BTheol Bachelor of Theology Church History 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which council in 381 AD expanded the Nicene Creed to include a fuller statement on the Holy Spirit?
- Council of Ephesus
- Council of Chalcedon
- First Council of Constantinople (Correct answer)
- Council of Carthage
Correct answer: First Council of Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople (381 AD) expanded the Nicene Creed by affirming the full divinity of the Holy Spirit.
Question 2: The Donatist controversy in North Africa centered primarily on which issue?
- The nature of Christ
- The validity of sacraments performed by unworthy clergy (Correct answer)
- The authority of the Bishop of Rome
- Sunday worship versus Saturday Sabbath
Correct answer: The validity of sacraments performed by unworthy clergy
Donatists argued that sacraments administered by clergy who had lapsed during persecution were invalid, while Catholics held they remained valid.
Question 3: Who wrote 'The City of God,' a major work defending Christianity after the sack of Rome in 410 AD?
- Jerome
- Ambrose of Milan
- Augustine of Hippo (Correct answer)
- John Chrysostom
Correct answer: Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo wrote 'The City of God' (De Civitate Dei) to respond to pagan claims that Christianity caused Rome's fall.
Question 4: The Great Schism of 1054 formally divided Christianity into which two branches?
- Catholic and Protestant
- Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox (Correct answer)
- Anglican and Lutheran
- Byzantine and Coptic
Correct answer: Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
The Great Schism of 1054 separated the Western Roman Catholic Church from the Eastern Orthodox Church, largely over papal authority and the filioque clause.
Question 5: Which monastic order, founded by Benedict of Nursia around 529 AD, became the dominant form of Western monasticism?
- Franciscan Order
- Dominican Order
- Benedictine Order (Correct answer)
- Augustinian Order
Correct answer: Benedictine Order
The Benedictine Order, governed by the Rule of Saint Benedict, emphasized communal prayer, work, and stability and shaped Western monasticism for centuries.
Question 6: The Iconoclast Controversy in the Byzantine Church (726–843 AD) debated whether it was acceptable to do what?
- Translate Scripture into local languages
- Venerate religious images (Correct answer)
- Allow women to serve as deaconesses
- Celebrate Easter on a fixed date
Correct answer: Venerate religious images
Iconoclasm was a movement that rejected and destroyed religious images, while iconophiles defended the veneration of icons as a legitimate Christian practice.
Question 7: Which reformer is associated with the 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' and the Reformed tradition centered in Geneva?
- Ulrich Zwingli
- Martin Luther
- John Calvin (Correct answer)
- John Knox
Correct answer: John Calvin
John Calvin authored the 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' and developed Reformed theology from Geneva, influencing Presbyterianism and other Reformed churches.
