Free Bachelor of Theology Faith & Catholic Tradition Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which statement best encapsulates tradition as it is understood in the Catholic Tradition?

A contrast standing opposite to progress
Doing something repeatedly because it has always been done that way
The simple repetition of words and actions designed to indoctrinate others into a single way of thinking
An argument extended through time in which certain fundamental agreements are defined and redefined (Correct answer)

Correct answer: An argument extended through time in which certain fundamental agreements are defined and redefined

In Catholic Tradition, tradition is not merely static repetition but a dynamic, living transmission of faith. It is understood as an ongoing 'argument extended through time,' where fundamental agreements (like core doctrines) are continually engaged with, interpreted, and sometimes redefined in light of new contexts and understandings. This ensures the faith remains vibrant and relevant across generations, connecting the past with the present and future.

Question 2: Which of the following describes the essence of tradition?

it helps society to resist the influence of the past and all those who have come before
it has the power to impose certain values and beliefs upon those who are yet to be born
it is a principle of social organization, a power that gather together a community, that gives voice to those who have come before (Correct answer)
it enables those who are now walking around to become the authority over social gathering

Correct answer: it is a principle of social organization, a power that gather together a community, that gives voice to those who have come before

The essence of tradition lies in its power to gather a community and give voice to those who have come before. It acts as a principle of social organization, connecting generations by transmitting shared values, beliefs, and practices. This continuity allows a community to understand its identity, draw wisdom from its heritage, and ensure that the foundational experiences and insights of its predecessors continue to shape its present and future.

Question 3: Which of the following best describes secularism?

To segment into sections
The allegedly non-religious (Correct answer)
A space devoid of God
Both b and c

Correct answer: The allegedly non-religious

Secularism, at its core, refers to the principle of separating governmental and public institutions from religious institutions and considerations. It aims to create a public sphere that is neutral regarding religion, often described as 'allegedly non-religious' because it seeks to operate without explicit religious endorsement or control. This doesn't necessarily mean a space devoid of God, but rather one where religious belief is a private matter, not a public mandate.

Question 4: Which of the following characteristics is specific to the Catholic tradition rather than to all of Christianity?

belief that God is a Trinity of 3 persons in one God
belief that the Sone of God, the Word, became flesh in Jesus Christ
belief that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and on the third day rose from the dead
belief that priests are part of the Apostolic succession and that the pope is in a lineage traceable back to Peter (Correct answer)

Correct answer: belief that priests are part of the Apostolic succession and that the pope is in a lineage traceable back to Peter

The belief in apostolic succession, which holds that priests and bishops derive their authority through an unbroken lineage traceable back to the apostles, and the unique role of the Pope as the successor of St. Peter, are specific doctrines of the Catholic tradition. While other Christian denominations share beliefs in the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Resurrection, these particular understandings of ecclesiastical authority and the papacy distinguish Catholicism.

Question 5: Which of the following is NOT a Catholic tradition-based order?

Baptists (Correct answer)
Augustinians
Jesuits
Franciscans

Correct answer: Baptists

Baptists are a major Protestant denomination that emerged during the Reformation, distinct from the Catholic Church. Augustinians, Jesuits, and Franciscans, however, are all established religious orders within the Catholic tradition. These orders are characterized by specific charisms, rules of life, and ministries, all operating under the authority of the Catholic Church.

Question 6: What does the etymological definition of the word "theology" mean?

The philosophy of religion
The study of theories; a logos of theoria
It is the study of God and how all things relate to God (Correct answer)
It is the study of doctrine, a simple echoing of the faith (catechesis)

Correct answer: It is the study of God and how all things relate to God

The word 'theology' originates from the Greek words 'theos' (God) and 'logos' (word, study, reason). Therefore, its etymological definition means the study or discourse concerning God. More broadly, it encompasses the systematic study of God and how all aspects of reality, existence, and human experience relate to the divine, seeking to understand God's nature, actions, and relationship with creation.

Question 7: Of the following, which best describes the Middle Ages?

It was a time of intense religious dogmatism where everyone had blind faith in religious authorities
It was also known as the dark ages because almost everyone was ignorant of scientific truth
It was a period from the European Renaissance until the mid-20th century, marked by a turn to the self
It was a time in which the whole of reality was seen as a gift given by God as a divine communication (Correct answer)

Correct answer: It was a time in which the whole of reality was seen as a gift given by God as a divine communication

The Middle Ages, particularly the High Middle Ages, was a period where reality was profoundly understood through a theological lens. The entire cosmos was seen as a creation and gift from God, a 'divine communication' revealing His wisdom and love. This worldview integrated faith and reason, where intellectual pursuits, art, and daily life were often interpreted within a comprehensive theological framework, rather than being a time of blind faith or ignorance.

Question 8: What distinguishing quality may be identified in the theological roots of ancient Israel?

It was the human effort to come to know divine transcendence
It begins with God’s own speaking and is constituted above all by a relationship (Correct answer)
It was the first time that society possessed a symbolic order enabling a mediation with an unseen world
Israel employed rigorous discursive concepts and categories to know IF there is a God

Correct answer: It begins with God’s own speaking and is constituted above all by a relationship

The theological roots of ancient Israel are distinguished by God's initiative in revealing Himself and establishing a covenant relationship with His people. Unlike philosophical systems that seek to understand the divine through human reason, Israel's theology begins with God's own speaking (e.g., to Abraham, Moses) and is fundamentally constituted by this personal, relational encounter. It is a theology of revelation and covenant.

Question 9: Which character from the New Testament is crucial to the "creation" of Christian theology and is also the writer of the earliest writings?

