DCT Flashcards
1
Q
Augustines view on Human Nature
A
- He was one of the most important theologians of all time, developing core Christian beliefs from the fall of man to original sin.
- Work includes ‘Confessions’ and ‘City of Theology’
2
Q
Manicheism
A
- A Belief in two souls, one light and one dark, warning over the person, and throughout the universe we must return to God by choosing God.
- Achieved y living an axestic life
3
Q
Platonism
A
- manicheism could explain maths and philosophy
- he turned to neo-platonism
- to contemplate God the mind and the body had to work in unison, however the soul cannot control the body so this couldnt happen.
- only after death can the soul be reunited with God.
- Evil was a lack of Goodness.
4
Q
Augustines teaching on the Pre-Lapsarian Will
A
- Genesis 1-3
- Humans in the world were created perfectly with free will. In the image of God (Imagio Dei).
- Body, soul and reason all work in harmony, direct the m with pure living with God.
- The Human, all 3 parts, are directed by the will.
5
Q
Augustines Teaching on Human Will
A
-Human will is the driving force behind all of their actions
-He claims that there is a kind of love that causes us to act in a kind of way. He claims that it is split into two parts.
CUPITIDAS: A kind of self love ideally driving one to personal perfection.
CARITAS: Generous love which allows one to look after their community and play a positive part in their creation.
6
Q
Augustines Teaching on Friendship
A
- For Augustine, friendship is the highest expression of human existence
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in a perfect, loving friendship with eachother and with God.
- even though they had sex, it wasnt lustful as the will of love was in harmony with the needs of the body.
- They were in perfect unobscured unison with God.
7
Q
Augustines teaching on the Post Lapsarian Will
variation
A
- God created a level of variation within everything.
- This applied to the angels he created aswell as some were created with more pride and less reverence.
8
Q
Augustines teaching on the Post Lapsarian Will
pride
A
- Due to Humans free will, we can also be proud.
- Satan envied the humans perfect state so encouraged Adam and Eves pride.
- This lead them to eat from the tree of wisdom, a sign that they wanted to be like God.
9
Q
Augustines teaching on the Post Lapsarian Will
disobedience
A
- the idea of pride, having entered the human will, caused the fall of the man.
- the act of human rebellion is down to human free will.
- In this way,pride (disobedience) is the first and greatest of all vices and obedience is the first and greatest of all virtues.
- This meant that the will, not the body is fallen. The body remains in the same state, however the will cant control it.
10
Q
The Divided Will
A
- After disobeying God, it weakened the will.
- Cupitidas often overrides caritas and humans become more self centered.
- This means that the will is at a constant war with itself, it is because that we do things which we know is wrong.
11
Q
Concupiscence
A
- The human body was created with the desire for those things that fulfill and sustain the basic functions of a human to eat, sleep and reproduce.
- Augustine calls the desire for these things, the ‘libido’ which is roughly equvalent to sex drive.
- Concupiscene is the reason humans sin and it distracts us from loving God.
12
Q
Free Will
A
- he used to think that Humans can reach a virtous state by their own merits
- he saw concupiscence and sin as a punishment for disobedience which can never be overcome
- he thought that humans were fettered by sin and would not escape it.
13
Q
pre-destination
A
- The inability to escape sin meant that Augustine adopted a strict belief on pre-destination and limited election.
- he thought that only the elect would be saved by God,none by their own actions.
- Jesus Christ saving us all?
14
Q
Jesus as the Son of God
A
- Although Jesus never specifically said that he was the Son of God, he alludes to it frequently, throughout his conversations and speeches with those he encountered.
- frequently refered to as God throughout scripture
- Jesus referenced God as his father
- At his baptism, a voice declares ‘this is my Son’
15
Q
Jesus being directly associated with God
A
- John calls Jesus the word and “the word of God”
- Thomas refers to Jesus as “My lord my God”
- John says that “Gods spirit will come again through Jesus”.
- Matthew records Jesus as having a God like power.
- Throughout the Church, Jesus was worshipped, something done to a God.
16
Q
How human was Jesus
A
- For Jesus to redeem the world, he must be God, as only God has the power.
- If he is God, then he cannot write and save humanity.
- Jesus is the same substance as God.
17
Q
Jesus’ Self Knowledge
A
- If he was human consciously, how could he predict the future.
- If he had divine conciousness, then his displays of pain, suffering, joy and anxiety are false which then reduce his humanity.
- Medieval theologians understood him to have one of three types of knowledge
1. Knowledge of the divine reality of God.
2. An infused or combined knowledge
3. Knowledge of a human life.
18
Q
Scholars on the interpretation of Miracles
A
- HUME- we dont see miracles today, we should’nt trust of the New Testament writer.
- EDWARD SCHLIERBECK-Miracles have a special and metaphorical meaning today, not just a miraculous event of the past.
19
Q
Jesus and the Ressurection
A
- It is a central belief within Christianity.
- ST PAUL “And if Christ has not been raised then all our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
- Distinguishes Jesus from the many other important beliefs in religious figures in history.
20
Q
the significance of the ressurrection
A
- the greatest of all miracles.
