REL
1.24 Karl Barth on the nature and task of theology
- Theology's "task" is service in Church to remind the people that the church is under the authority of the Gospel and the law
4.21 Francois Turrentine on the threefold office of Christ
- Threefold: prophet, priest, king - Threefold framework allowed the multiple nature of sin and redemption to be explained, and also enabled some basic misunderstanding concerning the person of Christ to be addressed
3.7 Gregory of Nyssa on Human Analogies of the Trinity
- Trinity cannot be thought of as 3 separate Gods
1.1 Justin Martyr on Philosophy and Theology
- argues that Christ is the logos - Idea that god has scattered the seeds of the logos throughout the world before the coming of Christ, so that secular wisdom and truth can point, however imperfectly, to Christ
1.32 Gustavo Gutierrez on theology as critical reflection
- emphasis on practice rather than theory - theology should not be detached from social involvement or political action
1.13 John Calvin on the nature of faith
- emphasis placed upon the role of the Holy Spirit
2.18 John Calvin on the relationship between old and new testaments
- insists on the continuity between the testaments, identical in terms of their substance
Natural theology: its scope and limits
- manner and extent which God may be known through the natural order - Thomas Aquinas: no created thing can be said to come into existence spontaneously - John Calvin: knowledge of God through nature and revelation - Barth Bruner: noted for early hostility toward idea of natural theology
1.2 Clement of alexandria on philosophy and theology
Clement argues that God gave philosophy to the Greeks as a way of preparing them for the coming of Christ, in the same way as he gave the Jews the law of Moses
Creatures in the image of God TCTR 6.41 Pope Benedict XVI on the Identity of Humanity
Considers the implications of the notion of humanity being created in the image of God - Humanity alone bears God's image and breath
6.3 Origen on the Image of God
Draws a distinction between the :"image: and "likeness" of God, arguing that the term "image" refers to the status of humanity and the term "likeness" oto the final perfection of the human race at the resurrection
3.24 William of Ockham on the two powers of God
Draws a distinction between two modes of divine actions. God must originally have been able to act in any manner, provided it did not involve contradiction
The belief that Jesus of Nazareth was not divine, but a uniquely anointed moral exemplar is called
Ebionitism.
ousia
Greek for "substance" or "being." Trinitarian thought suggests that the Son derives his ousia from the Father, and yet what the Son is so the Father is exactly. In their formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity, the Cappadocian fathers declared that God was one ousia but three hypostaseis.
1.3 Tertullian on the relationship between philosophy and heresy
He argued that philosophy's use in theology could only lead to heresy within the church Basic thesis is that secular philosophies contain core ideas which ultimately are inconsistent with the Christian faith
impassibility
The characteristic, usually associated with God, of being unaffected by earthly, temporal circumstances, particularly the experience of suffering and its effects.
hypostatic union
The doctrine of faith that recognizes two natures (one human and one divine) in the one divine Person of Jesus Christ.
dual source theory of tradition
Tradition is based upon two quite distinct sources, Scripture and unwritten tradition
2.37 Karl Barth on Revelation as God's self-disclosure
Understand the relationship between revelation, the word of God, and Jesus Christ. Places emphasis on the necessity of divine revelation if human beings are to know anything of God
DAVID BENTLY HART
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DORTHY L SAYYERS
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ELIZABETH A JOHNSON
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EMIL BRUNNER
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FORSYTH
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GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA
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GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ
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HILDEGARD OF BINGEN
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IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
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IRENAEUS OF LYONS
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JOHN CALVIN
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JULIAN OF NORWICH
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JURGEN MOLTMANN
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JUSTIN MARTYR
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James I. Packer
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KARL BARTH
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LACTANIUS
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MARTIN LUTHER
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MARY HAYTER
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N.T. WRIGHT
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NESTORIUS
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ORIGEN
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PAUL JEWETT
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PAUL TILLICH
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PELAGIUS
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PETER ABELARD
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POPE LEO
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Pope Benedict XVI
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REINHOLD NIEBHUR
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ROSEMARY RADFORD RUETHER
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SALLIE MCFAGUE
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SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL
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TERTULLIAN
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THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
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THOMAS AQUINAS
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VALERIE C SAIVING
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WILLIAM OF OCKHAM
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Wolfhart Pannenberg
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BENEDICT SPINOZA
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F.D.E Schleiermacher
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FRANCOIS TURRENTINE
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GREGORY OF NYSSA
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homoiousios
(literally, "of similar substance") was used by the Semi-Arians to argue that the Son was of similar but not identical substance as God the Father
communicatio operationum
*(communication of operations) suggests that any work or action of Christ's divine nature is at the same time the work of his human nature and vice versa.* In short, both of these terms are meant to safeguard the fact that Jesus is only one person rather than two, even though the one person is both Human and divine. Thus whatever Christ does is in fact the singular action of the one God-man
creatio ex nihilo
*Latin phrase for "creation out of nothing"* - Augustine is credited with developing the *argument that God created the world without any preexisting materials.* this was in contrast to impost greek philosophers, who understood the creative act as God's ordering of eternally existing materials into the present world or universe. The value of the doctrine of creation ex nihilism is that it maintains a clear distinction between God and the created order and also maintains the God alone has eternal status
kenosis
*refers to the self-emptying of Christ in the incarnation*, as well as his conscious acceptance of obedience to the divine will that led him to death by crucifixion. Many theologians see in the term a reference to Jesus' choice not to exercise the prerogatives and powers that were by virtue of his divine nature.