Paul (Correct answer)
Mark
Peter
Jesus

Correct answer: Paul

Paul is crucial to the 'creation' of Christian theology and authored the earliest writings in the New Testament. His letters, written before the Gospels, articulate foundational Christian doctrines such as justification by faith, the nature of Christ's death and resurrection, and the concept of the Church as the Body of Christ. His theological insights profoundly shaped early Christian thought and continue to be central to Christian theology.

Question 10: Which of the following best describes theology as shown by medieval figures?

Theology is obedience to doctrinal authorities like the Pope and Bishops
Theology is an art because it is believed that God is ‘created’ into existence by the theologian who is the artist
Theology is a science like physics, or biology, studying God as an object in the world
Theology is both a science and an art studying God and how all things relate to God, since it is faith seeking understanding (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Theology is both a science and an art studying God and how all things relate to God, since it is faith seeking understanding

Medieval figures like St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas famously described theology as 'faith seeking understanding' (fides quaerens intellectum). This means theology is both a rigorous intellectual discipline (a science) that systematically studies God and His relationship to all things, and an art that deepens one's understanding of faith. It's not merely obedience or artistic creation, but a reasoned exploration of revealed truth.

Question 11: What does it mean to refer to a source as "extra-canonical"?

That it is a source which conveys irrefutable proof
That it is part of a given tradition’s collection of authoritative texts
That it comes fully loaded with several artillery weapons
That it is outside a given tradition’s collection of authoritative texts (Correct answer)

Correct answer: That it is outside a given tradition’s collection of authoritative texts

To refer to a source as 'extra-canonical' means that it is outside a given tradition's collection of authoritative or officially recognized texts. For Christianity, extra-canonical sources would include texts that are not part of the biblical canon, such as apocryphal gospels or writings from non-Christian authors, even if they discuss religious themes or historical figures relevant to the tradition.

Question 12: Which of the following sources regarding Jesus' historical existence is NOT extra-canonical?

Suetonius
Tacitus
St. Paul (Correct answer)
Pliny the Younger

Correct answer: St. Paul

St. Paul's letters are canonical New Testament texts, meaning they are part of the authoritative collection of Christian scriptures. Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger were Roman historians and officials whose writings are considered extra-canonical sources. While valuable for historical context, their works are not part of the Christian biblical canon.

Question 13: What is the main purpose of thinking about the resurrection formula as stated in Chapter 15 of St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians?

To show how Paul's teachings took their substance and content from an extra-canonical source
To demonstrate that Paul was such a vital originator of Christianity he even created the Kerygma
To demonstrate that Paul was trying to concoct a formula that would help bring the Corinthians back from the dead.
To show that there was a resurrection formula, existing as a prayer, very early on since Paul claims it was given to him. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To show that there was a resurrection formula, existing as a prayer, very early on since Paul claims it was given to him.

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Paul states that he 'received' what he 'handed on' regarding Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. This indicates that a formalized 'resurrection formula' or creedal statement was already in existence and being transmitted within the Christian community very early on, likely as a prayer or confession of faith, even before Paul wrote his letter. This highlights the antiquity and foundational nature of the resurrection belief.

Question 14: What does it mean that women were the first to discover the empty tomb in the Christian Scriptures?

It proves without question that Jesus rose from the dead.
Women were viewed, as Aristotle said, as defective males, and so their claim about the tomb was also viewed as defective.
Women were viewed as the most honest people in ancient society, demonstrating that their eye witness could not be refuted.
Women were not credible witnesses, thus lending credence to the authenticity of their claim about the empty tomb and its appearance in Scripture (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Women were not credible witnesses, thus lending credence to the authenticity of their claim about the empty tomb and its appearance in Scripture

In ancient society, women were generally not considered credible legal witnesses, and their testimony was often dismissed. The fact that the Christian Scriptures consistently portray women as the first to discover the empty tomb, despite this societal prejudice, lends credence to the authenticity of the account. If the story were fabricated, early Christians would likely have chosen more 'credible' male witnesses to strengthen their claim, making the inclusion of women a strong indicator of historical truth.

Question 15: What is the "evolution" theory's main flaw in relation to Jesus' resurrection?

It assumes the apostles were psychologically disturbed, unable to make proper judgments over reality
It assumes bad faith in the apostles
Christian resurrection was both new in the ancient world and more immediate than any other resurrection account (Correct answer)
It presupposes bad faith in the Roman soldiers, who were tasked under the pain of punishment, to ensure that victims of Roman execution were in fact dead.

Correct answer: Christian resurrection was both new in the ancient world and more immediate than any other resurrection account

The main flaw in theories that attempt to explain away Jesus' resurrection as an 'evolution' of belief or a myth is that the Christian resurrection account was both new and immediate. Unlike ancient myths of dying and rising gods, the Christian claim was for a specific, bodily resurrection of a historical figure, proclaimed almost immediately after the event. This unique and immediate proclamation distinguishes it from gradual mythological developments.

Question 16: In the Catholic Tradition, what is the source of the highest teaching authority?

Jesus, who speaks clearly and definitively in every word of the Bible
The pope speaking whenever he wants, on any topic he wants
The individual human heart in conjunction with the individual human mind
a council of all Catholic bishops in the world in union with the Bishop of Rome (the pope) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: a council of all Catholic bishops in the world in union with the Bishop of Rome (the pope)

In the Catholic Tradition, the highest teaching authority, known as the Magisterium, resides in a council of all Catholic bishops in the world in union with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). This collective body, especially in an Ecumenical Council, has the authority to define doctrines and interpret faith and morals for the entire Church. While the Pope also holds supreme authority, it is often exercised in conjunction with the college of bishops.

Free Bachelor of Theology Faith & Catholic Tradition Questions and Answers

Which statement best encapsulates tradition as it is understood in the Catholic Tradition?

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