Theo Quiz April 10th

The Akeda

Biblical Context: Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac (Yitzhak - "he who will laugh").

• Theological Contrast: In the Bible, God intervenes and saves Isaac. In the Shoah, the "Isaacs" were not saved.

• Significance: Represents the "shattered" covenant and the crisis of a "Just and Caring God" (Gizelle's perspective).

Elie Wiesel’s Faith after Night

• Midrash: The process of re-reading and wrestling with biblical passages to apply them to current suffering.

• The "Hanging" God: God is not absent, but suffering with the victims (God on the gallows).

• Protest: Faith is not abandoned but becomes a "wounded faith" that argues with God.

Tikkun Olam

Definition: "Repairing the world."

• Context: A Jewish mystical concept that the world is broken and humans must collect the "divine sparks" through acts of justice and mercy to mend it.

5 Stages of Death & Dying (Kübler-Ross)

1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance (Being honest: "This is real.")

• Applied to Theology: Used to process the loss of faith or the "death" of a previous worldview after tragedy.

Two Biblical Images of Sin

1. Missing the Mark (Hamartia): Failing to reach the goal/target of our true purpose.

2. Broken Relationship: A rupture between a person and God, or person and person (represented by "Leaves" - the hiding/shame in Eden).

Thomas Aquinas on Evil

Privation of Good: Evil is not a "thing" created by God; it is the absence or "lack" of a good that should be there (like a hole in a garment).

Mortal Sin (3 Criteria)

1. Grave Matter: A serious act. 2. Full Knowledge: Knowing it is seriously wrong. 3. Complete Consent: The deliberate will to do it.

• Result: "Kills" the relationship with God.

Karl Menninger’s Argument

"Whatever Became of Sin?": Argued that society has replaced "sin" with "symptoms" or "crimes."

• Theology Point: If we don't acknowledge sin, we can't have "honest judgment" or "repentance."

The 3 C’s of Religion

1. Creed: Common beliefs.

2. Cult: Rituals and how people come together to express beliefs.

3. Code: The implications/rules for how to live.

6 Sources for Moral Theology

1. Scripture: Revelation bigger than ourselves.

2. Natural Law: "Gut level" morality written on human hearts.

3. Magisterium: The official teaching office of the Church.

4. Theology: Systematic thinking (vs. random ideas).

5. Sensus Fidelium: The "sense of the faithful" (responsibility of all God's people).

6. Empirical Science: What we know through biology, sociology, etc.

Etymology of "Conscience"

Con: "With"

• Science: "Knowledge"

• Definition: "With Knowledge." It asks: Whose knowledge do I want to be influenced by?

The Pastoral Triangle

1. See: Analyze the facts/culture.

2. Judge: Evaluate through Scripture, Tradition, and Experience.

3. Act: Strategy for healing or repair.

Social Sin

Structures or institutions that oppress (racism, poverty).

• Key question: "Where do we start?" (Focusing on strategy and identifying goals for repair).

Hesed / Chesed

Hebrew for Mercy or Steadfast Love.

• The core of Gregory Boyle’s "Kinship"—standing at the margins so they disappear.

Vatican II (Basics)

Dates: 1962–1965 (4 sessions).

• Location: St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

• Attendees: ~2,500 Bishops + Periti (Experts).

• Popes: Started by John XXIII (Modern world/Aggiornamento); Finished by Paul VI.

Peritus / Periti

Theological experts who consulted with bishops and helped write the council documents.

Liturgy Reform

Shifted from Latin to Vernacular (local language).

• Changed from Passive observation to Active participation by the laity.

Nostra Aetate ("In Our Time")

Subject: The Church's relationship with non-Christian religions (specifically Judaism and Islam).

• Impact: Shortest document; condemned anti-Semitism; focused on common human origins and shared questions.

Lumen Gentium vs. Gaudium et Spes

Lumen Gentium: Focused on the internal nature of "The Church."

• Gaudium et Spes: Focused on "The Church in the Modern World."

First Principle and Foundation

Humans are created to praise, reverence, and serve God.

• All other things on earth are created to help us reach that goal.

Ignatian "Indifference"

Not a lack of care, but freedom.

• We should not prefer health over sickness or wealth over poverty, but only choose what better leads to the "praise and service of God."

Gnosticism vs. Incarnation

Gnosticism: Believes the physical body/world is a "trap" or "evil." Salvation is via secret knowledge (Gnosis).

• Incarnation (Christian View): God becomes flesh in Jesus. This "sanctifies" (makes holy) the material world, meaning our physical actions and social justice matter.

The Prophetic Voice (Isaiah)

Function: To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

• Key Theme: True worship is inseparable from justice. God rejects rituals if the "widow and orphan" (the marginalized) are being neglected.

Images for Sin (Advanced)

Alienation: Sin as a "wall" that creates distance between us and others.

• Incurvatus in se: (Latin) "The heart turned inward on itself." A definition of sin where a person becomes so self-obsessed they can no longer see the needs of their neighbor.

Blackburn & The Reality of Evil

The Question: Is evil a "substance" or just a "privation" (Aquinas)?

• The Impact: If we see evil as a real force (or a "privation" that causes real harm), we are more likely to take responsibility for "repairing" it (Tikkun Olam).

"Question That" / Hermeneutics of Suspicion

Definition: A method of reading/thinking that looks for hidden biases or power structures.

• Theological Use: Used to identify Social Sin. For example: "This law seems fair, but Question That—how does it affect the person living in poverty vs. the person with wealth?"

Wiesel’s View on Hatred

Key Concept: Hatred is not limited to its target. "He who hates one minority hates all minorities."

• Theological Impact: Hatred "murders the soul" of the hater as much as it destroys the victim.

The Opposite of Love (Wiesel)

Answer: Not Hate, but Indifference.

• Theological Reason: Hate still acknowledges the "other" as a person (even if an enemy); Indifference treats the "other" as if they do not exist, which is the ultimate rejection of God’s creation.

The Connection: Shoah & Today

The "Warning": The Holocaust began not with gas chambers, but with words and legal discrimination (Nuremberg Laws).

• Theology's Task: To "Question That"—to challenge hateful rhetoric against Jews or Muslims before it becomes systemic violence.

Imago Dei (Image of God) & Prejudice

Core Concept: The belief that every human is a "bearer of God's image."

• Moral Failure: Anti-Semitism and anti-Islamic attitudes are a failure to recognize the divine presence in someone who prays differently.

Tikkun Olam in the face of Hate

Definition: "Repairing the world."

• Application: Choosing to stand "at the margins" (like Boyle) to protect those being targeted by rising prejudice, thereby "mending" the broken social fabric.