THEO Final

Jesus Seminar

A long-term study of the historical reliability of Scripture. The Gospels were written decades after the life of Jesus. The study challenges the trustworthiness of the stories being presented.

Adonai

A name for God meaning "Lord" or "master,"

hermeneutical circle

A system of study in which exegesis interacts with cultural contexts; those contexts interact with Scripture.

Modalism

A variation of Monarchianism. Affirmed the oneness of God. God's various appearances, as Father, Son, and Spirit, are differing functions and names. Thus rejected Trinity.

Search for the historical Jesus

Albert Schweitzer argued that the historical pieces interpreters found in the Bible revealed more about their own modern biases than about conclusive historical investigation

'Cur Deus Homo?' (why did God become human?'

Anselm of Canterbury argued that the reason God became human was to reveal God to humanity, to provide an empathetic high priest, to model the fullness of human life, and to provide a substitute sacrifice for humanity.

A belief that Jesus was not God, as he was not of the same substance or essence of God. Rejected at the Council of Nicea.

Arianism

Contended that Jesus is essentially subordinate to the Father, rather that equal to God. Intended to emphasize monism.

Arius

Bishop of Alexandria who was champion of the Trinitarian perspective at the Council of Nicea.

Athenasius

Concursive Inspiration

Attempts to recognize both the divinity and humanity of the Bible

began with the unity of God, developing the concept of God in an analytical, abstract manner

Augustine

Who argued that evil was not a substance, person, or principle, but rather the "privation of good"?

Augustine of Hippo

Dynamic Inspiration Theory

Biblical inspiration is based off of a portion of scripture

Emphasized diversity within the Trinity, while affirming the unity of God. Engaged a person, dynamic, while remaining holistic, understanding of God.

Cappadocians

The gifts of the Spirit

Charismata

Concerning the nature of theology, Paul Tillich contends that

Christian theology interacts with the paradox of God as human

Thomas Oden believes that theology is _____, which is the preeminent revelation of God

Christocentric

the theological study of Christ

Christology

YHWH

Commonly expressed through the Tetragrammaton. Name of God most commonly expressed in describing the covenantal relationship of God and the people of God. The "I am" reference of Exodus 3 uses this term/name for God.

Dualism

Contends for two equal yet distinct realities in creation. The two supreme beings, presumably one being good and one being evil, vie for control of the universe. Manichaeism was an early expression.

ex nihilio creation

Contends that God created the universe from nothingness. God's creation did not depend upon preexistent material that limited God's creativity

Views of Arius were rejected. Trinity became the standard understanding of the Church.

Council of Nicea

Deconstructionism

Denies that language has transcendental meaning. An expression of demythologization. Religious language is meaningless with regard to talking about God. Our response is meaningful, not the words that we use to describe them.

Episcopal priest who emphasized the giftings of the Spirit. This included most of the Pentecostal dynamnics of Spirit baptism, but within mainline churches

Dennis Bennett and Charismatic Movement

Council of Chalcedon

Describes Jesus as truly God and truly human, consubstantial or co-essential with God as well as with humanity

Unitarianism

Development during the Reformation and after that renewed concern for a monotheistic understanding of God. Challenge to a Trinitarian understanding of God.

Which model of revelation understands revelation primarily through objectivity and authority found in Scripture?

Doctrine

Monism

Early Christians distinguished their theistic understanding of creation from this view. This view, derived from emanationism, contends that all things in the universe are derived from and are equal to one ultimate source.

David Hume

Enlightenment philosopher who challenged concepts of God that were developed during the medieval era, particularly a posteriori arguments for the existence of God. He argued that we can never have certain knowledge of God based upon empirical evidence. Moreover, even if God would be determined through such evidence, that does not address the problems of pain and suffering in the world. God could be seen as primarily chaotic or evil, rather than orderly and good.

Old Earth Creationism

Evolutionary theory and creation are not seen to be in conflict. As a result, understanding the earth as billions of years old is not a problem. One interpretation of this theory which contends that a gap exists between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2; God created the world, followed by an extended time until God reformed the world.

