Year 7 Religious Education
This term in Religious Education, our new Year 7 students are learning what it means to belong to our OLMC community. We have been studying our College values of courage, justice, compassion, and joy in our everyday lives and visiting some sacred spaces and artworks around the College. Students are commencing their first assessment on ‘Belonging’ in their Religious Education classes.
Year 8 Religious Education
It has been a busy and enlightening start to the term in our Year 8 Religious Education classes. We have recently embarked on our unit titled ‘Jesus: The Jewish Man.’ While many students come to us with a familiar image of Jesus, this unit shifts the perspective slightly. Rather than viewing him solely through a theological lens, we are exploring his historical and cultural context - examining what it truly meant to live as a Jewish person in the first century.
What We Are Uncovering
To understand the ministry of Jesus, students must first understand the world in which he walked. We are currently delving into:
- The Political Landscape: The complex tensions between the Roman occupation and local authorities, including the role of the Sanhedrin.
- Social Groups: Moving beyond the Pharisees and Sadducees to understand the diverse groups of the time, including the Essenes and the Zealots.
- Daily Life & Customs: What did a first-century household look like? How did Jewish dietary laws, Sabbath observance, and synagogue life shape daily routines?
By examining the New Testament alongside historical evidence, students are learning that Jesus was not a figure operating in a vacuum. He was deeply embedded in the religious traditions and social struggles of his people.