5.19 John Calvin on the grounds of redemption
- Affirms that the quality of the redeemed life exceeds that of the innocent life. Argues that God's bearing the penalty for sin was far more effective demonstration of the love of God for humanity than the mere rescinding of any penalty that was due
4.29 Dorothy L. Sayers on Christology and Dogma
- Analysis of the relationship between the divinity and humanity of Chrisit, Sayers argues for their mutual importance in relation to our knowledge of God. argues that claims to moral or cultural authority must be grounded in something intrinsic to the person of Christ. Otherwise, Christ is judged by moral and cultural principles instead of acting as their basis - It is not good enough to agree that Jesus had some useful ideas, unless we have good reasons for asserting that there is something distinctive about Jesus which requires us to take those ideas with compelling seriousness
5.1 Irenaeus of Lyons on the "ransom" theory of the atonement
- Argues that the death of Christ is to be regarded as a ransom, by which God justly liberated humanity from Satanic captivity - Develops an approach to the doctrine of the atonement which seeks to maintain justice while maintaining the existing tradition which spoke of humanity as being under Satan's dominion as a result of sin
4.28 Forsyth on the person of Christ
- Argues that this approach lacks adequate historical foundation of justification and is theologically indefensible - Critical of those wishing to reclaim the "religion of Jesus" meaning the personal faith of Jesus in God, rather than the religion about Jesus, otherwise known as Christianity
3.13 Augustine of Hippo on the Relationship between God and Evil
- Evil represents a free turning away from God rather than a positive entity in its own right -Denies a dualists answer to the problem of evil -Evil as absence of goodness
3.3 irenaeus of lyons on the trinity
- God the father uncreated
6.1 Irenaeus of Lyons on human progress
- Irenaeus addresses the question of why God did not create humanity in a state of total perfection - He claimed that it was because humanity was simply not able to receive this gift of perfection. Perfection is something that comes about through personal growth
4.2 Irenaeus of Lyons on Gnosticism in Christology
- Irenaeus sets out a list of various Christological heresies which stem from Gnosotic influences - References the docetic view that Christ was a human being in appearance only - Offers readers both info concerning what the Gnoostic opponents of Christianity taught and responses to these teachings
the place of Jesus Christ in Christian theology
- Jesus Christ is the historical point of departure for Christianity - Jesus Christ reveals God - Jesus Christ is the bearer of salvation - Jesus Christ defines the shape of the redeemed life
3.43 David Bentley Hart on God and Evil
- Natural disasters raise important questions about God - Hart's response to natural disaster avoids many of the traditional religious responses to such disasters - such as seeing it as a divine judgment on human immortality or irreligiosity - Hart's response mingles a principals refusal to make simplistic judgments about a complex world and a firm conviction of the hoope o ultimate transformation, seen especially in the final section of this reading
2.32 Charles Hodge on the inspiration of Scripture
- Old Princeton Theology: notable for its emphasis on biblical authority and inspiration
6.38 Valerie C. Saiving on Feminist approaches to sin
- Saiving suggest that the focus on pride characteristic of traditional Christian interpretations of sin reflects a specifically masculine experience that is inappropriate to the experience of most, if not all women - Saiving holds that contemporary theologian make the mistake of assuming that a "thinking man's theology is equally good for a thinking woman" - Argues that women experience sin in a different manner from men
4.13 Cyril of Alexandria on the incarnation
- Sets out his understanding of the mechanics of the incarnation - Emphasizes the totality of the union between the divinity and humanity of Christ without in any way allowing that a change occurred in the divinity as a result - Rejects the idea of "union of good pleasure" for Cyril, a real union took place - Christ is one by synaphea
6.14 Hildegard of Bingen on the Creation of Man and Woman
- She established a reputation as a theological and spiritual write of considerable originality, and developed a particular interest in the spirituality of creation - Passage offers a view of the relationship between male and female which is complementary; they are meant to assist each other and bring each other to their intended goals
6.10 Pelagius on human responsibility
-Argues that divine commands are unconditionally binding upon Christians -God knows the abilities of humanity and the commands reflect the ability with which God endowed humanity at creation -No defect in human nature that prevents from achieving what God commands people to do -God made humanity and is therefore fully apprised of human capacities