Irenaeus believed that people were created totally depraved with no potential for good.

False

"And the son," is a reference to a modification that the Western church made to the Nicean Creed, in an attempt to affirm the equality of the Trinitarian relationship. The Eastern church rejected this view, charging that the change subordinate the Son to the Father, resulting in a hierarchy within the Godhead.

Filoque

Which theologian defines theology as more of an "expression of hope than of science".

Francis Fiorenza

Emphasized the work of the Spirit as an inner light that existed in everyone. The inner light could give assurance of salvation as well as inner knowledge.

George Fox and Quakers

Progessive creationism

God continues to create genuinely new "kinds" of plants, animals, and other creatures in the world (Gen. 1:11-25).

Gregory of Nazianzus

God is beyond gender. God is personal, but the transcendent nature of God surpasses human descriptions. Both men and women are imago Dei.

Ontological Argument

God's existence is proved by reason because of the idea of God must logically be true.

Trichotomy

Human nature is expressed in body, soul, and spirit. The body is the physical dimension. The soul is the immaterial expression of humanity that is natural, including intellect and will. The spirit is the immaterial part of humanity that is spiritual.

The mystery of God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ

Incarnation

Lutheran who emphasized the experiential dimension of God's presence, particularly in the work of the Spirit. Developed small groups that promoted heartfelt religion.

Jacob Spener and pietists

Docetism

Jesus was exclusively divine and merely appear to be human, as physically is seen to be evil

Ebionism

Jesus was only a person, a human, on which the Holy Spirit descended at Jesus' baptism, thus disregarding the human nature of Jesus

Who argued that God revealed himself to creation in ways that creation can "cope" with?

John Calvin

Emphasized evangelism, social concern, and holy living. The Holy Spirit is a dynamic agent of change, personally as well as socially. Persons can receive a second work of grace, subsequent to conversion, which leads to sanctification.

John Wesley and Methodists

The three-ness of God has been neglected in Western Christianity. Desire to place more emphasis upon the diversity of God's activities. Desires more emphasis upon the social nature, the inter-subjective relationship of God. Emphasizes that God suffers with humanity in the suffering of Jesus

Jurgen Moltmann

Who argued that there are no empirical or rational criteria sufficient to account for Christians' faith in God, who transcends all finite human claims to having certain knowledge.

Karl Barth

The self-emptying of Jesus; the humbling of Jesus included emptying himself of divine rights.

Kenosis

Preaching or teaching of Scripture, particularly the gospel stories of Jesus.

Kerygma

Concerning the activities of Jesus as person, Jesus was

Limited by the experiences of human existence and experience

references the role of Mary, particularly the notion that she was born without sin

Mariology

Who argued that Scripture should take the prime place of authority in the Christian church?

Martin Luther

The theology of the immaculate conception, expressed within Roman Catholic doctrine, is a reference to the conception of:

Mary

Julian of Norwich

Medieval mystic who used both feminine and masculine language to speak of God, including the concept of Christ as Mother, Father, spouse, and brother, as well as Savior.

Community of the 2nd century that emphasized the work of the Spirit, including ecstatic emphases, visions, and trances

Montanism

Augustine of Hippo

Most influential theologian on Western theology. God reveals wisdom primarily through the Bible, which represents God's special revelation to humanity. The revelation of God provides that which human reason alone cannot know. "Believe in order that you may understand." Influenced Anselm, Calvin, and Luther

Thomas Aquinas

Most prolific of medieval theologians. Based upon empirical observation, contended for five arguments for the existence of God. Revelation through the natural world, the observation of the cosmos, and the purpose of the cosmos, points us to God.

thesitic evolution

Not all elements of creation were created in their final forms; there is ongoing development within the created order.

Reference to an advocate, the work of the Spirit to comfort, encourage, and interceding on our behalf, guiding to truth, and empowering our lives with divine grace.