- this was because the miracle defied the most defining feature of human existence (death.)
- the resurection justifies Jesus’ claims that God’s kingdom is yet to come.
- the resurrection seals the meaning of Jesus’ life work and death.
- St Paul calls it “the beginning and end of all things”
21
Q
Jesus as a Teacher
A
-He tought in synagogues and temples throughout the area, and he spoke in parables and often made suprising or controversial statements to those who were listening..
22
Q
Jesus’ Moral teaching
A
- His main messages covered repentance, forgiveness and love of God’s neighbour.
- His vision is the unification and healing of all humanity.
- The idea of agape love is central to his teaching.
- He identified the need for moral purity and solidarity with the oppressed, including women.
- He Offers wisdom, power and wealth, saying that both act as a barrier to loving eachother and God.
23
Q
“Jesus was one of many Holy people” (FOR)
A
- John Hick said in his book “The myth of the God Incarnate” that the closeness of Jesus has with God is not unique.
- He said that a similar understanding is found with several other central figures. e.g. Muhammad and Moses.
- one must take a metaphorical approach understanding of the incarnation which means that many doctrines must be interpreted, but means that Christianity retains much of it’s significance and moral power.
24
Q
“Jesus was one of many Holy people” (AGAINST)
A
- many Christians reject that his moral teachings can be separated from his divine nature.
- CS LEWIS said that it is illogical to think that Jesus is so fundamentally deluded about his own personhood and think that he is a great moral teacher.
- Boenhoffer suggests that without the incarnation, we cannot meet God in others and his nature and commands would remain unknown.
- some atheists think that Jesus was not a Good moral teacher, they point to him saying “he who is blameless may cast the first stone.” and this would make society unable to prosecute anyone.
25
Natural Knowledge of God's Existence
Natural theology supposes that as God is the creator of the universe and humans are conscious elements of the universe, then they have a natural predisposition to know God as their creator.
26
The innate human sense of God
Both John Calvin and THE CC start in similar ways
"the desire for God is written in the human heart"CCC
"Nearly all the wisdom we posses... consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves." John Calvin
27
Innate knowledge of God
- the unknown God- Paul to the Athenians Acts 17
- The constant quest for an unknown God.
- Universal consent argument- Cicero -It is reasonable to suggest that God exists because so many people believe in the Gods or God.
- Humans are religious beings- Catechism- "the practices of prayer, sacrifice and ritual and meditation are universal.
- Natural Law- synderisis principle.
- Conscience- conscience is our God given faculty. Gods presence which gives us our moral judgement.
28
Humans ability to reflect, recognise and consider his existence.
-important to natural theology is the arguments for the existence of God.
-they dont prove the existence of God, however they give strong reason on why that may be so.
the knowledge of God is most likely by definition.
29
Knowledge of God as seen in the order of creation and in the order of design
- although the universe is by no means perfect it does demonstrate divine sparks of God's glory.
- principle of accomodation- God reveals himself through nature in ways which that human finite minds can best understand.
- nature acts as a mirror for God, it allows us to understand some of God's basic characteristics.
30
arguments from purpose
- Paleys watch argument is an example of a rational argument from purpose.
- It rests on the analogy of the watch
- However, it has been heavily criticised by Hume and Dawkins though the evidence of evil in this world, as well as evolution, not design leading to complexity.
31
arguments from process
- a revised version of the design argument is based around the understanding of quantumn uncertainty.
- States that God has a dipolar nature
- God respects the free will of his creation but seeks to maximise the potential of an induvidual on a decision by decision basis.
32
revealed knowledge of God
- this is knowledge disclosed by God himself to humanity
- it is available to all, those who have faith.
- IMMEDIATE REVELATION: a direct encounter with God.
- MEDIATE REVELATION: knowing about God through someone else.
33
Faith and God's Grace- immediate revelation
- prior to the fall, humans could know God through 'sensus divinatis' alone.
- however, because Adam and Eve sinned, it cut off our ability to know through our own reason or severely confuse it.
34
Faith
- Belief that God is revealed through the prophets and God cannot be known through reason alone. It requires faith.
- UNFORMED FAITH: intellectual reasons why one might accept life after death but hasnt accepted them.
- FORMED FAITH: This is the faith of someone who fully asserts to what they cannot know through reason.
35
Calvins view of Faith
FIRM AND CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE: the firm and certain knowledge of God's benevolence which must be revealed by Christ and sealed by the holy spirit.
WILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE: faith is given to those who are willing to accept it, and is an emotional and cerebral moment of acceptance.
36
Grace
- no matter how strong the faith of one person, it is not strong enough to complete the relationship and understanding of God.
- faith is a human decision which requires the reciprocal acceptance of God.
- it is the benevolent nature of God which allows for this acceptance.
- this in turn provides the gifts that are required to live as a Good Christian; strength of faith, wisdom and confidence.
37
Mediate revelation- the bible
- the major source for revealed knowledge
- it does this through many different ways: beauty in the world, events in history, traditional wisdom, prophets, religious` experiences, natural laws and the person of Jesus.
