commandment differ from those of Matthew and Mark?
Key term
Whom does Jesus tell a host to invite to a meal, and why?
Key term
Summarise the parable of the Rich Fool.
Key term
Give two readings of the Widow's Offering.
Key term
Compare the wording of the inscription over the cross.
Key term
What are the last words of Jesus in each of the three accounts?
Key term
What signs accompany the death of Jesus, and where do the writers differ?
Key term
What is the debate about the ending of Mark?
Key term
Describe the appearance on the road to Emmaus.
Key term
State the theological significance of the empty tomb.
Key term
Why does the distinction between resuscitation and resurrection matter for reading the gospel accounts?
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What issues arise in interpreting a religious text?
Key term
State the problem of evil.
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What dispute does Luke place at the last supper, and how does Jesus settle it?
Key term
What are the limits of drawing a model of leadership from the Synoptic Gospels?
Key term
Why are Matthew, Mark and Luke called the Synoptic Gospels?
Evaluation
What is source criticism?
Key term
How much of Mark reappears in the other two gospels?
Key term
What is Q, and where does the name come from?
Evaluation
Name three scholars associated with form criticism.
Key term
Distinguish resuscitation from resurrection.
Key term
What is the triple tradition?
Evaluation
State two arguments for the existence of Q.
Key term
What is meant by the Sitz im Leben of a unit of tradition?
Key term
How does Matthew present the teaching on retaliation?
Key term
What does the rich man in Mark 10 ask Jesus, and what is Jesus' first response?
Key term
How does Paul describe the risen body?
Key term
Why does the genre of a passage matter for its interpretation?
Key term
What model of leadership does Jesus set against the practice of rulers?
Take Themes in the Synoptic Gospels further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why are Matthew, Mark and Luke called the Synoptic Gospels?
Model answer
The three can be set out in parallel columns and seen together at a glance, and the Greek word behind the term means a viewing together.
- 2
State the Synoptic Problem.
Model answer
The Synoptic Problem is the question of how to account for the pattern of close agreement and marked difference between the first three gospels in content, in order and in actual wording.
- 3
How much of Mark reappears in the other two gospels?
Model answer
Roughly nine tenths of Mark's material appears in Matthew and about half of it in Luke, often with the same incidental words.
- 4
What is the triple tradition?
Model answer
The triple tradition is the body of material shared by all three synoptic gospels, corresponding broadly to the content of Mark.
- 5
What is the double tradition?
Model answer
The double tradition is the material, mostly sayings, that Matthew and Luke share with each other but that is absent from Mark.
- 6
What is meant by M and L material?
Model answer
M is the material peculiar to Matthew and L the material peculiar to Luke, whether drawn from written sources, from oral tradition or composed by the evangelist.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Themes in the Synoptic Gospels revision questions
- What does Themes in the Synoptic Gospels cover in CCEA A-Level Religious Studies?
- 12 subtopics: the synoptic problem and the relationship between the first three gospels, source criticism and the sources of the synoptic tradition, biblical criticism, narrative criticism and the contribution of scholarship, christological titles: son of man and son of god, the ethics of jesus: compassion towards enemies and sinners, the command to love and the treatment of the poor, wealth and poverty in the teaching of jesus, the passion narratives: theology and critical comparison, the empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearances, resuscitation or resurrection: contemporary theological critique, the interpretation of religious texts and the problem of suffering and leadership in society and faith communities. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Themes in the Synoptic Gospels organised?
- By the CCEA 4610 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Themes in the Synoptic Gospels, 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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