BRIAN A GERRISH
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CHARLES HODGE
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CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
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4.30 Paul Tillich on the dispensability of the historical Jesus
-Christianity is about universal existential possibilities, -Believes that the historical existence of Jesus is not of decisive importance to faith Existentialist -Argues that Christianity proclaims and enables a new form of human existence to come into being
6.40 Mary Hayter on Human Sexuality and the Image of God
-Considers the way in which the biblical doctrine of humanity being created in the "image of God" relates to issues of sexuality and gender. In particular, she deals with the issues of the correct relationship between men and women, in the light of the doctrine of creation -Insists that gender distinction is limited to the created order and cannot be read back into the Godhead.
4.12 Nestorius on the term theotokos
-Controversy focuses on whether Mary, the mother of Jesus, may properly be referred to as theotokos (God-bearer). Nestorius is here depicted as confused about whether to use the term or not, hesitant as to what its use affirmed, yet fearful as to what its denial might imply - Nestorius was alarmed at the implications of using the term theotokos because it seemed to deny the humanity of Christ
4.33 Rosemary Radford Ruether on the maleness of Christ
-Explores question of whether a male savior can save woman -Ruther considers two alternative traditions androgynous Christologies and spirit Christologies -The maleness of Christ is used by trationaional Christian groups to defend the idea that Christ can only be represent by males
COUNCIL OF CARTHAGE
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3 main contexts of "son of man" in OT
-Form of address to the prophet Ezekiel -To refer to a future eschatological figure, whose coming signals the end of history and the coming of divine judgement -To emphasize the contrast between the lowliness and frailty of human nature and the elevated status or permanence of God and the angels
6.11 Pelagius on human freedom
-Humanity can exist without sin-Ascribes the will to perform good works to human nature
Cyril of Alexandria
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5.13 Anselm of Canterbury on the atonement
-Sets out his understanding of the reason why God became human. The most important point to note is its emphasis that, on account of sin, humanity has an obligation to offer God an infinite satisfaction, which only God can meet. Therefore a God-man would have both the ability and obligation to pay this satisfaction and thus obtain forgiveness of sins-God created humanity in a state of original righteousness, with the objective of bringing humanity to a state of eternal blessedness-That state of eternal blessedness is contingent upon human obedience to God
4.14 Pope Leo the Great on the two natures of Christ
-Sets out the prevailing Christolocial consensus within the Latin Church-Primarily a letter of critique of the views of Eutyches, especially his rejection of other true humanity of Christ-For Leo, the formula totus in suis, totus in nostris sumps up the correct position on this matter-Conciliatory approach and its clear intention to ascertain what was absolutely essential to the orthoodox Chrstological positions and what was open to negotiation or discussion
The Alexandrian "School" of Christology understood the divine Logos
. to assume/unite to human nature in Jesus of Nazareth.
LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN
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VLADIMIR LOSSKY
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ANNE CARR
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ANSELM OF CANTERBURY
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ARIUS
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AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
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Athanasius of Alexandria
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BONAVENTURE OF BAGNOREGIO
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problem of evil in a four step argument
1. God is good 2. A good God would not permit suffering or evil 3. Yet suffering and evil are observed in the world 4. Therefore a good God does not exist - The fourth statement could be interpreted a simplifying either that theory is not God or that God is not good
5.2 Irenaeus of Lyons on "recapitulation" in Christ
5.2 Irenaeus of Lyons on "recapitulation" in Christ This term means something like going over the same ground again. Christ recapitulates the history of Adam. The salvation of humanity, which was lost in Adam, was therefore regained in Christ
tritheism
A distorted belief in three different Gods--Father, Son, and Spirit--rather than one God who is unified and yet diversely three persons.
