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Definition
- this is light by which we search, faith is man’s response to God who reveals himself and give the same thing bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for meaning in life
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Term
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| God revealing himself beyond what would have been our capacity to know - through Jesus Christ |
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| Natural religion indicates the innate religiosity of all mankind of every age. There has never been a civilization without religion. |
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| fides quarem intellectum – not only English translation, but what does it mean |
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Definition
| Faith seeking understanding. It means we are looking at the deposit of faith and seeking to understand it using our intellects. This bolsters our faith by showing the divine revelation to be reasonable. |
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| All things are in motion, and nothing in motion could have moved itself. Therefore, there must be a first unmoved mover, this thing we call God. |
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| Argument from Efficient Causality |
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Definition
A thing cannot make itself, but, rather must be made by another thing. This cannot go on to infinity because the world is finite, therefore there must be an uncaused cause of all things...this thing is what men call God
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| Argument from Possibility and Necessity |
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Definition
| We find in nature that it is possible for things to be or not to be because they are generated and then decay. By use of our reason we can see this of all things... we simply do not have to exist, we are merely only possible, contingent beings. As the result of the above arguments, we can conclude that there simply was a time when all things in nature were not. Therefore there had to be a necessary Being that caused all other possible benigs to exist...this Being is what men call God. |
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| Argument from Gradation of Being |
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Definition
| We say of some things that this or that thing is hot or hotter or hottest, or good, better, or best, or noble or nobler or noblest. Now the maximum in any of these examples is the cause of all the lesser examples. Therefore ther must be something that is the most being which is the cause of all other lesser beings...this thing is what men call God. |
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| Argument from the Government of the World |
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Definition
- We see that unintelligent things tend toward an end only if directed by an intelligent cause because all natural interactions repeatedly act in order to bring about what is best. Therefore, their actions must be directed towards and end by a being who directs all things, and this everyone calls God.
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Term
| St. Anselm’s ontological proof |
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Definition
| Consider That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Conceived (TTWNGCBC). Now know that existence in both reality and in the mind is greater than existence only in the mind. Therefore, TTWNGCBC, to exist, must exist both in reality as well as in the mind, otherwise, it would be inferior to that which exists in reality, and would not be TTWNGCBC. |
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Definition
| We only participate in the being of the God, God being the only necessary being, |
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Term
| Relation to a middle third |
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Definition
- when two different things have a relation to a third thing, e.g. ‘medicine:urine::health’. Medicine is a promoter and cause of good health; urine is indicative of good health. “Health” is used analogously when applied to both urine and health.
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Term
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| When one thing has a quality to a greater or lesser extent than another. e.g.: Mother Teresa:Beer::good. This is true with all qualities attributable to God. |
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| Analogy of Being – Lateran IV 1215 |
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Definition
| 1) Any similarity between God and creation only discloses a greater dissimilarity, 2) we only apprehend God, we do not comprehend God, 3) the holier we become, the more convinced we are of our sinfulness. |
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| A statement that is patently false, but breaks down to a true analogy. That which is predicated of a thing does not exist in the thing itself, but the device helps us understand a certain truth about the thing. i.e.: God is a fortress. |
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| How does analogy and metaphor differ regarding our language about God? |
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Definition
| An analogy describing God can be true, but its meaning, as extracted from natural substances we have experienced, must always fall short, making it not completely true or ultimately unsatisfactory. A metaphor is always false, but it breaks down to an analogy, inviting the reader to go through the same process by which analogies are made (i.e. understanding universals through the encounter with the natural order). For instance, saying God is like a mother hen invites the reader to understand the nurturing qualities and constant attention a mother hen gives to her brood, thereby allowing the reader to predicate these two qualities of God via analogy (nurturing, attentive or caring). |
