Theo Midterm Fr Fr

Why study theology? (Sheed, ch. 1) 

1. What is theology? 

The study of God in light of Revelation 

2. Why is philosophy not enough? 

You can know some things through reason, but not everything, and not with as much clarity as with faith/revelation. 

3. Meaning of liberal arts / education / school 

Free the mind from the shackles of ignorance, leads out of ignorance 

4. What’s the fundamental relationship between faith and reason? 

Some things you can only know through reason, but theology can illuminate it with divine revelation 

5. What’s meant by “God’s Two Books”? 

God speaks through scripture and nature 

6. What do Romans 1 and the First Vatican Council teach about reason in relation to God? 

They speak to rationalism and fideism, and how they’re both wrong bc we need to view everything through both lenses 

7. The goal of our class has to do with Sanctity and Sanity. What do these mean? 

Sanctity = holiness; sanity = living life in the real world 

Natural theology (Sheed, chs. 2-3) 

1. What’s the difference between be able to imagine vs. conceive something, and why is that relevant for doing theology? 

Imagining is just forming an image in your mind, but conceiving is forming the very idea in your mind, whose image may be wrong. This is relevant for doing theology because it allows us to differentiate between revelation and our human interpretation 

2. What are spirit and matter, respectively? What’s the difference between them? 

Spirit is immaterial, and deals with knowing and loving. Matter is material. 

3. Who/what is God in relation to those categories? 

God is all spirit, and he is outside of matter, all knowing, all loving, and omnipresent. 

4. What do things does spirit do (i.e., two actions that mere matter can’t perform)? 

Spirit knows and loves 

5. What are the two classic objections to God’s existence (Aquinas names these)? 

Problem of evil – there can’t be an all loving god if evil exists 

Naturalism – everything can explain itself and God needs to explain himself and his existence (no he doesn’t) 

6. How we prove that God exists? Be able to use one of the lecture examples (train, magnets, or book) to explain in a short paragraph. 

There is no movement in the train if there isn’t something outside of it moving it, God is the Unmoved Mover. If a book is passed around, there is no book if it wasn’t passed from one central person. 

7. What are some (3-5) of God’s attributes, and how do we come to know them? 

Eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable, and eternal. We come to know them through the fact that God is transcendent of space and time and loves and knows very fully. 

8. What is meant by saying God is both immanent and transcendent? 

He is imminent and transcendent because he is in all things and transcends all things. 

9. Meaning and implications of the statement that the “archetypes” of all creaturely perfections exist in God 

Anything that is good is in God 

Revealed theology & doctrinal development (Vatican II, Dei Verbum) 

1. What is divine revelation, and what is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and revelation? 

Divine revelation is the unveiling of God via his actions and deeds. Oral traditions are vague, but they encompass epistles and explain the gospels and liturgy. Scripture was inspired by God. All three are needed to know God. 

2. How many books are in the “library” of Scripture? 

There are 73 books. 

3. What are the broad strokes of the Method C approach emphasized by Benedict XVI and the Magisterium? What is Method A? Method B? And how, simply explained, do we use them to help us understand challenging Bible passages? 

Method C, emphasized by Benedict XVI and the Magisterium, is a theological interpretation approach that reads Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church, seeking spiritual meaning beyond the literal. Method A is the historical-critical method, focusing on historical and literary context. Method B involves literary analysis techniques. To understand challenging Bible passages, we use these methods together: Method A for historical context, Method B for literary features, and Method C for spiritual meanings and contemporary relevance, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of Scripture. 

4. Where is the Bible? 

The bible is born from the womb of the Church. 

5. What is meant by inspiration? Who are Scripture’s authors? 

Inspiration means “god-breathed” scripture’s authors are true humans who didn’t transcribe God’s words verbatim but rather interpreted it in their own way. 

6. Name the senses of Scripture. 

Literal – hyperboles, similies, etc 

Spiritual – how it applies to Christ and faith life 

Moral – how it applies to moral life 

7. What is meany by biblical inerrancy? How do we discern the inerrant teaching of a given passage, especially when it is potentially confusing? 

Every essential point in scripture should be taken as fact, and when there are contradictions, we need to assume not that scripture was wrong, but rather our interpretation of it may be erroneous sometimes. 