irresistible grace
A doctrine found in most Calvinistic theologies that teaches that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those whom God has chosen such that they cannot, or at least will not, resist the saving grace God imparts.
subordinationism
A second- and third- century heresy that held that because the Son and the Spirit proceed from the Father, they are not equal to the Father and are thus not fully divine.
general revelation
A term used to declare that God reveals something about the divine nature through the created order. called general because it only give general or indirect information about God. General because it is available to all humankind
2.17 John Calvin on the Natural knowledge of God
A true and full knowledge of God is only available through scripture. Calvin insists that a natural knowledge of God is possible and this prepares the way for the full knowledge of God
2.6 origen on the three ways of reading scripture
Alexander origen uses the imagery of Body Soul and Spirit to distinguish three different ways in which scripture may be read
3.21 Thomas Aquinas on divine omnipotence
Aquinas argues that sin is a defect and is therefore inconsistent with the idea of GOd as a perfect being. God cannot sin because it is not in God's nature to be deficient
5.14 Peter Abelard on the love of christ in redemption
Argued that one of the chief consequences of the death of Chrsit was its demonstration of the love of God for humanity. It is through our response of love to Christ that we are joiend to him and benefit from his passion
2.47 James I. Packer on the nature of revelation
Argues for the impossibility of such a personal self disclosure without an accompanying information or verbal element
4.31 Wolfhart Pannenberg on the indispensability of the historical Jesus
Argues for the indispensability of engagement with the historical Jesus
3.5 Origen on creation from preexistent matter
Argues that God created the world from preexisting matter, following the Platonic tradition on this point. This matter is understood to be formless, so that the act of creation consists in fashioning this material into its proper form
1.25 Ludwig Wittgenstein on analogy
Argues that the meaning of words is established by their use in real life The use of terms in this way allows their "family resemblances" to be established
1.4 Augustine of Hippo on Philosophy and Theology
Argues that there is no reason why Christians should not extract all that is good in philosophy, and put it to the service of preaching the gospel
4.8 Athanasius of Alexandria on the two natures of christ
Athanasius argues for the divinity of Christ on soteriological grounds while affirming the full humanity of Christ -Only God can save, only the creator can redeem creation -We must accept that Jeus is God incarnate
modalism
The trinitarian heresy that does not view Father, Son and Spirit as three particular "persons in relation" but merely as three modes or manifestations of the one divine person of God.
3.41 Anne Carr on Feminism and the maleness of God
Carr adopts a balanced and judicious perspective in setting out the various aspects of the question, and introduces and assesses some seminal contribution to its discussion
4.1 Ignatius of antioch on docetism
Deals with an early form of the Docetist heresy, which declared that Christ did not suffer in reality but suffered only in appearance and was thus not truly human
5.32 James I Packer on Penal substitution
Defend belief that the cross had the character of penal substitution, and that it was in virtue of this fact that it brought salvation to mankind
1.31 Sallie Mcfague on metaphor in theology
Develops the idea that christian ways of speaking about God are primarily metaphorical in character, drawing attention to other differences between God and humanity as well as the similarities
3.30 Jurgen Moltmann on the suffering of God
Distinguishes himself from the patripassianism and theopaschitism approachBoth the father and the son suffer - but they experience that suffering in different manners. The son suffers the pain and death of the cross; the father gives up and suffers the loss of the SonLove implies suffering
6.8 Augustine on predestination
Divine judgements which determines who will be allowed to be saved in this manner is beyond human understanding -Defines predestination as God withholding or making available, accd. to the divine will, the means by which salvation is possible -Predestination concerns salvation -Suggest salvation depends upon certain means of grace and that it involves making those means of grace available only to the elect
1.33 Brian A. Gerrish on accommodation in calvin's theology
Divine revelation is "adapted" to the abilities and cultural situation of its addresses
total rejection of tradition
Every individual had the right to interpret Scripture as he or she pleases, subject to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
1.9 Thomas Aquinas on proofs for the existence of God
Existence of God can be proved in five ways - change - the nature of an efficient case - the nature of possibility and necessity - the graduation that occurs in things - based on the governance off things
6.12 Council of carthage on grace
Explicitly condemned pelican controversy as heretical a series of eight teaching
Creatio ex nihilo means
God created the cosmos from nothing
To say creation is "contingent" is to claim that
God did not have to create the cosmos.
