Theology Exam 2
The Historical-Critical Method of Biblical Interpretation
"A methodology used to interpret the Bible that came into wide use in the 19th century. This method recognizes the Bible as not only inspired by God but also as a collection of ancient documents composed by numerous human beings over millennia. This method applies historical, literary, and philological analysis to the biblical text to establish what it meant in order to ask what the text can mean to believers today."
Creationism
"All theists accept the doctrine of creation, but the term 'creationism' today usually refers to the beliefs of biblical literalists who reject evolutionary biology."
Biblical Fundamentalism
"An approach to biblical interpretation that asserts the Bible is without error; every word must be taken in its 'natural sense.' Such an approach dismisses historical and literary approaches to interpreting the Bible."
Myth
"From the Greek word mythos or 'story.' When used in connection with biblical stories, it connotes stories that are created to express the deepest truths of what it means to be a human being, such as the stories found in Gn 1 and Gn 2-3."
The Big Bang Theory
"In 1929, Edwin Hubble, examining the 'red shift' of light from distant nebulae [interstellar clouds of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases], formulated Hubble's Law: the velocity of recession of a nebula is proportional to its distance from us. Space itself, not just object in space, is everywhere expanding. Extrapolating backward in time, the universe seems to be expanding from a common origin about fifteen billion years ago."
Old earth creationists
"Old earth creationists"—Earth-history is 4.5 billion years long, but every species exists because of God's "special creation" rather than through natural processes Adam and Eve were created perfectly in the Garden of Eden.
Scientific Creationism
"Scientific Creationism"—"The biblical creation stories give us a more reliable scientific explanation than we can get from Darwinian biology." They take the Bible to be scientifically authoritative because if it is literally inerrant, it cannot contradict science. Darwinism and creationism are two different scientific theories.
The Anthropic Principle
"The assertion that the physical constants of the early universe were delicately balanced or 'fine-tuned': if they had even slightly different values, carbon-based life and our presence as intelligent observers would not have been possible."
What is another way to translate the Kingdom of God?
"The reign or rule of God"
Young earth creationists
"Young earth creationists"—6,000 years ago God made the earth in 6 literal calendar days
Theory
"a coherent statement that provides an explanation for certain phenomena. It is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, crafted by pulling together observed facts and known laws and interpreting them with an insightful hypothesis." Thus, one should say not that one "believes" in evolution, but that one "accepts it as demonstrated."
How does the Argument from Design differ from the theory of Intelligent Design (see the definition of the latter in the "Religion and Science Important Terms" handout)?
"the argument that the structures, features, organs, and biochemical pathways that we find in living cells are so complex that they could not have been produced by natural processes such as evolution and that they would require the intervention of an intelligent designer outside of nature to bring them into existence." This idea is rejected by most scientists. It is an argument used by many creationists.
Intelligent Design
"the argument that the structures, features, organs, and biochemical pathways that we find in living cells are so complex that they could not have been produced by natural processes such as evolution and that they would require the intervention of an intelligent designer outside of nature to bring them into existence." This idea is rejected by most scientists. It is an argument used by many creationists.
What were the various Jewish beliefs on the possibility of life after death in the time of Jesus?
(1) Denial of any afterlife Sadducees denied afterlife -- Jesus and the Sadducees in Mark 12:18-27 (2) Belief in a disembodied afterlife Philo of Alexandria (3) Belief in resurrection "In between period"—paradise Reversal of death, transformation of the dead body Primarily about the people of God, not individuals The Messiah
Discuss two of the weaknesses of the conflict thesis offered by Russell.
1. Conflict thesis ignores when science and religion have operated in close alliance 2. It makes progress or victory seem inevitable in history
What are the two main themes in classical theologies of evil and suffering?
1. Evil as privation of the good (Augustine and Aquinas) 2. Evil as the grasping for divinity (Irenaeus)
Explain two of the six possible ways to define miracles.