The Blessed Trinity (Sheed, chs. 4-6; Genesis 1-12; Sheed, ch. 7; Ratzinger, The Divine Project) 

1. Name the two fundamental dogmas (revealed teachings) of Christianity. 

The trinity and the incarnation. 

2. Name a few passages where the Trinity appears, or is at least hinted at, in Scripture. 

Abraham – 3 men 

Jesus’ baptism 

Creation – using the word “we” 

3. How do we briefly articulate the doctrine of the Trinity using the language of “person” and “nature”? 

The trinity is one nature, but three persons.  

4. How do the divine persons relate to each other? In other words, how does the Word originate? How about the Spirit? 

Jesus is the Father’s own self concept, and the love betwen the father and the son begets the Holy Spirit 

5. How are the persons distinguished from one another? 

Father – possesses divine nature as the originator 

Son – receives the divine nature 

Spirit – as gift between the two 

6. How does the Theology of the Body give us an image for the Trinitarian processions through ordinary life in the family? 

Mother – Father – Baby 

Father – Son - Spirit 

7. It can be helpful to think through ways of going wrong when it comes to the Trinity. What are the respective mistakes made by Modalism, Tritheism, and Arianism? 

Modalism – God is three distinct persons 

Tritheism – God is not three separate natures 

Arianism – God is 100% man and 100% God 

8. Name the first four ecumenical councils, know their years, and very briefly articulate what was defined at each. 

Nicea – 325 – consubstantial 

Constantinople – 381 – clarified the person of the HS 

Ephesus – 431 – Mary is the mother of God 

Chalcedon – 451 – Jesus is 100% God and 100% man 

9. After going over the doctrine of the Trinity, we traced how God gradually worked amongst his people to reveal this to them over many centuries (through the “divine pedagogy”). Explain briefly what’s Israel’s belief was like at the very beginning when God first revealed himself to Abraham. Then consider this: why didn’t God reveal the Trinity at that time? 

In that time, the Israelites believed in many Gods, and that YHWH was just one of them. If God had revealed the Trinity, they would have thought that it was three separate gods. 

1. What’s the Catholic view on the relation of faith and reason? What is scientism? Fideism? 

Faith and reason go together, and do not oppose. Scientism poses that only reason gives truth, and fideism poses that only revelation gives truth. 

2. Explain briefly the relationship of divine and creaturely causality in our world. Does God make creatures change, or do they change themselves? What’s meant by the Thomistic teaching that God & nature act on different, compatible orders of causality (that God is primary cause, and creatures are secondary or instrumental causes)? 

In Thomistic philosophy, divine and creaturely causality operate on different but compatible levels. God is the Primary Cause, the ultimate source of all being and action, sustaining creatures in existence. Creatures, as Secondary Causes, have genuine causal powers derived from God, allowing them to effect real changes in the world. This relationship means that while creatures can change themselves and cause effects, their ability to do so is always dependent on God's sustaining action. Thus, God's primary causality enables and undergirds creaturely actions without overriding their autonomy, preserving both divine sovereignty and creaturely agency. 

3. What was the point of lecture bringing up Dante’s line ““The Love which moves the sun and the other stars” and the analogy of fetal development? 

God sets things in motion, like the sun and fetal development, but they progress according to God’s laws of nature. 

4. What are Aquinas’s principles to follow when encountering a seeming contradiction between science and Scripture? 

Assume your interpretation of scripture is incorrect, rather than scripture itself. Likewise, assume that your interpretation of data may be incorrect or the experimentation was done a little erroneously. 

5. What is meant by divine pedagogy, and how can it help us understand the meaning of thorny Bible passages? 

How God revealed himself gradually to us to appeal to our collective understanding of him over time. 

6. What was the historical context/setting of the Bible, and why is knowing this important for understanding its message? 

A lot of it was written during the Babylonian exile and the israelites needed to know who God was, that he loves us, and that he will help them get out of babylon if they repent. 

7. How does knowing the literary genre of Genesis 1-11 as “figurative” help us to understand why its teachings are in harmony with reason? 

They are meant to be a story of hope for the israelites in exile, rather than a scientific/historical account of creation and the patriarchs. However, they are accurate in letting us know that God created the world and gave human dominion over creation. 

