Test Three

Question 1

Council of Nicea

Answer 1

Main Players: Arius; Alexander; Athanasius; Eusebius; Nicholas

Dates: 325

Theological Issues and Terms: First Ecumenical Council; Addressed the divine nature of the Son and his relationship to the Father; Arianism, Heteroousios, Homoousious; Homoiousios; Creed of Nicea; Jesus is fully God

Question 2

Council of Constantinople

Answer 2

Main Players: Theodosius; Cappadocian Fathers (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus)

Dates: 381

Theological Issues and Terms: Post Nicea the conflict between orthodoxy and Arianism continued; “If Christ were ‘very God’ how could he be ‘true man’?; issued Nicene Creed; Jesus is fully human

Question 3

Council of Ephesus

Answer 3

Main Players: Nestorius; Cyril of Alexandria; Theodosius II;

Dates: 431

Theological Issues and Terms: Confirmed original Nicene Creed; Condemned teachings of Nestorius who said that Mary may be called Christokos (Birth giver of Christ) but not Theotokos (Birth giver of God); Theological conflict between Alexandria (emphasized divinity of Christ; tended toward one nature) and Antioch (emphasized humanity of Christ; tended toward two persons); both parties accepted “one person, two natures”; Jesus is one person;

Question 4

Council of Chalcedon

Answer 4

Main Players: Eutyches

Dates: 451

Theological Issues and Terms: Christ is perfect in deity and humanity

Question 5

Athanasius

Answer 5

the “Black Dwarf”; Educated in Alexandria; in close contact with desert fathers–wrote Life of Saint Anthony; Became bishop of Alexandria; Wrote On the Incarnation; experienced exile over his opposition to Arianism;

Question 6

Basil the Great

Answer 6

went to school with Gregory of Naz & Julian the Apostate; pursued monastic life; wrote Basil’s rule; “Father of Eastern Monasticism”; Became bishop of Caesarea;

Question 7

Gregory of Nyssa

Answer 7

pursued literary life and career as rhetorician; married but wife died; pursued monastic life; ordained by Basil as Bishop of Nyssa–shy and ill-suited for public ministry; wrote catechetical orations–a systematic theology

Question 8

Gregory of Nazianzus

Answer 8

on of elder Gregory; pursued monastic life with Basil and Macrina; Basil ordained him against his will as bishop of Sasmia–where he never served; Elected Bishop of Constantinople–presided at council–retired at end of year; wrote five theological orations;

Question 9

Macrina

Answer 9

Mother and Grandmother were saints; engaged at 12-husband died-vowed to remain celibate; after father died became the spiritual leader of the family; influenced Basil toward monastic life; founded women’s monastary; dictated On the Soul and Resurrection to Gregory; Gregory wrote Life of Macrina–referred to his sisters as “the teacher”; because of her influence on Basil known as Mother of Eastern Monasticism;

Question 10

John Chrysostom

Answer 10

Born to devout Christian mother; pursued monastic life; returned to Antioch as priest, “Golden Mouthed” preacher; consecrated against his will as archbishop of the Church of Saint Sophia; reform of clergy; Euxoxia did not like him;

Question 11

Jerome

Answer 11

ursued classical learning and then monastic life; good friends with Roman widows; studied Hebrew; Creator of the Vulgate (Bible translated into Latin from original languages);

Question 12

Ambrose

Answer 12

Unbaptized when elected Bishop of Milan; influenced Augustine;

Question 13

Monica

Answer 13

Mother of Augustine who prayed both her husband and son into the kingdom of God;

Question 14

Theodosius I

Answer 14

Reinstated Gregory of Nyssa;

Question 15

Be able to list two points of conflict between Augustine and Pelagius and identify each one’s position.

Answer 15

–Humanity Before Fall
Augustine: Innocent with free will, immortal
Pelagius: innocent with free will, mortal

–Human Will
Augustine: Enslaved to sin, can choose only to obey civil laws
Pelagius: always free, can choose to follow sin and Adam or righteousness and God

Question 16

Confessions by Augustine

Answer 16

first autobiography written in western world; written as a prayer; spiritual autobiography

Question 17

The City of God by Augustine

Answer 17

written after the fall of Rome to vandals which pagans blamed on Christianity; Augustine’s answer and philosophy of history; two cities built on love (city of God–love of God; earthly city–love of self) both cities are intermingled but irreconcilable;

Question 18

Augustine Against Manichaeism

Answer 18

Human has free will, not predetermined; evil is departure from good just as darkness is absence of light; evil is not eternal principle;

Question 19

Augustine Against Donatism

Answer 19

Validity of ordination and sacraments comes from authority of Christ, not character of minster; visible church is mixed field of wheat and tares; Compulsion in faith is right (an act of love to bring one to true faith and into true church)

Question 20

Augustine Against Pelagianism

Answer 20

Power of sin takes hold of will, we cannot move our will against it; still free but only to sin; when redeemed free both to sin and not to sin; in heaven, only free to sin; Grace is irresistible, given by God only to those who have been predestined;

Question 21

Original Sin

Answer 21

We inherit sin nature from Adam; not free not to sin, therefore, not free to accept grace

Question 22

Mass of Damnation

Answer 22

Because of original sin, all humanity if born into mass of damnation

Question 23

Predestination

Answer 23

God reaches down and choose the elect, who are saved through external work of the Word and internal work of the Holy Spirit

Question 24

Single Predestination

Answer 24

God passes over those who are not elect, but does not predestine them to damnation; they are condemned because of their sin nature (Augustine)

Question 25

Double Predestination

Answer 25

God elects some to salvation and others to damnation (Calvin)

Question 26

Discuss aspects of the Christian calendar in the Post-Nicene church

Answer 26

• -Christmas on December 25th–chosen to draw converts away from pagan celebration
• -Lent–developed as prep for Easter, six weeks of fasting, 40 days related to 30 days in wilderness,
• -Holy week developed by Cyril of Jerusalem
• -Feast of Ascension and Pentecost
• -Liturgical calendar for year, commemorate Gospel

Question 27

List some of the Post-Nicene practices of baptism

Answer 27

2 extremes (infant baptism and delaying baptism); pre-baptismal instruction; Water, invocation of God, often administered on Easter or Pentecost; Baptized naked; crossed with oil; dressed in white garments;

Question 28

List some of the Post-Nicene practices of Eucharist

Answer 28

symbols signified realities; prayer of thanksgiving; intercessions for living and dead; oblation–offering of oneself;