Paraclete

The second coming of Christ or the theological hope of the second coming of Christ.

Parousia

Structural view

Particular human attributes constitute the sum and substance of human likeness to God. These include psychological, rational, volitional, and spiritual qualities.

Who believed that before sin entered into the world, humans did not possess righteousness, only the freedom

Pelagius

Plurality

People are multifaceted, thus cannot be expressed in two or three dimensions. They are psychological, sociological, political, economic, among many expressions. All of these factors must be considered in analyzing the human makeup.

Relational view of imago dei

People reflect the likeness of God in their social dimension, their interactions with each other

Functional View

People reflect the likeness of God in what they do, in particular the way that they act in a moral, righteous manner.

Dichotomy

Personhood is expressed in two dimensions, the material (physical) and the immaterial (spiritual).

Greek neuter noun usually translated as spirit

Pneuma

Teleological Argument

Receiving its nature from the term for order or purpose, contends that design cannot be accounted for by chance alone, that there must be a designer. There must be intelligence that accounts for order and purposefulness. Such a designer would be God.

Immanence

Recognizes God's nearness, the ubiquitous presence, the omnipresence of God, engaging how humanity can understand the nearness of God.

Sovereignty

Reference to the almighty and universal natures of God. An illusion to a monarch on a throne. The monarch, in this case God as monarch over creation, extends control over all persons, individually and collectively

Immanuel Kant

Rejected ontological argument and contended that cosmological and teleological arguments were variations of ontological argument, thus must also be rejected. Contended for a moral argument, that God's existence is a necessary assumption in order to make sense of the human moral conscience

Soren Kierkegaard

Religious beliefs cannot be verified rationally or objectively in experience. One can only accept God God's existence, is such existence is accepted, through a leap of faith. Religious truth is founded on faith, rather than on reason or experience.

The Holy Spirit should be thought in terms of the spirit of the community of believers, instead of as God. Deemphasis upon the Holy Spirit and upon the divinity of Jesus tended toward a Unitarian conception of God.

Schleiermacher

What has Christianity historically seen as that which "safeguards" God's revelation to humanity

Scripture

Infallibility

Scripture does not mislead and has never misled

errancy of scripture

Scripture is primarily from human origin and full or errors

What four things make up the Wesleyan Quadrilateral by which we try to understand and process theology and God?

Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience

Setting in life, analyzes the in which the words of Scripture were spoken, remembered, written, and arranged by the author or redactor

Sitz im Leben

Adoptionism

Sometimes known as dynamic Monarchianism. Affirmed that Jesus was a person appointed by God as representative of God, embodying power of God for establishing God's purposes, but was not God in essence.

Elohim

Term used of God in Genesis 1. The name is plural, but is used as the name of the one God of Israel. Associated with the creative power of god as the originator of the universe

Salvation History

That salvation provides a major theme in the divine revelation to humanity. God's love and mercy as well as God's power and authority over evil are revealed in the course of God's interaction with humanity.

Posterior

That which follows after, within arguments for God from the natural world, contends that God can be acknowledge as a result of observing the natural world.

a priori

That which precedes, in the ontological argument this concept refers to rational thought about God and matters related to God that precedes sense experience.

Young Earth Creationism

The Bible holds a relatively accurate understanding of creation, in which the days of creation in Genesis are seen as specific periods of time roughly equivalent to our current understanding of a day. The age of the earth is no more than a few thousand years.

Demythologization

The Bible is primarily myth. The primary purpose of Scripture is to speak existentially to our immediate spiritual needs, not to provide detailed historical and scientific information. The debate over origins is moot.

Demythological interpretation of creation

The Purpose of Scripture is to speak exetensially to our immediate spiritual needs, and not to provide detailed historical and scientific information

Immutability

The constancy of God's character. Within Greek culture, change was considered a weakness.

Transcendence

The degree to which God surpasses human conceptions and descriptions of finite abilities.