8. What’s the point of bringing up the examples of Animal Farm / The Crucible / Paul Revere? 

They are allegorical stories, like Genesis. 

9. Would the popes say there is myth in the Bible? Explain briefly. 

The Catholic Church affirms the divine inspiration and historical truth of Scripture while recognizing that it employs various literary genres and styles that require proper interpretation. For instance, Pope Pius XII emphasized that popular narratives should not be equated with myths, and Pope Benedict XVI encouraged reading Scripture as a unified whole for deeper understanding. 

10. What is Pope Benedict’s explanation of what it means to say that Adam was “dust” and “breath”? 

Connects to the earth and breath of life 

1. What does it mean / why is it significant that God in the Bible “speaks” creation into being? What does that mean and not mean? 

God uses forms concepts of creation – conceives creation. 

2. God dividing the waters may sound mythological and unscientific, but it serves a crucial theological point in its original ancient context. What would that be? 

God brought order from chaos. 

3. What does it mean for man to be in the image of God in its original context and in light of later Catholic teaching? 

In it’s original context, it meant that all of mankind was made in the image and likeness of God, not just the kings. Now, it means that we have intellects and wills like God. 

4. Why does the Bible’s first creation account (Genesis 1) convey creation as occurring over the span of 7 days? 

God created the world completely and perfectly. 

5. In Genesis 2, Adam is called to “till” and “keep” the garden of Eden. Based on our discussion of those terms in Hebrew and how they are used elsewhere in the Old Testament, what does that make Adam? 

Adam is meant to be a priest of creation, guarding it and taking care of it. 

6. Why does God describe Eve being created from Adam’s rib? 

Equality and complementarity of the sexes. Man misses something, therefore he desires woman. 

7. What do we think the sacred author meant with the whole “sons of God” and “daughters of men” mythological language in Genesis 6? (Hint: in the Bible’s final form, it was not about gods impregnating human females). 

The israelites were impregnating the foreign, pagan women and adopting their religion and customs, instead of staying faithful to God. 

8. After the Flood, what sin(s) immediately occur? What does the fact that sin happens so fast here and elsewhere after God’s great deeds in salvation history say about human nature and God’s character? 

Noah gets drunk and Ham sleeps with his mom. This shows that man  has original sin that cannot be removed. Even if you remove the pagans, man will still sin. 

9. The Tower of Babel: What city would this narrative have been a polemic against? Why would God’s people want to write a narrative that criticized this nation? 

This is a polemic against babylon. The babylonians captured the Judahites and forced them to adopt their religion 

Angels, matter, theological anthropology, and the Fall of man (Sheed, chs. 8-10) 

1. What makes humans different from angels? 

Humans have physical bodies. 

2. What makes humans different from other animals? 

We have souls that can get to heaven. 

3. What state was man originally created in? 

We were created in a state of sanctifying grace 

4. How did we describe our present state? 

Original sin 

5. What is man’s “last end”? What is meant by theosis? 

Man’s last end is to share in the divinity of God 

6. What do Scripture and our popes say will happen to the rest of creation at the end of time? 

It will be destroyed and be recreated in a resurrected state 

7. Why did Adam fall from God’s grace? Give two different possible explanations. 

Pride/disobedience, immaturity and naivete 

8. Who was the serpent? Again, give two possible interpretations. 

Nahash – sea monster 

Babylonian deities 

9. What is the meaning of the doctrine of original sin, as described by Benedict XVI? 

The essence of relationship rupture/alienation from God 

10. What kind of “death” ensued from Adam’s sin, on the terms of the biblical narrative? 

It caused greater childbirth pain, and it was spiritual 

11. Did Aquinas think that Adam’s sin caused the physical death of all things? If not, what did it cause? 

No, it caused the refusal to accept pain and death as graces 

12. Did Mary die? How can looking to she who was sinless yet sorrowful perhaps give us insight into what life without sin might have looked like had Adam and Eve not sinned? 

Mary didn’t exactly die, but we could speculate that original sin brought about the ability for humans to die. 

