Salvation History Flashcards

In Catholic salvation history, the 'fullness of time' (Galatians 4:4) refers to:

Answer: The providential moment of the Incarnation when God sent his Son

Paul's 'fullness of time' (pleroma tou chronou) refers to God's providential preparation of history (through covenant, prophecy, pagan philosophy, Roman peace) for the Incarnation of the Son.

The term 'Heilsgeschichte' (salvation history) was developed primarily by which 20th-century biblical theologian?

Answer: Oscar Cullmann

Oscar Cullmann developed the concept of Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) — understanding redemption as worked out through specific historical events in a linear trajectory from creation to new creation.

The fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC was caused by:

Answer: Babylonian conquest under Nebuchadnezzar

The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple in 586 BC, exiling the Judean leadership to Babylon — the defining trauma of OT history.

In the Genesis narrative, the 'Protoevangelium' (Genesis 3:15) is the first hint of salvation because God says:

Answer: The offspring of the woman will crush the serpent's head

Genesis 3:15 — God's declaration that the woman's offspring will crush the serpent — is called the Protoevangelium ('first gospel') as the first promise of a redeemer who will defeat evil.

The concept of 'original sin' as transmitted to all humanity was theologically developed most influentially by:

Answer: Augustine of Hippo

Augustine's response to Pelagianism developed the doctrine of original sin as both the guilt and corrupted nature inherited by all humans from Adam's fall — foundational to Western Christian anthropology.

The 'Abrahamic covenant' is foundational to all three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) because Abraham is considered:

Answer: The ancestor of Israel (through Isaac) and ancestor of Arab peoples (through Ishmael), and model of faith

Abraham is revered as the physical ancestor of Israel (through Isaac/Jacob) and of Arab peoples (through Ishmael), and as the model of faith — 'the friend of God' — in all three traditions.