special revelation
God's divine self-revelation evidenced specifically in salvation history and culminating in the incarnation as understood through Scripture. Only special revaluation can disclose completely your sinful predicament, as well as Gods promise of salvation and its fulfillment in Christ.
cataphatic theology (positive theology)
God's revealing himself and therefore we can give positive attributes to him
6.39 The Second Vatican Council on Human Nature
Humanity here is portrayed as the height of God;s good creation. The Constitution speaks of a "split" within human nature, as a result of sin, leaving to a weakening of the human will; at the same time, it affirms that the law of God is written on human hearts in the conscience
1.10 Thomas Aquinas on the principal of analogy
Impossible to predict anything unequivocally of God and creaturesWords are used of God and creatures according to an analogy that is a certain proportion, between them All words used metaphorically in relation to God apply primarily to creatures and secondarily to God
2.2 Irenaeus of lyons on the role of tradition
Insisted that the living Christian community possessed a tradition of interpreting Scripture which was denied to heretics. By their historical succession form the apostles, the bishops ensure that their congregations remain faithful to their teaching and interpretations
3.23 Julian of Norwich on God as our Mother
Julian's distinctive tendency to refer to both God and Jesus Christ in strongly maternal terms, paralleling her regular use of "mother" to refer to the church
6.4 Lactantius on political aspects of the image of God
Lactantius develops the political and ethical aspects of the doctrine of creation. As all human beings are made by the same God, bear his image, and were created from the same original human being
inspiration
a term used to designate the work of the Holy Spirit in enabling the human authors oof the Bible to record what God desired to have written in the Scriptures
Filioque
Latin term meaning "and from the Son" became significant because of its addition to the description of the Holy Sprit in the Niceno Constantinopolitan creed and by the western churches in the sixth century. the addition of Filioque suggested that the Holy Spirit proceeds form goth the father "and the son"
2.5 Tertullian on tradition and apostolic succession
Lays considerable emphasis upon the role of tradition and apolstolic succession in the defining of Christian theology. Orthodzy depends upon remaining historically continuous with and theological dependent upon the apostles. The heretics, in contrast, cannot demonstrate any such continuity
5.37 Rosemary Radford Ruether on suffering and redemption
Leading feminist theologuic explores how the traditional understanding of Christ's suffering brought together th enotion of deserved suffein gift guilt and the promise of becomiming a Christlike agent of redemption fo on;es vicitimizers through innocent suffeiing
homoousios
Literally "of the same substance" was unused by Athanasius and others to argue that the Son derives his substance form the Father and hence shares the same substance as the Father ( eventually became accepted as orthodox teaching
1.27 Vladimir Lossky on apophatic approaches to theology
Lossky's exposition of the apophatic approach to theology highlights the mystery of God and the limitation placed upon any human attempt to represent or describe the divine nature
2.16 Martin Luther on Revelation in Christ
Luther insists that the knowledge of God through nature is limited and inadequate knowledge of God which must be supplemented and corrected in the light of Scripture - General knowledge of God is accessible to humanity as a whole, but a more specific knowledge exists within the Christian community alone
4.7 Arius on the status of Christ
Most fundamental Arian belief was that Jesus Christ was not divine in any meaningful sense of the term. He was "first among the creatures" that is, [reemintnet in rane, yet unquestionably a creature rather than divine. The father is regarded as existing before the son.
3.22 Bonaventure of Bagnoregio on the Origin of EviL
Origin of sin in the human creature's tendency to focus on itself, rather than on God, its creator and sustainer - Since evil is an absence of goodness, evil itself cannot really be said to have a nature
6.9 Augustine on fallen human nature
Originally created without fault, human nature is now contaminated by sin, and can only be redeemed through grace
6.22 Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola on Human Nature
Pico della Mirandola insists that humanity is not assigned to any particular location or assigned any specific function within creation. It is the privilege and responsibility of humanity to determine its own place and function, through the proper exercise of its freedom and intelligence
2.38 Emil Brunner on the personal nature of revelation
Place emphasis upon the personal disclosure of God to humanity with humanity being the conversation partner of God. Stresses the personal nature of divine revelation, which is an integral aspect of his notion of the divine human dialogue
3.26 John Calvin on the Providence of God
Placed considerable *emphasis on the sovereignty of God over the created order* and saw this as the basis of a doctrine of providence. Calvin presents the notion of providence as an aspect of the doctrine of creation. God is to be seen as our governor and preserver, who sustains all things, inanimate and live, *Nothing acts independently of God*, in that God's governance lies behind physical events in the world of nature. Calvin aims to distinguish the notion of God's overall governance of the world from various forms of fatalism. If God is in control, Calvin argues, there is no need to fear anything within the created realm.