13. Who is the True Adam? In other words, what should be our real guidepost for what it means to be authentically human? 

The True Adam is Jesus 

Old Testament salvation history (Psalms 78, 105, 106; 136, 137, 88, 89; Sirach 44-49; Wisdom 10) 

1. Be able to walk through the main stages of salvation history (Creation, Fall, renewal at the Flood, Patriarchs, Exodus and Judges, the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, the Davidic Kingdom(s), their mutual downfall, the Babylonian exile, return from exile under the Persians, Hellenistic period, Roman period). 

• • Creation: 

• - God creates the world and humans in His image 

• - Establishes perfect relationship with Adam and Eve 

• • Fall: 

• - Adam and Eve sin, breaking relationship with God 

• - Sin and death enter the world 

• • Flood and Renewal: 

• - God judges wickedness through global flood 

• - Preserves Noah's family and animals 

• - Establishes covenant with Noah 

• • Patriarchs: 

• - God calls Abraham, promises land and descendants 

• - Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 

• - Joseph in Egypt 

• • Exodus and Judges: 

• - Moses leads Israelites out of Egypt 

• - God gives Law at Sinai 

• - Wilderness wanderings 

• - Judges lead Israel in Promised Land 

• • Conquest under Joshua: 

• - Israelites enter and conquer Canaan 

• - Land divided among tribes 

• • Davidic Kingdom: 

• - Saul as first king 

• - David establishes united kingdom 

• - Solomon builds Temple 

• • Divided Kingdom and Downfall: 

• - Kingdom splits into Israel (North) and Judah (South) 

• - Both kingdoms eventually fall to foreign powers 

• • Babylonian Exile: 

• - Judah exiled to Babylon 

• - Temple destroyed 

• • Return from Exile: 

• - Persians allow Jews to return 

• - Temple and Jerusalem rebuilt 

• • Hellenistic Period: 

• - Greek influence spreads through Alexander's conquests 

• - Maccabean revolt 

• • Roman Period: 

• - Rome conquers Judea 

• - Jesus born, ministers, dies, and rises 

• - Early Church begins 

2. Briefly, explain what “midrash” means? In other words, what do late Old Testament books like Wisdom and Sirach do with the previous narrative of salvation history that they inherited? Give at least two examples to illustrate. 

Midrash – retelling of an old story for a new audience, adds more details 

The book of wisdom makes Wisdom have a more active role in salvation history, attributing what used to be God’s actions to Wisdom (tower of flame and smoke in exodus) 

The Incarnation & mission of Christ (Sheed, chs. 11-12) 

1. What did Christ come to Earth to do? 

Christ came to redeem us from the fall, since we can’t save ourselves 

2. We did a brief overview of historical Christology and already asked this question earlier, but be able to know the main takeaways from the first 4 ecumenical councils. 

Nicea – 325 – consubstantial  

Constantinople – 381 – clarified the person of the HS  

Ephesus – 431 – Mary is the mother of God  

Chalcedon – 451 – Jesus is 100% God and 100% man 

3. What was the core message of Jesus’ preaching? How did it reverse the expectations of his people at the time (think the older/younger brother motif)? 

Repent, for the kingdom of god is at hand. God came for everyone, not just the jews. 

4. How did Christ use the parable of the Good Samaritan to make this point? 

Those who society hates will inherit the kingdom of heaven. The Jewish law can’t save everyone (bc it was followed by the letter) 

5. Jesus said he didn’t come to abolish but fulfill the law of the Old Testament, yet we Christians can eat pork, for example. How do you explain that (use the PowerPoint slide for reference)? 

The substance of the law can’t change, but the accidence can change 

6. Jesus didn’t overthrow the Romans or feed all the world’s poor, so what did he really bring that was new? And why does that matter for us? 

He brought salvation to the Gentiles, and he brought HIMSELF. Through our suffering, we can take part in Jesus’ divinity. 

7. How do the Beatitudes fulfill while subverting the old expectations (a good example is clean of heart)? 

The Beatitudes fulfill and subvert old expectations by redefining blessedness not as worldly success but as spiritual richness found in humility, mourning, and meekness. They emphasize inner righteousness over strict adherence to the Law, highlighting qualities like mercy and purity of heart. While the old view focused on outward observance and blessings for Israel, the Beatitudes promise comfort and reward to all who embody these spiritual values, emphasizing active righteousness and universal application in God's kingdom. 