1. Miracles in an analogous or poetic sense 2. Preternatural miracles (a medieval category) 3. Supernatural miracles: "miracle in the strict sense of the word" 4. The universe as the one single (ongoing) miracle of creation 5. Pre-planted wonders 6. Special wonders in a universe without any laws of nature
List the four choices of world-views in relation to the topic of miracles.
1. Strong supernaturalism - often intervention by God 2. Occasional supernaturalism - occasional intervention 3. Naturalistic religion- no miracles, but God 4. Naturalistic un-religion no miracles, no God
What two extremes in approaching the miracle tradition in the New Testament should be avoided?
1. Supernaturalist or pre-critical 2. A critical, reductive approach that the miracles do not change anything in reality
Which aspects of Jesus' existence are salvific?
1. The incarnation 2. The public life and ministry of Jesus 3. His death by crucifixion 4. His resurrection
What three important considerations does Schaab put forward in approaching the classical theologies of suffering and evil?
1. Theologians offer proposals that are presumed to be applicable to all persons and situations. Assumption: Truth is best established through abstract concepts rather than by the concrete situations and experiences of people in their daily lives. 2. Western worldview—the cultural and philosophical perspectives that developed in the Western hemisphere, including most of Europe, ancient Northern and Southern Africa, and the Americas. 3. Theologians in the classical tradition accept and defend classical theism's understanding of God as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.
What are the components of the traditional doctrine on original sin?
1. There is a state of perfection before the Fall. 2. The Fall--Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. This act has been interpreted variously as an attempt to rival God, disobedience, and a misuse of freedom. 3. The immediate consequences of the sin -- punishment, alienation, suffering 4. Further consequences of the sin — a tendency toward evil becomes part of human nature. 5. The fallen state is passed on from generation to generation.
Of the six possibilities for defining "miracles" suggested by Barnes, which does he identify as most likely to be the meaning understood in Christianity?
3, Supernatural miracles, God has created the laws of nature but is not bound by them (God can violate laws of nature)
Form Criticism
A literary science that seeks to identify the different literary forms of the Bible and identify the original literary form of a particular text.
Why does Johnson argue that to speak of the compassionate suffering of God does not compromise God's transcendence?
A type of unconditional love the represents the omnipotence and omnibelevolence that does not compromise the transcendence of God.
Fideism
A view that denies that there is a legitimate place for science and reason within the content of religious faith and denies that religious faith has limits.
What is natural evil? Give one example.
Activities of nonhuman creation. Example: earthquake or disease
What issue(s) about the identity of Jesus led to the Council of Nicea and what conclusion did the Council of Nicea reach about the identity of Jesus?
Against Arius, the Council concluded that Jesus is the Son of God and is God; he is homoousios, of the same substance as God the Father.
What issue(s) about the identity of Jesus led to the Council of Chalcedon and what conclusion did the Council of Chalcedon reach about the identity of Jesus?
Against those who were emphasizing the divinity of Jesus so greatly that he had only one nature, a divine one, the council affirmed that he had two natures and that they are "unmixed and unconfused." Jesus is fully human and fully divine.
What is pure objectivity and why does Schaab argue that it is impossible?
An Interpretation without presuppositions and without historical, cultural, or personal coloring. This is not possible.
What is patriarchy and how has it impacted global culture?
Any social structure where men has power. It makes people look at men as controlling and authoritative figures.
How does Aquinas' understanding of the human person differ from that Augustine?
Aquinas: Humans "fail in goodness," since not doing so is inconsistent with their nature as finite and corruptible. Augustine: There is no such thing as innocent suffering because human nature is sinful.
Define the term theodicy.
Attempting to defend the goodness of God in the face of suffering and evil.
What are the four issues of contention in the relationship between science and religion, especially when viewed through the lens of the conflict thesis, according to Russell?
Epistemology: Could what we know about the world through science be integrated with what we learn about it from religion? 2. Methodology: Science based on facts vs theology derived from faith 3. Ethics: Application of science to abortion or genetic engineering 4. Social power: Science offends conservatives
What is the role of the theologian's context in the shaping of her or his theology?