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Term
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Definition
| Revelation can be natural (i.e. reason) or Divine (supernatural revelation). Divine revelation is the means by which God has made himself know in a particular way, by way of the prophets, and primarily, by Jesus. Divine revelation shows truths that are not graspable through reason operating on the created order. It is extra-reasonable, not irrational or unreasonable. Christ is the fullness of Revelation itself. D.R. insists that revelation proceeds from the Father, comes to us through the Son, and admits us to the fellowship of God in the Holy Spirit. God gives us knowledge of Himself, allows us to understand some of this revealed knowledge, all with the end of making us sharers of the divine nature. This revelation was not one unique point in human history; it began In the Beginning and continues until parousia. |
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Term
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Definition
| All that has been handed down to the apostles and in turn has been handed on to us. It includes “everything that contributes to the holiness of life and the increase of faith” (i.e. faith and morals). |
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| Dei Verbum on Inspiration |
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Definition
| Dei Verbum says 4 things about sacred inspiration: 1) That God chose men to write the books; 2) while employed by Him, the human authors made use of their own abilities; 3) the human authors, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted; 4) scripture must be held to contain solidly, faithfully and without error the truth which God wanted placed into it for the sake of salvation. |
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Term
| Dei Verbum on Magisterium |
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Definition
| the guardian and servant of divine revelation. |
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Term
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Definition
| The revelation given to us in the old and new testaments. They “impart the word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles.” (DV, para 21). |
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Term
| How are each of the above terms (Revelation, Tradition, Magisterium, Inspiration, Scripture) related one to the other and each to all? |
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Definition
| The totality of Divine Revelation is contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. Scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit, Tradition was handed down by the apostles, and the Magisterium serves, guards, teaches, and proposes for belief all that was given by Christ to the Apostles. Scripture and Tradition are two interrelated and united forms of sacred revelation. They are distinguishable but inseparable for the following reasons: 1) Both spring from the same Divine Revelation, 2) Both fuse together into a whole, since each expresses the same mystery in different forms, 3) the two cooperate toward our salvation, 4) BOTH ARE EQUALLY THE WORD OF GOD. |
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| What are some differences between the Vatican I definition of Revelation and the Vatican II definition? |
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Definition
| The Vatican I definition defines revelation as God communicating Himself and information about Himself to us. Vatican II highlights the personal nature of divine revelation, in which God communicates Himself to His people. Vatican II also set in stone the twin sources of divine revelation, Tradition and Scriptures, and speaks with authority about the reality of the development of doctrine throughout the history of the Church. In fact, it speaks of the necessity of this authentic development. |
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Term
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Definition
| The historical process by which God made Himself known to us gradually and over time, with its complete fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Church, the Body of Christ here on earth. This process begins with creation, finds it fulfillment in the person of Christ, but continues as the Church understands the truth that was given to Her by Christ through the apostles. |
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The four things of fundamental importance regarding salvation history and Revelation
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Definition
- Revelation does not take place outside of time but is located in time. God chose to use real people, in the course of real human history to convey Himself to us. It does not take place in some spiritual realm or dimension, but rather in history.
- Revelation does not stand out as a unique point in human history. Revelation began with the creation of humans and has progressed throughout history according to a divine pedagogy in which God showed more and more of His word to His people. However, with the coming of the Son to the world, God revealed Himself to us completely in the person of Jesus Christ; He has no more to say. However, our understanding of God
- Though revelation is accomplished through history, it has always had the interpretation of the Word. God reveals himself through deeds and words, in both cases they are revealed through historical events. However, they have always had authorities inspired by the Holy Spirit to interpret them and speak of their significance to God’s people. Moses, the prophets, those who had Moses’s authority, the Magisterium, etc.