The Life of Christ in the Gospels (Gospel synopsis handouts) 

1. Be able to provide three illustrations of how reading the Gospels synoptically helps us to see that each Evangelist (gospel author) brought unique interests and intentions to the canon of Scripture? Remember the analogy of the four gospels as four instruments in the same symphony. Why is it helpful to have them all instead of just one Gospel text? 

Having four Gospels instead of one is invaluable for several reasons: 

Multiple Witnesses: They provide diverse perspectives, enhancing the historical credibility of the accounts. 

Audience Relevance: Each Gospel addresses different audiences and theological concerns, making the message accessible to a wider range of people. 

Complete Portrait: The varied accounts create a fuller understanding of Jesus' complexity and mission. 

Deeper Reflection: The interplay between the Gospels invites richer study and reflection, enhancing our faith. 

Unity in Diversity: This diversity reflects the Catholic principle of "unity in diversity" within the Church. 

Just as a symphony is enriched by many instruments, our understanding of Christ is deeper when we embrace all four Gospel accounts as a unified testimony to the Truth. 

Acts of the Apostles (especially Acts 1-2, 6-10, 15, 17) 

1. Briefly explain: what would appear to be suggested by the fact that Judas’s successor was chosen by lots? 

It was custom for priests to be chosen by casting lots 

2. What is the connection between Pentecost and earlier celebrations? In other words, what theologically happens here in the New Testament? 

Pentecost is a harvest feast, and there is a harvest of new Christians. 

3. Looking especially to the charts on our slides, be able to provide at least 3 examples of how Acts seeks to show that Christ is living again through the Apostles / in his Mystical Body. 

4. How does Stephen’s martyrdom illustrate the above point? 

His last words directly parallel Jesus’ last words 

5. What was decided at the council at Jerusalem in Acts 15, and how is that connected with the episode of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10? 

Whether people need to be circumcised in order to become christian. Paul says that he wouldn’t call any man common or unclean, and that God has also granted repentance to the gentiles. 

6. What do we learn about how to evangelize from Paul in Acts 17? 

We learn that we need to preach peacefully 

7. What does the ending of Acts suggest about the nature of the Church’s mission? 

The nature of the Church’s mission is ongoing, and we have to continue it. 

The Letters of St. Paul (especially Romans 1-3, 5-6, 8) 

1. What does Paul teach us in Romans 1 about our ability to know God naturally (without faith)? 

In Romans 1, Paul teaches that humans can naturally know God's existence, eternal power, and divine nature through observing creation. This knowledge, while limited, is sufficient to make people morally responsible before God, even without special revelation or faith. 

2. What do we learn about the law in Romans 2-3? In particular, what in Paul’s view is the relationship that Gentiles should have with the Jewish law? 

In Romans 2-3, Paul teaches that Gentiles can know God's moral truths through their conscience, even without the Mosaic law. Simply having the law does not justify anyone; only those who do it will be justified. The law's primary role is to reveal sin, not to provide righteousness, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all believers, both Jews and Gentiles. Thus, while Gentiles are not bound by the Mosaic law, they are accountable to moral truth, and faith in Christ fulfills the law's purpose rather than abolishing it. 

3. Briefly describe the relationship between sin, death, and the workings of God’s grace as presented in Romans 5-6. In particular, how does Paul construe the relationship between our sins and how God responds to them? 

In Romans 5-6, Paul explains that sin entered the world through Adam, bringing death to all, but God's grace through Christ is far greater than sin's effects. While grace abounds where sin increases, believers are called not to continue in sin but to live in the new life given through baptism. God's response to our sins is one of love, as Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Thus, while grace overcomes sin and death, it also empowers believers to resist sin and live righteously, as they are no longer slaves to sin but alive to God in Christ. 

4. As described in Romans 8, what does Paul think will happen to creation at the end of time? And how is that related to our actions as humans? 

In Romans 8, Paul teaches that creation is currently in bondage to decay and eagerly awaits the revealing of the children of God. At the end of time, creation will be liberated and restored alongside the redemption of believers, who will receive glorified bodies. This connection implies that human actions have cosmic significance; while we cannot achieve creation's renewal on our own, our faith in Christ and stewardship of creation contribute to God's redemptive work, anticipating the ultimate restoration of all things.