Midterm Study Guide

Question 1

Emperor Nero

Answer 1

AD 54-68. Oversaw first state-sponsored persecution of Christians. Blamed Christians for the Fire of Rome (June 18, AD 64)

Question 2

Emperor Diocletian

Answer 2

AD 284-305. Organized government under tetrarchy; persecution of Christians began with the military in AD 295 and expanded in AD 303 due to his edict which forbade Christian meetings. Arrested Church leaders and required sacrifices to the Roman gods.

Question 3

Gnosticism

Answer 3

No date. Variety of religious movements that appealed to special, mystical knowledge which brought salvation to the enlightened. Dualists who saw spiritual world as good and material world as evil, and likewise believed in two gods for the respective realms.

Question 4

Tertullian

Answer 4

AD 160-220. Apologist of the early church who wrote against Gnosticism. He took a strong stand against paganism in his apologetic approach but sadly fell into false teaching before his death.

Question 5

Marcion

Answer 5

AD 110-160. False teach who was first to assert a NT Canon. Distinguished between god of OT who made the world (evil) and Christian God of NT (good). Believed that Jesus did not have a human body.

Question 6

The Edict of Milan

Answer 6

AD 313. Created as part of and alliance between Constantine and Licinius which set in motion the end of Christian persecution and returned Christian properties.

Question 7

Donatism

Answer 7

4th Century. Movement concerned with the purity of the Church, arose in response to merging of Church and State under Constantine. Rejected by the Church, gave way to violence by Circumcellions. Schism, not heresy.

Question 8

Arius/Arianism

Answer 8

AD 250-336. Arius was a presbyter in Antioch who promoted heresy of Arianism, which states that Jesus is the first created being (“there was when he was not”)

Question 9

Council of Nicaea

Answer 9

AD 325. Council convened to evaluate the teachings of Arius on the deity of Christ. Arianism was rejected in the Nicene Creed, however the church moved towards Arianism after the council due to influence of Eusebius of Nicomedia.

Question 10

Council of Chalcedon

Answer 10

AD 451. Responding to the Errors of Apollinarianism and Nestorianism, the council affirmed that Christ is one person with two nature and affirmed the sanctity of Christ’s saving work.

Question 11

Irenaeus

Answer 11

AD 2nd Century-202. One of the Anti-Gnostic Fathers, combated gnosticism in his work Against Heresies by affirming the humanity of Christ.

Question 12

Athanasius

Answer 12

AD 296/298-373. Staunch opponent of Arianism who faced exile from the church of Alexandria and rejection due to his doctrinal stance.

Question 13

Pelagius

Answer 13

AD 350-425. Taught that man has natural ability to pursue his salvation, and is not affected by original sin. Emphasized an unconditional free will and moral responsibility.

Question 14

Monasticism

Answer 14

No date. Movement within the Medieval church responding to the church-state alliance after Constantine. Emphasized separation from the world, humility, self-sacrifice, and prayer.

Question 15

Martin of Tours

Answer 15

AD 317-397. Bishop of Tours who practiced the monastic life and became the subject of The Life of Saint Martin, authored by Severus, which shaped western monasticism.

Question 16

Gregory I

Answer 16

AD 590-604. Pope who was a reformer, negotiator, biblical commentator, author (Life of Benedict), and defender of the city of Rome.

Question 17

The Great Schism

Answer 17

AD 1054. Theological and ecclesiastical disagreements over the centuries led to the mutual excommunication of the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Greek Orthodox) branches of the church.

Question 18

Scholasticism

Answer 18

No Date. “The attempt to rationalize theology in order to buttress faith with reason.” - Earle Cairnes

Question 19

Thomas Aquinas

Answer 19

AD 1225-74. Dominican scholar who integrated the natural philosophy of Aristotle with the revelation of the Bible. Known for Summa Theologica.

Question 20

List Anthony Hoekema’s five main features of a Christian interpretation of history.

Answer 20

1. History is a working out of God’s purposes.
2. God is the Lord of history.
3. Jesus is the center of history.
4. The new age has already been ushered in.
5. All of history is moving towards a goal: the new heavens and the new earth.

Question 21

List and define the two terms describing Christ’s relationship to the Father which were key in the Council of Nicaea.

Answer 21

1. Homoousios: “Of the same substance.” Position of Athanasius, which Constantine suggested to be included in the Nicene Creed.
2. Homoiousios: “Of a similar substance.” Position of Arius and his followers. Rejected at the Council of Nicaea.

Question 22

List the (5) motives for monasticism.

Answer 22

1. Reaction to the church-state alliance after Constantine that brought worldly favor, wealth, and prestige.
2. Expression of the Christian ideal of humility, self-sacrifice, and prayer.
3. An escape from the uncertainties of turbulent political and economic times to a stable and predictable community.
4. A response to Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 7:8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
5. Neoplatonic Influences that viewed the Christian life as a movement from a material, carnal world to a purer spirituality.