Egalitarianism

The equality of women and men in family, church, and society

Imago Dei

The image of God; engages the relationship of God and humanity related concepts of what it means to be made in the image of God

Ecumenism

The movement to restore unity among all Christians

Anthropology

The study of humans

Deism signifies the view that God created the world so that it could run on its own and is no longer involved with creation.

True

Essential to the early Church was the tension that is the result of understanding Jesus as fully God while at the same time being fully human. This tension was defined at the Council of Chalcedon

True

One could argue that all theology is contextual, developed at a particular time, by particular people, at a particular place.

True

Unity

Wholeness. The multifaceted expressions of humanity should be understood as wholeness of person. Thus persons are not two, three, or multidimensioned. While diverse, persons are whole.

Pastor of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, in which practices such as speaking in tongues and healing moved the community toward a missionary and evangelistic emphasis. Holy Spirit baptism is an outpouring of divine grace, subsequent to conversion, which bestows spiritual gifts and moves the community toward empowerment for Christian service.

William J. Seymour and Pentecostals

Scripture seems to indicate the necessity of the sinless actions of Jesus based upon which of the following

a moral concern, that his actions came as a result of his free choice

soul-making

a tool to refine humanity

Volitional

abuse of free will

Systematic theology

arranges Christian beliefs, values, and practices in an orderly and comprehensive manner

Visible lifting into the air to heaven. Reflects the transcendent nature of eternal life as expressed in the resurrected Jesus.

ascension

Within Holiness and Pentecostal communities, refers to a work of grace subsequent to salvation that assists in holiness of life and service. Pentecostal communities see this as identified, at least in part, in speaking in tongues.

baptism of the spirit

existential

choosing one's self over the other

Apologetics

defense of the faith

Rudolph Bultmann contended that Christian faith should be distinguished from historical issues. The historical elements should be deemphasize features of stories that may not have been real. The meaning of these stories should be retained. The theory of how si

demythologization

Anslem of Canterbury

developed the ontological argument

Dictation Theory of Inspiration

emphasizes divine inspiration and factual truthfulness of Scripture

Inerrancy of Scripture

emphasizes divine inspiration and factualness of scripture

The idea that God intentionally created and environment in which evil would inevitably occur so that people might genuinely exercise their freedom and thus mature in the process is called the free-will defense of God.

false; this is the soul-making defense

What word denotes the historic development of the doctrine of sin?

hamartiology

Of same substance. Argument that Jesus is of the same substance as God; thus, Jesus is fully God, while being also fully human.

homoiousios

Of like substance; of similar substance. In regard to Jesus, sees Jesus as similar to God. Rejected by the Council of Chalced

homoousious

Philosophical Theology

interacts with philosophy in establishing theology

omniscient

knowing everything

Biblical Theology

organizes theological teachings in the Bible according to prominent biblical themes

A theological issue that is linked to the virgin birth of Christ

original sin

The theory of how sin began and continues in human life In relationship to Jesus, addresses in what way encountered sin.

original sin

The historical and theological center of Christian beliefs, values, and practices

resurrection

A feminine noun in Hebrew translated as breath, wind or spirit

ruach

Historical Theology

studies the development of theology from biblical times to the present

Liberation Theory

the combining of Christian principles with political activism

Nicene Creed

the statement coming out of the ecumenical council in 325. Gave definition to the nature of God, identifying Father, Son, and Spirit as God.

What term represents the justification of God's power and love in a world in which there is evil?

theodicy

Practical Theology

theology applies Christian beliefs to the church and the world

Every aspect of people is corrupted by sin

total depravity

Christian need to develop their self-awareness in ways that reflect their interconnectedness with other people, family relations, communities, institutions, cultures, and nations.

true

Monism is the idea that all things in the universe are derived from and are equal to one ultimate source.

true

In order for God to be God, God needed to create.

true or false

What "type" of sin is seen as something that only hurts the spiritual wellbeing of a person.

venial

Mystical Inspiration

writers were not only natural geniuses but also spirit-filled and guided