Every theologian is influenced by the theologian's social and economic context.
What is "layered explanation" or "explanatory pluralism"?
Everything in the universe is open to a plurality of levels of explanation.
What is the aesthetic principle?
Evil is part of the harmonious perfection of creation To be as wonderful as possible, the universe requires both positive and negative aspects that fit together to make a scheme of ordered beauty; the universe must contain a diversity of creatures, each considered good in the grand scheme of things We enjoy and value the good more when we compare it with the evil, p. 110 Events like earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis do not disturb the order of the universe, so Augustine does not see them as a manifestation of evil Moral evil—root is human sin, which is not a part of the natural order of human nature created by God, not essential to God's good creation
How does Irenaeus present the cause of Adam and Eve's sin?
Evil stemmed from humanity's impatience with the process of growth and development toward fulfillment in God. Their disobedience was the weakness and ineptitude of the young. Humans were not yet capable of receiving the mature gifts of higher-level thinking, reasoning, and responsibility.
What is moral evil? Give one example.
Evil that results from the exercise of human freedom. Example: Murder
What do the classical theologies of suffering focus on more, the sources and nature of evil or the suffering that results from it?
Focus is on the sources and nature of evil rather than the suffering that results from it.
What is womanist theology's critique of feminist theology? Its critique of black theology?
For its silence on class privilege and white supremacy----for its liberation focus and androcentric bias.
What is protest atheism?
Form of atheism that responds to the existence of suffering and evil.
How does Irenaeus understand the creation of the world with regard to perfection?
God created the world with only the potential for perfection. Human beings were created in the image and likeness of God, but this perfection existed only in a nascent or undeveloped form, which meant that it had to mature over time.
Why does God permit evils or sufferings, according to Aquinas?
God does not actively will evils or sufferings for their own sake, but permits them for the greater good of the whole.
What problem did Leibniz wrestle with and how did he understand God's relationship to evil?
God does not directly will evil, but permits it.
What are the moral implications of the great chain of being?
God-ordained plan; each creature must know his or her place; monarchy; earth-centered planetary system Plotinus--Evil derived from the failure of creatures to abide by the God-ordained plan. Evil is equated with matter Descent from the goodness of pure being to evil matter
Was God's original creation good or bad according to the classical theorists you studied?
Good
Does Haught's objection to scientific naturalism mean that he believes that religious ideas should be incorporated into scientific work?
Ideas of God should not be incorporated or introduced into scientific work.
Define intrinsic evil.
If it is evil in itself
What is the meaning of the term "Incarnation" and what is its specific meaning in Christianity?
In the flesh. Specific: God in the flesh in the person of Jesus.
Why does Schaab say that her discussion of the difference between intrinsic evil and extrinsic evil is important?
It points to acts that are voluntary that impede the creature's ability to develop and flourish. It cautions against inscribing evil to the involuntary or organic processes of the cosmos.
4. Why does the conflict thesis endure according to Russell?
It was part of the strategy to enhance the appreciation of science. A power struggle that continues to help the prominence of science.
What was unusual about Jesus' table fellowship with the outcasts?
Jesus' table fellowship with sinners reversed the normal pattern, first conversion, then communion. His offer of communion with sinners triggered repentance; thus 'conversion flowered from communion.
Is Christianity a monotheistic or tri-theistic religion according to Catholicism? (I realize that there are other views on this outside of Catholicism.)
Monotheistic
What is scientific naturalism?
Nature is all there is and science is the only reliable way to understand it.
According to a Catholic interpretation of the Bible, are the Genesis stories of creation intended to provide a scientific account of how the universe came to be? If not, what do they provide?
No, Concerned with explaining why things are the way they are, not with a scientific explanation. Theological perspective on the origins of the world.
What is Occam's Razor (or Ockham's Razor or the Law of Parsimony), named after William of Ockham [c. 1287-1347], an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, and theologian, and why does Haught believe that Occam's Razor does not apply to his concept of layered explanation?
Occam's Razor is that if something has a scientific explanation, something should not be more complicated than necessary. To understand something deeper there may need to be many layers of interpretation.