Revelation is historical because it is the Word of God. ??? |
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Term
| What does it mean to say that revelation is personal? |
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Definition
| Salvation history makes it clear that it is God himself, the person of God, from whom revelation proceeds and to whom it returns (exitus/reditus). |
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Term
| How is divine revelation transmitted: Role of the Apostles |
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Definition
| The apostles were commissioned by Christ to pass on the truth of revelation, the moral teaching of Christ, and heavenly gifts. They passed on what they heard from Christ, from living with Christ, and what they learned through the Holy Spirit before their death. Before they died, the apostles handed on this authority to their successors. |
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| How is divine revelation transmitted: Role of Christ |
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Definition
| Christ is the divine word of God. He is the fulfillment and is the complete communication of the Word of God to us. In giving us His Son, God needn’t say anything else because Christ is the complete Word of God. |
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Term
| How is divine revelation transmitted: Vertical and Horizontal Transmission |
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Definition
| vertical transmission is the transmission of the truth from God to the Church. Horizontal transmission is the transmission of the word of God from the teaching body of the Church to the rest of humanity. |
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| How is divine revelation transmitted: Role of the Holy Spirit |
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Definition
| The Holy Spirit inspired sacred scripture, and it is by the Holy Spirit that scripture must be interpreted. You should pay attending to: 1) the whole of scripture, 2) the tradition of the Church, and 3) the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves |
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Term
| What does Tradition include? |
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Definition
| it includes everything that contributes to Holiness of Life and the increase of faith (i.e. Faith and Morals). It includes Creed, Code, and Cult theology, devotions and liturgy, and morality. |
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Term
| What does it mean to say that Tradition is “dynamic” |
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Definition
| There is legitimate development of the understanding of Tradition through time. Even though the deposit of faith was completely delivered to the Church at the time of the death of the last apostle, the Church’s understanding of this truth can develop over time. |
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| What is the threefold importance of Tradition’s relationship with Scripture? |
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Definition
- 1) Tradition tells us what is in the Bible, 2) it is through Tradition that Scripture is interpreted, and 3) it is through tradition that scripture is lived out in all times and circumstances.
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Term
| What is the fourfold reason why scripture and tradition are so closely united? |
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Definition
- 1) Both spring from the same Divine Revelation, 2) Both fuse together into a whole, since each expresses the same mystery in different forms, 3) the two cooperate toward our salvation, 4) BOTH ARE EQUALLY THE WORD OF GOD.
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| Of the fourfold reasons why scripture and tradition are so closely united, which reason is most important? Why? |
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Definition
| BOTH ARE EQUALLY THE WORD OF GOD because both were given by God to the Church. It gives us certainty that everything that God has revealed to the Church does not come from scripture alone. This assurance gives us the ability to trust the Church’s interpretation, canon, and teachings on and from the Bible. |
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Term
| What are some common misconceptions regarding the relationship between magisterium, scripture, and tradition? |
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Definition
| a common misconception is that the Magisterium is above sacred tradition or scripture, or that it has authority over it. In reality, it is its servant. |
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Term
| What are the four tasks the magisterium has regarding revelation? Explain each |
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Definition
- Listens devoutly---the Church has inherited the Blessed Virgin’s charism of treasuring every word that comes from God in her heart. She is the first to listen, but does so with supernatural attentiveness and receptivity to the word of God.
- Guards scrupulously---It can lose nothing, delete nothing, add nothing. The magisterium corrects errors and keeps theologians and philosophers from drifting into error.
- Faithfully explains---This means that the Church must declare its authentic meaning, explaining and casting light on everything that is obscure.
- Proposes for belief---It proposes nothing not already contained in the one deposit of faith.
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Term
| Discuss CCC 112-114 in terms of what one is to keep in mind when interpreting scripture. |
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Definition
One must keep in mind the whole of scripture, the tradition of the Church, and the interrelation of all the revealed truths of the Catholic faith (i.e. the analogy of faith). This allows us to realize that different parts of the Bible are meant to reveal different truths necessary for our salvation.
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Term
| Discuss all the senses of scripture |
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Definition
- Literal---The manner in which the words themselves signify things, i.e., the intent of the author, i.e. the Historical Sense.
- Spiritual---This is the sense in which the things signified by the words in turn signify other realities.
- Allegorical---The way in which the things signified in the literal sense point to the person of Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and all revelation.
- Moral---The way in which the things signified in the literal sense point to how we should behave morally.
- Anagogical---The way in which the things signified in the literal sense point to eternal glory.
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Term
- What did St. Thomas Aquinas have to say about the literal and spiritual senses of scripture?
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Definition
- Be sure to discuss the sign quality of a word.---Words are signs that point to other things.
- What is indicated by this quote, “That signification whereby things signified by words have themselves also a signification is called the spiritual sense, which is based on the literal, and presupposes it.”
God signifies meaning not only by words but by the things themselves, the things signified by the words (literal) have themselves a signification (spiritual).
- How does St. Thomas Aquinas structure each article of the Summa?---he states a proposition, has objections, quotes an authoritarian source against these objections and the proposition, and then then gives his argument. He finishes with a response to each of the objections raised at the beginning of the question.
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