Chapter 4: The Church Fathers and Heresies

Question 1

A Creed is an official statement of belief. What two points of belief do the Athanasian Creed emphasize?

Answer 1

-Faith in the 3 Divine persons
-The Incarnation of God the Son

Question 2

What are the guiding premises of Gnosticism?

Answer 2

-Corruption: Matter is a corruption of the spirit, and thus the world is corrupt
-Seek knowledge: Man must seek through knowlege to overcome this state and return to God
-God made it possible for us to be saved through Jesus

Question 3

What role did asceticism play in Manichaeism and other Gnostic heresies?

Answer 3

-Followers of Mani kept to a more strict form of asceticism and tired to outperform Christianity in this

Question 4

Who has the power to start change and end an ecumenical council?

Answer 4

The Supreme Pontiff (Pope)

Question 5

Who is a “Church Father,” and what are the five characteristics of a Church Father?

Answer 5

Is a great and holy leader who arose to lead the Church;
Five characteristics:
-Orthodoxy in doctrine
-Holiness
-Notoriety
-Antiquity
-Approval by the Church

Question 6

How and why did St. Ambrose stand up to the very powerful emperor Theodosius in 390 AD?

Answer 6

St. Ambrose stood up to Emperor Theodosius in 390, excommunicating and forcing him to make a public penance for slaughtering 700 village people in Thessalonika

Question 7

List two translation of the Bible discussed in this chapter and specific information about them.

Answer 7

The Vulgate;
-It is believed that the Vulgate, because it was originally translated directly from the manuscripts of the original languages, is most faithful because those manuscripts no longer exist
Revised Standard Version (RSV);
-First ecumenical, meaning it represents several different churches, was the first to be put together by Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox scholars

Question 8

For what is St. John Chrysostom best known?

Answer 8

Ordained a priest in 386 in Antioch, where he became a renowned preacher that earned his name Chrysostom meaning “Golden Mouthed”

Question 9

What was Arianism, and why was Arianism such a threat to Christianity?

Answer 9

Arianism was a third/fourth century heresy founded by an Alexandrian priest and stated that Jesus was NOT divine;
It was a threat because it disrupted the Church’s unity and spread very quickly

Question 10

Who convened the Council of Nicea in 325 and what was the council’s outcome?

Answer 10

Emperor Constantine the Great;
The Nicene Creed, the first solemn declaration of Catholic teaching which proclaimed more fully the central truths of Christianity

Question 11

What is the Hypostatic Union, and when was it adopted?

Answer 11

A doctrine that was formally accepted by the Church at the 4th Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 AD);
It taught that Jesus is one person with two natures, human and divine

Question 12

Under what circumstances was it said of Pope St. Leo I that “Peter has spoken through Leo”? What does this statement really mean?

Answer 12

It was after Pope St. Leo I gave his input in the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD);
It means that Pope St. Leo I acted as a liaison for Peter when he made his decisions at the Council of Chalcedon

Question 13

Which regional churches form the Oriental Orthodox Church, and why did they seperate from the Catholic Church?

Answer 13

Coptic/Egyptian Orthodox, the Abyssinians (Ethiopian Orthodox), and the Syrian Orthodox;
They separated from the Catholic Church because they resented the power of the emperor and his attempts to force theological unity

Question 14

How did Pope St. Leo I increase papal power?

Answer 14

Through a variety of means based upon Jesus Christ’s strong endorsement of the papacy transmitted through the New Testament;
Also secured a rescript from Emperor Valentinian III that acknowledged papal jurisdiction in the West

Question 15

What is dogma?

Answer 15

Dogma is teachings that are proclaimed by the authorities of the Church

Question 16

How did St. Augustine answer the challenges posed by Donatism?

Answer 16

Developed the Catholic position that Christ is the true minister of every Sacrament, even if the person celebrating the Sacrament is in the state of sin;
St. Augustine separated the issue of worthiness on the part of the priest from the validity and efficacy of the Sacrament

Question 17

Describe St. Augustine’s background. Why would his ordination as a bishop have been particularly controversial with Donatists?

Answer 17

St. Augustine had a conversion experience while in a garden in Milan; He heard a voice of a young boy singing “Tolle et lege” (Take and read); St. Augustine obeyed, picked up the Scriptures and turned to a passage without looking;
Donatists had an issue with St. Augustine’s sinful past

Question 18

What do the words “tolle et lege” mean, and what is their significance in St. Augustine’s life?

Answer 18

St. Augustine heard a voice of a young boy singing “Tolle et lege” (Take and read);
He obeyed, picked up the Scriptures and turned to a passage without looking;
St. Augustine converted to Christianity this way

Question 19

What topics did St. Augustine address in two of his best known works, Confessions and City of God?

Answer 19

Trinity, grace, the Fall and original sin, repentance, the sacraments, predestination, and atonement

Question 20

When and by whom was Christianity declared the official religion of the empire?

Answer 20

391 AD;
Theodosious I the Great