What is the task of mujerista theology and what two paradigms have shaped it?
Offers an alternative for Latinas against ethnic prejudice, sexism, classism. To affirm the agencies of Latinas--- Struggle and Exile are the two paradigms.
How was the appearance of the risen Jesus best described? (As the resuscitation of a corpse?) What was his body like?
Only those who accepted some form of apocalyptic eschatology expected a bodily resurrection. Jesus' resurrection was a bodily resurrection, but not as the resuscitation of a corpse. What took place was a transformation in which Jesus entered a new mode of existence.
What does Barnes identify as the top religious concerns about evolution?
Room for a soul, randomness, brutality of nature, evolution seen as an outgrowth of naturalism, mass extensions, role of science in culture
How did Jesus proclaim the Kingdom or Reign of God?
Sayings, parables, miracles, table fellowship with the outcasts
What makes scientific naturalism different from science itself?
Science is a fruitful but self-limiting way of learning some things about the world. Scientific naturalism is a worldview that goes far beyond verifiable knowledge by insisting on the explanatory adequacy of scientific method.
What is social or cultural evil? Give one example.
Social sin-It results from values, attitudes, or beliefs in society that diminish human dignity by perpetuating oppression, marginalization, or exploitation.
Schaab quotes philosopher John Hick's characterization of Irenaeus' view of the world. What phrase does he use?
Soul making or soul breaking
What is compassionate suffering?
Suffering for someone else's good or a difficult mean to positive ends
What is suffering according Schaab?
Suffering is a constellation of mental emotional, or spiritual sensations experienced in response to internal and external conditions.
What was the central focus of Jesus' preaching?
The Kingdom of God
What is the Argument from Design?
The attempt to prove the existence of God by demonstrating the high degree of organization and purposive order in the universe, and arguing that such design must be the product of an intelligent, powerful, purposeful creator. This argument is old (put forward by Plato, d. 347/8 B.C.E., and Thomas Aquinas, d. 1274) but enjoyed particularly wide popularity in the 18th century with the support of William Paley (d. 1805)
Epistemology
The branch of philosophy that studies the nature and limits of knowledge, and the justification of belief.
Exegesis
The critical interpretation and exposition of a text.
What is the Christian doctrine/dogma of the Trinity? (The belief that ....)
The doctrine of the Trinity is the Christian belief that there is one God and that this one God is triune, i.e., one God in three Persons (though not three parts). There is one God in three hypostases.
What is the meaning of the statement that "evil is the privation of the good"? In other words, how would you restate this?
The goodness and omnipotence of God make it possible for God to bring good out of evil. 112 All creatures participate in the Being of God because every being in any way existing is from God. Creatures also participate in the goodness of God, who is the supreme good. Evil—the absence of good Human beings created in a state of original justice
Scientism
The idea that any question that can be answered at all can best be answered by science; a view that denies that science has limits.
Source Criticism
The investigation of the literary sources of a particular text.
What does Thomas Aquinas believe about the natural inclination of human beings and what impact does he believe that original sin (the loss of original justice) has on that inclination?
The loss of original justice does not, however, take away the natural inclination to virtue that humans possess because they are rational beings. This natural inclination is diminished by sin but not entirely destroyed.
Define extrinsic evil.
The nature of the act is not evil in itself but only in its outcomes
What theology of suffering does Delores Williams offer as an alternative to black liberation theology's focus on liberation?
The story of Haggar. Sometimes people aren't able to get to liberation. Finding a way to survive and have some quality of life is most important.
Conflict thesis
The thesis that science and religion have experienced a long history of conflict or warfare. Also known as the "military metaphor" for or the "warfare model" of the relationship between science and religion.
What does it mean to say that the 3 Persons (or persons) of the Trinity are "consubstantial"?
The three Persons are "consubstantial"—they share the same nature or essence; three persons, one substantia.
Why is the problem of evil a human problem and not just exclusively a religious one?
There is moral outrage from everyone, even if one does not believe in God.
