Rush Chapter 3

Question 0

Council of Jerusalem

Answer 0

Recounts in Acts 15, this synod of the Apostles around AD 49 or 50 spoke with the authority of the Holy Spirit in deciding that Gentile converts to Christianity did not have to be circumcised or obey the Law of Moses.

Question 1

Ecumenical Councils

Answer 1

From the Greek oikpumene, meaning “the whole world.” A formal synod of bishops( sometimes with other ecclesiastics) from the whole inhabited world convened to define doctrine, regulate the Christian life, or apply discipline in the Church. The first ecumenical council was held at Nicaea in AD 325.

Question 2

Magisterium

Answer 2

The name given to the universal teaching authority of the pope and the bishops in communion with him, which guides the members of the Church without error in matters of faith and morals through the interpretation of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

Question 3

Infallibility

Answer 3

The Dogma that the pope cannot err when speaking ex cathedra (when formally exercising his office as chief shepherd and teacher of all Catholics) and defining a doctrine concerning faith and morals to be held by the whole Church. The term can also refer to the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church whereby the pastors of the Church-the pope and bishops in union with him-can definitely proclaim a doctrine of faith or morals for the belief of the faithful, with that proclamation being free from all error.

Question 4

Apostolic Succession

Answer 4

Term used to describe the lineage of the Catholic bishops and pope through the ages by which each holds office in a direct link to the Twelve Apostles.

Question 5

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Answer 5

A summary of Catholic teaching. A catechism of this same name was published in 1997.

Question 6

Deposit of Faith

Answer 6

The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, handed on in the Church from the time of the Apostles, from which the Magisterium draws all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed.

Question 7

Tradition

Answer 7

From the Latin traditio, meaning “handing down.” Sacred Tradition is part of the Deposit of Faith. It is the Word of God entrusted by Christ to the Apostles and their successors and communicated by preaching and teaching to every generation of Christians under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who keeps it free from error. Sacred Tradition preceded Sacred Scripture, which grew out of Sacred tradition with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Human traditions or traditions of men are man-made acts and rituals that did not originate with Christ.

Question 8

Sacred tradition

Answer 8

See tradition.
The part of the Deposit of Faith. It is the Word of God entrusted by Christ to the apostles their successors and communicated by preaching and teaching to every generation of Christians under the guidance of the Holy Spirit

Question 9

Fathers of the Church

Answer 9

Refers to a number of Christian writers from the first through the eighth centuries whose lives reflected the teachings of Christ and whose teachings were in perfect harmony with the Church. Their value is in the fact that the doctrine they developed faithfully communicates the Faith they received from Christ and contributed to a deeper spiritual and theological understanding of natural and supernatural faiths.

Question 10

Orthodoxy

Answer 10

Correctness or soundness in theological faith and beliefs.

Question 11

Veracity

Answer 11

Reliability in communicating the truth.

Question 12

Inerrancy

Answer 12

Making no mistakes or errors. Scripture is inerrant; that is, it always teaches truth, never falsehood

Question 13

Inspiration

Answer 13

The gift of the Holy Spirit that assisted human authors to write the books of the Bible. God is the ultimate author of Scripture, and so it teaches faithfully, without error, the saving truth that God has willed to be communicated to us.

Question 14

Apostolic Fathers

Answer 14

Those fathers of the Church who were direct disciples of the apostles and wrote during the end of the first century and beginning of the second century.

Question 15

Infallibility (3.B)

Answer 15

Immunity from error and any possibility of error. The Church possesses this character as promised by Christ, as does the pope as defined by the First Vatican Council (1870).

Question 16

Literary forms

Answer 16

Refers to various styles of writing that communicate a message through particular creative means. Literary forms include the historical, juridical, prophetic, apocalyptic, wisdom literature, poetry, and epistle.

