Final Exam Flashcards
Augustine
Was made Bishop of Hippo
Wrote Confessions, Against the Donatists, and City of God
Was the most important theologian of the first 5 centuries, maybe second only to the Apostle Paul
Confessions
Written by Augustine while in the midst of a midlife crisis
Represents one of the first autobiographies ever written
Is presented as an extended prayer
Against the Donatists
Written by Augustine in 400 AD
Is about the doctrine of the Church (ecclesiology)
Deals with baptism
City of God
Written by Augustine from around 413-426 AD
Is written in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in Rome, causing mass migration and a loss of faith in the Roman Empire
Romans began blaming Christianity for the weakness of the Empire; City of God was written as a response to these pagan apologists
Donatism
Believed that the efficacy of baptism depended on the morality and teaching of the priest who performed it; they believed that the wheat and the tares could be separated this side of glory
Far outnumbered orthodox Catholics in Hippo
Augustine reported this controversy much like a journalist and began to question the notion of a pure Church
Pelagius (360-418)
Frequently debated Augustine
Believed that Christians had the ability to keep all of God’s commands, rejected the doctrine of Original Sin, and rejected that death was the just consequence of sin imposed by God
Pelagianism was eventually condemned as a heresy at the Council of Ephesus in 431
Enchiridion (420 AD)
Written by Augustine to be a handbook of faith, hope, and love
Defines piety as wisdom in service of God
Details Augustine’s fourfold understanding of love
Augustine’s Paradigm of Love
Love is the enjoyment of God for His own sake
Love prior to the Law
Love under the Law
Love under grace
Love in full and perfect peace
What is an Ecumenical Council?
An official, ecclesiastical meeting, called by a Pope, usually with the approval of the Emperor, for the purpose of defining the doctrine and practice of the Church
Are divided into 4 periods: Early, Medieval, Reformation, Modern
First 7 are widely regarded as true by most denominations
Anselm (1033-1109)
Credited as the father of scholasticism
Archbishop of Canterbury
Came up with the ontological argument
His life was based off of the phrase Faith Seeking Understanding
Wrote Monologion, Proslogion, and Cur Deus Homo
Believed he could prove God’s existence, character, and the basic contours of the Trinity from reason alone
Scholasticism
Is theology studied in the schools
Teaches how to know what you believe, why you believe it, and how to teach that view to others
Is a means of theological discourse by means of question and answer
Monologion
Written by Anselm in 1075
Is a response to the question “How should a person meditate on the divine essence?”
Was a pattern of meditation of the reason for faith, arguing from reason alone
Proslogion
Written by Anselm from 1077-1078
Is the clearest example of Faith Seeking Understanding, as it is an address to God
Defines God as “a being that then which nothing greater can be thought”
Cur Deus Homo
Written by Anselm
Means “Why the God-Man?”
Is an apology for the necessity of the incarnation and the work of Christ
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Lived and died as a monk
Anselm, Peter Abelard, Hugh of Saint Victor, and Peter Lombard heavily influenced his thinking
Was defined by Faith Seeking Experience
Peter Abelard (1079-1142)
Had an affair
Heavily relied on Aristotle
Wrote Sic et Non (Yes and No)
Hugh of Saint Victor (1096-1141)
Viewed all creation as a sign that points toward a Creator
Believed that theology was greater than philosophy, which in turn was greater than the liberal arts
Advocates for medieval mysticism, the idea that creation leads to a spiritual encounter with God (this is not inherently wrong)
Peter Lombard (1096-1160)
Most known for his Four Books of Sentences
Believed in 7 sacraments
Attempts to resolve all of the issues that Abelard brought up
Loving God
Written by Bernard of Clarivaux from 1136-1141
Describes 4 stages of love:
Learning to love oneself for one’s own sake
Loving God for one’s own benefit
Loving God for God’s sake
Loving oneself for God’s sake
Sermons on the Song of Songs
Written by Bernard of Clairvaux from 1135-1153
Deals with finding mystical union with Christ along the lines of love
Was a favourite work among the Puritans
The Quadriga of Interpreting Scripture
A literal reading of the text that promotes faith, hope, and love
Literal (Historical Context)
Allegorical (Doctrinal reading that provokes faith and response)
Tropological (the moral application of the text that promotes love)
Anagogical (the hopeful eschatology of the passage)
Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
Represents the height of the medieval Church, being the most important theologian between Augustine and Luther
Was heavily influenced by Augustine and the Dominicans
Wrote Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologiae
Summa Contra Gentiles
Written by Thomas Aquinas
Is an evangelistic tool against Pagans, Jews, and Muslims
Focuses on the knowledge of God, creation, providence and the problem of evil, and revelation
Summa Theologiae
Written by Thomas Aquinas from 1265-1274
Clearest example of the scholastic method
Deals with creation and it’s God, our relationship with God as we pursue holiness, and the person and works of Jesus Christ
John Wycliffe (1328-1384)
Educated at Oxford
Became critical of certain tendencies in the Church, saying that Christ is the only Head of the Church and how the Church is only the elect of God
He even called the Pope Antichrist
Raised questions on the forced celibacy of the priesthood
Wrote on the nature of the Lord’s Supper against the Pope’s will because it was “settled” at a church council
Was declared a notorious heretic after his death in prison
John Huss
Was a follower of Wycliffe
Was very popular in the public’s eye as well as with the nobility
Was burned at the stake in 1416
Staupitz
Was a teacher and friend of Martin Luther and tried to keep him safe
Never left the Roman Church
Revolutionized the teaching on the grace of God
Photius
Bishop of Constantinople
Criticized papal celibacy
Rejected filioque clause
Grace and Free Will
Written by Bernard
Evidence of Bernard’s scholasticism
Grace moves the will of God
Essay Question #1: Why Study Church History?
Learning from history helps us become better pastors, elders, missionaries, teachers, etc.
History helps us develop a better grasp of heresy
History can inspire us to become courageous and faithful
History helps us to love God more
Essay Question #2: How was Augustine so influential?
Augustine’s doctrines of grace made the Reformation possible
Is a testament to the love of God
Reflects the love of God in beautiful ways
Council of Nicea
325
Governed by Constantine
Condemned Arianism
First Council of Constantinople
381
Called by Pope Damasus
Governed by Theodosius I
Condemned Macedonianism and Apollinarianism
Council of Ephesus
431
Pope Celestine I
Emperor Theodosius II
Condemned Nestorianism
Council of Chalcedon
451
