Christian Story II: Theological Tradition Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards derived from the study guide on Theological Tradition in Christianity.

Eastern Orthodoxy

A Christian tradition that emphasizes the equal authority of scripture and tradition, particularly the first seven ecumenical councils.

The Trinity

The Christian doctrine that God exists as three consubstantial persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism

The Christian rite of initiation and purification, typically involving full immersion in water.

Eucharist

The Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper, in which believers partake mystically of the body and blood of Christ.

Sin

Spiritual separation from the divine, understood in Eastern Orthodoxy as ancestral sin rather than original sin.

Salvation

The process of deification and theosis - becoming united with God through divine grace.

Iconoclasm

A theological disagreement between Eastern and Western Christianity concerning the veneration of icons.

Filioque

A Latin term meaning 'and the Son', referring to the controversy over the procession of the Holy Spirit.

Scholasticism

A method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics (scholastics) of medieval universities.

Justification

The act of God declaring a sinner to be righteous on account of faith in Christ. being made righteous in the sight of God  

Atonement

The reconciliation between God and humanity brought about by the sacrificial death of Christ.

Predestination

The doctrine that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save.

Sanctification

The continuing process by which believers are made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Arminianism

A theological perspective that emphasizes human free will in the process of salvation. God is relational, self-limiting and suffering father who allows himself to be affected his creature

Calvinism

A branch of Protestantism that emphasizes God's sovereignty and predestination.

Visible Church

The church as it is seen on earth, comprising both saints and sinners.

Invisible Church

The true church consisting solely of the elect.

Baptism

The sacrament of initiation into the Christian faith, symbolizing the washing away of sin.

Communion

The Christian rite of receiving bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice.

Anabaptism

A movement emphasizing adult baptism and often rejecting traditional church practices.

church of england

A branch of the global Christian church that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century, maintaining a middle path between Roman Catholicism and Protestant reformers.

Marks of Church - nicene creed

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church

Marks of Church - Catholic

Focus visible church, Unified church structure, Liturgy and sacraments, Apostolic succession

Marks of Church - reformers

Focus on visible and invisible church, True preaching of word, Proper observance of sacrament, Faithful exercise of church discipline 

Church - the people of God

The church is not everyone, It is an assembly (ekklesia) of God followers, Its Gods assembly because God brings us together, we do not choose these groups ourselves 

Church - Responsible assembly

Believers, Disciples, Christians, Brethren (vertical relationship with God, a horizontal relationship with the church) 

Church - the body of christ

___ is a collection and a whole, It is organic, made up of living beings, It is diverse, It is united (not uniform), It is interdependent 

ordo salutis

Reformed:  Calling, regeneration, faith, Lutheran: Calling, illumination, Repentance Wesleyan Arminian: Call, repentance, faith 

glorification

Complete and final redemption of the whole person conformed to the image of Christ, Not held to occur in this life 

 perseverance of the saints/ security/assurance, (Arminianism)

Possibility of true believer permantly falling away if one does not persevere in faith  Scriptural warnings , Motivation for holy life , Moral responsibility  Grounded in human freedom  

 perseverance of the saints/ security/assurance, (calvinism)

Impossibly of the true believers totally and finally falling away from grace and their continuance in faith until death, Predestination , Eternal life , Irreversible regeneration 

adoption/union

Reconciliation, Transfer of the believer from alienation to being children of god, Result of justification 

conversion/faith and repentance, 

The unbelievers turning away from sin and turning toward christ

theosis

The process of becoming one with God or attaining divine likeness, Synergy of human effort to divine grace

East/West split

The formal division of Christianity into Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism, primarily due to theological, political, and cultural differences. The great Schism of 1054 Filioque is the final scheme (did not agree with the west on the addition) A multitude of reason though  Philosophical (aristotle play a bigger role in the west then the east)  Iconoclasm (east likes icons (Jesus, saints), west does not)  Ecclesiological (authority) Rome wanted sole authority, Is there only one church? If so, whose it? 

Roman Catholicism

Consecration by priest, They become flesh and body of christ. Subsident (a shift in that it has change to the blood and body of christ)  and accident (what is is being shown our right) 

Medieval

• Christendom, The church and culture are strongly connected, Christianity is dominant in Europe, “age of faith”. Feudalism (how the world was set up, kings, knights, lords, peasants, clegy) Slow change 

hell (Gehenna)

• Jesus and the gospels, Place of constant smoldering of Jerusalem, Greek word Tartarus is used synonymously in ( 2 peter 2:4), Hades is views as distinct, perhaps more like sheol in the OT a place where the dead live 

scholasticism

Airstation logic , Aquinas, Lombard, Abelard, Ockham, duns Scotus. A medieval philosophical system that emphasizes logic and dialectical reasoning, integrating faith and reason, notably advocated by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Peter Abelard.

lombard

on justification and merit, Merits were given by sacraments it then effects the virtues of individuals by faith, and increases merit culminating in justification 

Aquinas

justification and merit 

• Grace and charity (forgiveness) 

• Merit  

• More grace and charity  

• Merit 

• More grace and charity  

• Merit  

• Consummate grace (redemptions )

natural theology

Can we know God through reason alone? Knowledge about God that be learned Natural theology is a branch of theology that seeks to understand and explain the existence and attributes of God through reason and observation of the natural world, rather than through divine revelation or sacred texts.

humanism

Renaissance humanism, Centralizes the human subject and the human capabilities especially the human mind “Prince of humanism”, Moderate catholic  Pushed for moderate change in the catholic church but was an opponent of Luther. Novum testament omne (translated into original Greek) 

Luther

in inspiration of truthfulness, Scripture cannot error 

 

“infused” and “imputed” righteousness, 

• Catholic, Infused righteousness (become) 

• Protestant, Imputed righteousness (we are) 

calvin

and truthfulness, In inferring standard , The pure word of God 

Geneva

___ became a refuge for Protestant reformers and a hub for the dissemination of Calvinist beliefs across Europe.

 Institutes of the Christian Religion,  

Is a seminal work of Protestant theology written by the French theologian John Calvin. It is one of the most influential books in the development of Protestant theology, particularly within Reformed and Calvinist traditions.

theocentrism

all aspects of life, morality, and human existence are understood in relation to God

sovereignty/providence,  

• Sovereignty = governance; a monarch’s reign over a kingdom 

• Providence = power by what God holds and sustains creation 

Dort

Cannon of the synod of __ , Divine election, Divine reprobation, Christ death for elect, Human corruption/ inability and conversion by God, Commences of saints 

Election

What basis did God choose those who would be saved , Some terms, Predestination; from eternity god has determined whatsoever shalll happen in history. From eternity god has chosen his people those would be saved 

effectual and general calling,  

special effectual calling, Gods special calling of elect to fellowship with Jesus 

regeneration

The cleansing and renewing work of the holy spirit imparting new life to sinners and creating a new heart in them. Holy spirit is resistible (Arminian), Holy spirit is irresistible (Calvinism)