2.50 N.T. Wright on the authority of Biblical narratives
Reflects on how the Christian story, as related to scripture, can be said to have "authority" for the church and for Christian believers
3.27 Benedict Spinoza on the impassibility of God
Said philosophy was like geometry. It was possible to lay down a few fundamental idioms and then proceed to develop an entire philosophical, ethical, or theological system on their bais
2.19 The council of trent on scripture and tradition
Scripture could not be regarded as the only source of revelation; tradition was a vital supplement, which protestants irresponsibly denied
3.38 Paul Jewett on Non Inclusive language and the trinity
Shows how in the final decade of the twentieth century, an awareness of gender-specific language concerning God ceased to be a specific distinctive of feministt theology and became a question for mainstream Christian theology
6.37 Reinhold niebhur on original sin
Strong defender of the reality of sin - Focussed on the issue of how sin can be inevitable yet still be the responsibility of the individual who sins
3.4 Tertullian on creation from preexistent matter
Tertullian deals with Hermongense's idea that God created the world out of pre-existing matter. Tertullian argues that a distinction may be drawn between the terms "God" and "Lord." God has always been "God"; he only became "Lord" when there was something to be Lord over - in other words, once the creation had been brought into being
perseverance of the saints
The mandate in Scripture to remain steadfast in the love of God and to patiently endure hardship, particularly in the face of persecution.
immanent trinity
The term used to explore and, to an inadequate degree, explain the internal workings and relationships among the three persons of the Trinity.
adoptionism
The theory that *asserts that God adopted Jesus of Nazareth as his Son. In other words, Jesus was born human but became God's Son at a particular point in his life.* This theory fails to reflect scriptural texts that point to Jesus' eternal relationship with the Father.
limited atonement
The view that Jesus' death secured salvation for only a limited number of persons (the elect), in contrast to the idea that the work of the cross is intended for all humankind
unconditional election
The view that election, understood as the predetermination of the destiny of human individuals, is based on God's sovereign, eternal decree rather than merely on divine foreknowledge of whether they will freely reject or accept salvation through Jesus Christ.
ransom theory of the atonement
The view that through human sin people rightfully belong to, or come under, the authority of Satan and that to remedy this situation God offered his Son as a ransom in exchange for humankind. But because Jesus could not be kept in hell, he rose on the third day, thereby causing Satan to lose those he held captive
3.40 Elizabeth A. Johnson on male and female images of God
While the mystery of God ultimately transcends all human images it can nevertheless be spoken about equally well using male or female analogies
imputation
a transfer of benefit or harm from one individual to another. In theology, imputation may be used negatively to refer to the transfer of the sin and guilt of Adam to the rest of humankind. Positively, imputation refers to the righteousness of Christ being transferred to those who believe in him for salvation
The Council of Chalcedon
affirmed Jesus Christ as being of one substance with humanity
satisfaction theory of atonement
an understanding of the work of Christ based on the metaphor of God as a sovereign who, having been dishonored by sin, must receive satisfaction. Because through sin humans perpetrated the insult, only a human should provide such satisfaction, but the insult was so great that only God can do so. In that he is both God and man, Jesus Christ was able to provide the necessary satisfaction primarily through his obedient death. originated with Anselm
heresy
any teaching rejected by the Christian community as contrary to Scripture and hence to orthodox doctrine. Heresy is generally reserved for any belief that claims to be Christian and scriptural bout has been rejected by the church as sub- christian or anti-scriptural
2.8 Augustine of Hippo On the literal and allegorical senses of scripture
argues that the spiritual sense has always been present in the Old Testament however it is only seen properly in the light of the New Testament
omniscience
attribute that denotes God's knowing all things. means that all events are present to the divine mind; that is, God has direct cognition of everything in creation
infallibility
characteristic of being incapable of failing to accomplish a predetermined purpose. in protestant theology infallibility is usually associated with Scripture. the Bible will not fail in its ultimate purpose of revealing God and the ay of salvation to humans
essence
deriving form the Latin verb essential which means "to be". essence is the fundamental nature of something apart from which the thing would not be what it is. Essence, then, is the core of what makes something what it is without being something else. Trinity is said to share the same essentia
liberation theology
developed an approach to suffering based upon its emphasis upon the poor and the oppressed
Christian theologians who make a distinction between "primary" and "secondary" causality do so in order to
distinguish between how God causes events and how creatures cause events.