Identify two theological points made in the Gen 1 creation story.
There is one God, without gender, alone from the start. Humans are made in God's own image.
According to Augustine, can human beings even desire what is truly good without the grace of God? Why or why not?
This corruption is so complete that people are not able to do justly and fulfill the law of righteousness through the fallen will alone; they require God's grace even to desire the good.
What two problems does Schaab identify with understanding evil in terms of the good it prevents or the suffering it causes?
To judge evil in terms of good presumes a clear and even universal conception of what constitutes good per se. To designate as evil that which causes suffering runs the risk of indicting something as necessarily evil rather than contingently so because of its deleterious effects on life and property.
How many stories of creation are there in the Book of Genesis?
Two
How would you describe the universe of Plato, Plotinus, and Aristotle?
a universe containing every possible variety of creatures, from the highest to the lowest, is a richer and far better universe than would one consisting solely of the highest kind of created being. the universe came about because of the supreme Plenitude or abundance of Being flowing out in the creation of the reality...down to matter at the border of nonbeing. To be as wonderful as possible, the universe requires both positive and negative aspects that fit together to make a scheme of ordered beauty; the universe must contain a diversity of creatures, each considered good in the grand scheme of things Events like earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis do not disturb the order of the universe, so Augustine does not see them as a manifestation of evil Evil only appears to be evil when it is seen in isolation; when the universe is taken as a whole, what seems to be evil is actually good because it is a necessary aspect of a good universe. As darkness enables one to better appreciate sunlight, and as sickness makes one more appreciative of health, everything in the universe has its proper place and function in the ultimate order of creation. Events like earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis do not disturb the order of the universe, so they are not manifestations of evil. Through creation, God communicates aspects of the divine goodness that cannot be adequately communicated through only one finite creature. Hence the universe taken as a whole represents divine goodness, rather than any one part. Some incidences of evil are part of the divine plan for the universe, for if all evil were prevented, most good would be absent from the universe. (See the example of lions and martyrs)
What does Augustine believe was the source of evil?
evil stemmed from humanity's disruption of the order of creation
What was the source of evil in Aquinas' view?
evil stemmed from humanity's divergence from its orientation toward God
What phrase does Schaab use to characterize Irenaeus' understanding of the root of evil?
evil stemmed from humanity's impatience with the process of growth and development toward fulfillment in God
The God of the Gaps
the mistake of using God as an explanation of what is currently scientific unknown; using God as an explanation when there are empirical "gaps" in in our knowledge. This is not scientifically or theologically a valid move.
In one sentence, describe the main idea for each of these theodicies:
• Punishment We deserve what we get. • Pedagogy Our suffering is education for our growth and maturity. • Eschatology All's well that ends well. • Mystery All is finally consumed in mystery.
Explain each of the four models for relating science and religion and offer one critique of each.
• The conflict model: Science and religion are in fundamental opposition o The fact that the conflict model is largely sustained by polar opposites represented by the more extreme fringes of both the scientific and religious communities, should make one cautious. In fact the number of scientists who specialise in attacking religion in the name of science is a tiny subset of the scientific community as a whole. • The NOMA Model: Science and religion operate within their own compartments o Gould himself fatally undermined his own model by writing entertaining essays on key figures in the history of science whose thinking was greatly influenced by their religious beliefs • Fusion Models: Science and religion are blured together to construct knowledge o The second general criticism is aimed particularly at attempts made to construct religious beliefs out of current science. The problem with this approach is that science tends to move on very fast. Today's trendy theories are tomorrow's leftovers. Those who construct their religious beliefs based on current scientific theories may find themselves building on sand. • The Complementary Model: This model maintains that science and religion are addressing the same reality from different perspectives, providing explanations that are not in any kind of rivalry to each other, but rather are complementary. o The second criticism is that the model can give the impression that science is the realm of objective truth and facts, whereas religion is the realm of subjective convictions and values. Yet there is no reason in principle why complementary moral and religious descriptions cannot be seen as factual as scientific descriptions.