Question 17

Literal sense

Answer 17

Method of scriptural interpretation based on the meaning of words in the literary and historical context. In proper literal sense, the words are understood in their ordinary meaning: in the improper literal sense or metaphorical sense; the words are understood figuratively and symbolically.

Question 18

Literalistic

Answer 18

A way of reading literature without regard to the particular literary forms being used. This kind of reading thus recognizes no symbolic language or analogy and instead takes every word, phrase, and sentence as literally true.

Question 19

Literary analysis

Answer 19

Reading a story with full care and regard for the literary forms and styles being used. It allows the reader to fully appreciate the text by understanding what the author is really trying to communicate and thereby reaching the deeper meaning that was originally intended.

Question 20

Proper literal sense

Answer 20

The words are take in their usual ordinary meaning.

Question 21

Improper literal sense

Answer 21

The words are taken in their figurative(or metaphorical) meaning.

Question 22

Metaphor

Answer 22

A word refers to another by comparison. It is an improper literal sense. Does not use the words like or as in making the comparison. It is an improper literal sense.

Question 23

Hyperbole

Answer 23

A literary device that uses exaggeration to make a point. It is one of the improper literal senses.

Question 24

Parable

Answer 24

A story that is told in order to illustrate a moral or spiritual truth. It is one of the improper literal senses.

Question 25

Allegory

Answer 25

A prolonged metaphor. Related to parables and fables. It uses a storytelling format rich with symbols to make a statement about a real-life situation.

Question 26

Simile

Answer 26

A word or term that refers to another by comparison using the words like or as. It is one of the improper literal senses.

Question 27

Fable

Answer 27

A story, often fanciful, that is not based on fact and is used to illustrate a moral lesson, usually with animals or plants as characters. It is one of the improper literal senses.

Question 28

Apostolic Tradition

Answer 28

The passing on of faith of the Apostles to each generation. St. Hippolytus’s work of the same name illustrated this principle by preserving the third-century rites of Ordination, Baptism, and the Eucharistic prayer found in The Apostolic Tradition was the basis for the Second Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Missal.

Question 29

Apostle

Answer 29

From the Greek for “one sent forth.” Refers to the Twelve chosen by Jesus during the course of his public ministry to be his closest followers, as well as Sts. Matthias, Paul of Tarsus, Barnabas, and the enlighteners of whole nations.

Question 30

Spiritual sense

Answer 30

The interpretation of scripture that sees not only the literal meaning of the text but also the people, things, and events they describe as signs. The three kinds of spiritual sense in Scripture are the allegorical sense, the moral sense, and the anagogical sense.

Question 31

Allegorical sense

Answer 31

The spiritual interpretation of Scripture that shows how people and events in history suggest future people and events. For instance, the allegorical sense of Abraham sacrificing Isaac is God’s sacrifice of his own son Jesus. Also known as the typical sense, it is a type of spiritual sense.

Question 32

Moral sense

Answer 32

The spiritual interpretation of Scripture that portrays the heroes of scripture as a pattern for Christians of every age. Also called the topological sense.

Question 33

Eschatology

Answer 33

From the Greek eschaton, for “last.” The study of the end of time.

Question 34

Bishop

Answer 34

A consecrated successor to the Apostles, usually charged with the spiritual and administrative care of a given territory or diocese. Derived from the Greek word episkopos (“overseer”). He is constituted a pastor in the Church, to be the teacher of doctrine, the priest of sacred worship, and the minister of governance.

Question 35

Anagogical sense

Answer 35

The spiritual interpretation of Scripture that shows how events in Scripture point to what will be in Heaven. It is a type of spiritual sense.

Question 36

Analogy

Answer 36

A way of understanding by drawing a comparison or likeness and dissimilarity between two things or relationships. Theology is based on reasoning by analogy.

Question 37

Sensus fidelium

Answer 37

Literally “the sense of the faithful,” the term refers to the inerrancy possessed by all the faithful when they share a universal consent in matters of faith and morals.