BTheol Bachelor of Theology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which patristic theological school, centered in Alexandria, Egypt, favored allegorical interpretation of Scripture?
- The Antiochene School
- The Roman School
- The Alexandrian School (Correct answer)
- The Cappadocian School
Correct answer: The Alexandrian School
The Alexandrian School, represented by Origen and Clement, developed allegorical exegesis to find deeper spiritual meanings beneath the literal text.
Question 2: In the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), the phrase 'Thy kingdom come' expresses which theological concept?
- The establishment of a physical Jewish state
- Eschatological hope for God's reign to be fully realized on earth (Correct answer)
- The church's political authority over governments
- The second coming of Christ within the disciples' lifetime
Correct answer: Eschatological hope for God's reign to be fully realized on earth
The petition for God's kingdom to come expresses eschatological longing for the full realization of God's sovereign rule over all creation.
Question 3: What is 'pneumatology' as a theological discipline?
- The study of angels and demons
- The study of prayer and spiritual disciplines
- The study of the Holy Spirit's nature and work (Correct answer)
- The study of eschatology and resurrection
Correct answer: The study of the Holy Spirit's nature and work
Pneumatology is the branch of systematic theology concerned with the person, nature, and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Question 4: The 'Synoptic Problem' in New Testament studies refers to:
- Contradictions between the Gospels and Paul's letters
- The question of the literary relationship among Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Correct answer)
- Difficulty reconciling John's Gospel with the Synoptics
- The problem of dating the New Testament manuscripts
Correct answer: The question of the literary relationship among Matthew, Mark, and Luke
The Synoptic Problem addresses how Matthew, Mark, and Luke share so much material and whether one was a source for the others.
Question 5: Karl Barth's theology is often described as 'neo-orthodox' because it:
- Fully embraced 19th-century liberal theology
- Rejected all forms of natural theology while returning to Reformation doctrines of revelation and grace (Correct answer)
- Focused exclusively on the social gospel and ethics
- Synthesized Christian doctrine with Kantian philosophy
Correct answer: Rejected all forms of natural theology while returning to Reformation doctrines of revelation and grace
Barth rejected liberal theology's optimism about human reason and culture, reasserting the priority of divine revelation and grace in the tradition of the Reformers.
Question 6: Which ethical framework, associated with Immanuel Kant, holds that moral actions must be governed by universal principles regardless of consequences?
- Utilitarianism
- Virtue Ethics
- Deontological Ethics (Correct answer)
- Divine Command Theory
Correct answer: Deontological Ethics
Kantian deontological ethics judges actions by adherence to universal moral duties (the 'categorical imperative'), not by their outcomes.
Question 7: The 'Great Commission' (Matthew 28:18-20) commands Jesus's disciples to:
- Establish theocratic governments in every nation
- Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them (Correct answer)
- Return to Jerusalem and wait for the kingdom's arrival
- Perform miracles as signs of divine approval
Correct answer: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them
The Great Commission charges the disciples with a global mission: making disciples through going, baptizing, and teaching all that Christ commanded.
BTheol Bachelor of Theology 5
Which patristic theological school, centered in Alexandria, Egypt, favored allegorical interpretation of Scripture?