The belief that Jesus of Nazareth was fully divine, but only appeared/seemed to be human is called
docetism
Gnosticism
early greek religious movement of broad proportions that was particularly influential in the second century church. Gnostics believed that devotees had gained a special kind of spiritual enlightenment, through why they had attained a secret or higher level of knowledge not accessible to the uninitiated. Gnostics also tended to emphasize the spiritual realm oover the material, often claiming that the material realm is evil and hence to be escaped
hypostasis
first used by Eastern theologians in the early centuries of church history to refer to the three persons of the Trinity. The cappadocian father (bail in particular) argued that God is three hypostaseis in one ousia (essence or substance)
sanctification
from Hebrew and greek "to be set apart" from common use "to be made holy." The nature of sanctification is twofold in that Christians have been made holy through Christa and are called to continue to grow into and strive for holiness by cooperating with the indwelling Holy Spirit until they enjoy complete conformity to Christ
on the feeling of absolute dependence
humans will come to the realization that they are NOT maintaining their own existence and this sensation brings about a kind of awe
docetism
in the early church *the teaching that Jesus was fully God but only appeared to be human* (from greek "to seem or appear") docetist theologians emphasized the qualitative differnce between God and humans and therefore downloaded the human elements of Jesus' life in favor of those that pointed ot his deity. the early chu h rejected docetism as an heretical interpretation of the biblical teaching about Jesus
communicatio idomatum
latin for *"communication of attributes."* According to this teaching, *Jesus' status as both fully God and fully human implies that whatever is true of Jesus' humanity is also true of his deity and vice versa* without mixing the qualities of the divine or human nature. For example, if Jesus suffers and if Jesus is God, then it can be concluded that in Jesus God suffers
orthodoxy
literally "right praise" or "right belief". implies being characterized by consistency in belief and worship with the Christian father as witnessed in Scripture
process theology
locates the origins of suffering and evil within the world in a radical limitation upon the power of God
NT Christological titles
messiah son of God son of Man Lord Savior God
apophatic theology
negative theology, because it assumes that all that Human language can do is assert what God is not - for example, that God is infinite (not finite), immutable (not changing) - assumes that positive description of God is impossible, for by definition God, as an uncreated being does not fit into normal categories of human language - apophatic theology suggets that Go is known positively through spiritual experience rather than through rational expression
The illumination of Scripture is the
ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian person and community in assisting believers to interpret, understand and obey the Scriptures
revelation
refers both to the process by which God discloses the divine nature and the mystery of the divine will and purpose to human being, and to the corpus of truth disclosed.
total depravity
refers to *the extent and comprehensiveness of the effects of sin on all humans such that all are unable to do anything to obtain salvation.* total depravity, therefore, does not mean that *humans are thoroughly sinful but rather that humans are totally incapable of saving themselves.* the term suggests as well that the effects of the fall extend to every dimentsion of human existence, so that we dare not trust any ability (such as reason) that we remain capable of exercising in our fallen state
omnipotence
refers to God's ability to do whatever is consistent with God's own character and being in effecting the divine plan for creation. God's omnipotence is primarily demonstrated in GOd's overturning evil for good
omnipresence
refers to God's being present everywhere in creation at the same time. there is nowhere in the universe that lies beyond the cognition (and care) of God
aseity
refers to God's self-existence, derived form the latin a se which means from oneself. In other words, God is not dependent upon anything else for existence but has eternally existed without any external or prior cause
justification
refers to the divine act whereby God makes humans, who are sinful and therefore worthy of condemnation, acceptable before a God who is holy and righteous.
traditionally, natural theology...
refers to what can be known about God through the natural world, without any divine guidance or special revelation
Enlightenment rationalism
rest upon the belief that unaided human reason can deliver everything that humanity needs to know
christology
sets out to explore why the little slice of human history called "Jesus of Nazareth" might hold the key to the nature of God and of human destiny
accommodation
speaks of God making himself known to humans in words and ways suitable for the finite human mind to comprehend. The most significant example in which God accommodates to human kind is found in the coming of Jesus Christ - deity taking human form.
Transcendence
the attribute of God that refers to being wholly and distinctly separate from creation (although always actively involved in and with it as well). declaration means that God is "above" the world and come to creation from "beyond"
immutability
the characteristic of not experiencing change or development. certain understandings of God posit the divine reality as incapable of experiencing change in any way
immanence
the idea that God is present in, close to and involved with creation. God is constantly involved with creation without actually becoming exhausted by creation or ceasing to be divine in any way
inerrancy
the idea that scripture is completely free for error. it is generally agreed by all theologians who use the term that inerrancy at least refers too the trustworthy and authoritative nature off Scripture as God's Word
2.15 Martin Luther on the fourfold sense of scripture
the literal sense - the allegorical sense - the moral sense - the anagogic sense
The four senses/meanings of Scripture passages that early medieval biblical interpretation sought to discern were
the literal/historical, allegorical/spiritual, tropological/moral, and anagogical senses
illumination
the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian person and community in assisting believers to interpret, understand and obey the Scriptures. Illuumination is a matter of faith as well as intellectual assent - the spirits goal in illumination movies beyond mere intellectual assent to propositions of Scripture to the movement of the human will to trust Christ and obey him
eternality
the realm in which there is not beginning and no end. as a term relative to the concept of time, eternity is what lies beyond time and is not constrained any time. thus it is the characteristic or attribute associated with God alone, because God has no beginning point and no ending point
original sin
the state of alienation from God into which all humans are born.historically, original sin was connected to the discussion about the manner in which Adam's sin affects all humans, such as through the transmission of Adam's fallen nature or through God's imputation of Adam's sin
ebionism
the teaching of an early group of jewish-christian sects that were committed to an ascetic or poor lifestyle ebonies rejected the pauline epistles, concentrated on the theme of doing good works according too the book of James, *saw the Christian life as strict obedience to a moral code and understood Jesus as one who was anointed by God at baptism because of his perfect o science to the mosaic law.* although ebionism was not officially condemned by the church, it never gained widespread acceptance
apollinarianism
the teaching of the fourth century bishop of Laodiea Apollinarius, who remarked that *in his incarnation Christ took on a human body and soul but not a human mind or spirit.* Apollinarius argued that to have a human spirit is to have a free will. But where there is free will, there is also sin. Therefore, Apollinarius concluded, *Christ operated solely on the basis of a divine mind* or noous. The church officially rejected Apollinariainism at the second ecumenical council at Constantinople
Circumincession (Perichoresis)
the theological concept, also referred to as perichoresis, affirming that the divine essence is shared by each of the three persons of the Trinity in a manner that avoids blurring the distinctions among them. By extension, this idea suggests that any essential characteristic that belongs to one of the three is shared by the others. Circumincession also affirms that the action of one of the persons of the Trinity is also fully the action of the other two persons.
chalcedonies formula
the theological conclusion of the ecumenical council held in Chalcedon, which *attempted to delineate the relationship between Christ's humanity and his deity.* The church accepted the Chalcedonian formula at the orthodox statement about the person of Christ. *This formula confesses "one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, made known in tow natures without confusion, without change, without division, without separartion, the different of the natures being by no means removed because off the union"*
economic trinity
the trinity in relationship to the world, economic trinity refers to how God as a tripersonal being relates to the world, which in turn provides the biblical context for understanding how the persons of the Trinity relate to each other
moral influence theory of the atonement
the view attributed to Peter Abelard that above all the cross is the grand display of God's love.In response to the love of God thus displayed, we, in turn, love God and live for God rather than continuing in sin
nestorianism
the view held by Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, that although Jesus Christ was one person (God and man united), his two natures (one human and one divine) existed side by side and hence were separable. One consequence of this view was that Jesus' suffering for humankind was seen as an act of Jesus I'm his humanity but not in his deity
penal substitution theory of the atonement
the view that speaks of sin as the breaking of God's law, for which the penalty is death. Hence on the cross Christ suffered the death penalty in the sinner's place and so appeased the wrath of God. This theory was first proposed in the Reformation and later became the most widely held view among Protestants, especially evangelicals, in Britain and the US
The Antiochene "School" of Christology understood the divine Logos
to assume/unite to a specific human being.
A single-source theory of tradition
understands tradition to be "the traditional way of interpreting Scripture"
Kiononia
word meaning fellowship, communion, or intimate sharing