MCC Theology & Doctrinal Knowledge 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Catholic doctrine, which council formally defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception?
- Council of Trent
- First Vatican Council
- No council — it was defined by Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus (Correct answer)
- Council of Ephesus
Correct answer: No council — it was defined by Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus
The Immaculate Conception was defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in his apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus on December 8, 1854.
Question 2: In Trinitarian theology, the term 'procession' refers primarily to what?
- The liturgical movement of the faithful at Mass
- The eternal relations of origin within the inner life of the Trinity (Correct answer)
- The sending of the Son into the world at the Incarnation
- The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
Correct answer: The eternal relations of origin within the inner life of the Trinity
Procession in Trinitarian theology describes the eternal relations of origin — the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Question 3: Which heresy denied that Jesus Christ had a true human soul, claiming the Logos replaced it?
- Nestorianism
- Monophysitism
- Apollinarianism (Correct answer)
- Pelagianism
Correct answer: Apollinarianism
Apollinarianism, condemned at the First Council of Constantinople (381), denied that Christ had a human rational soul, teaching that the divine Logos took its place.
Question 4: What does the term 'perichoresis' describe in Catholic theology?
- The mutual indwelling of the three Persons of the Trinity in one another (Correct answer)
- The process of liturgical inculturation
- The movement of grace from God to the soul
- The relationship between Scripture and Tradition
Correct answer: The mutual indwelling of the three Persons of the Trinity in one another
Perichoresis (or circumincession in Latin) refers to the mutual indwelling and interpenetration of the three Persons of the Trinity in one another.
Question 5: The doctrine of 'original sin' as developed by St. Augustine holds that Adam's sin is transmitted to all humanity primarily through:
- Social imitation of sinful behavior
- A direct curse from God on each descendant
- Human propagation — inherited as a wounded nature, not a personal act (Correct answer)
- Ignorance of God's law passed down through culture
Correct answer: Human propagation — inherited as a wounded nature, not a personal act
Augustine taught that original sin is transmitted through human generation (propagation), resulting in an inherited state of wounded nature deprived of original grace, not a personally committed act.
Question 6: Which of the following best expresses the Catholic understanding of 'sensus fidei'?
- The official magisterial definition of a doctrine
- The supernatural instinct of the faithful by which they recognize authentic teaching (Correct answer)
- The process by which bishops vote on doctrine at councils
- The historical development of dogma over centuries
Correct answer: The supernatural instinct of the faithful by which they recognize authentic teaching
Sensus fidei is the supernatural sense of the faith possessed by all the baptized, by which they instinctively recognize and assent to what belongs to authentic Catholic teaching.
Question 7: In Catholic sacramental theology, 'ex opere operato' means that sacraments confer grace:
- Only when the recipient has perfect contrition
- By virtue of the sacramental act itself, not the personal holiness of the minister (Correct answer)
- Solely through the faith of the celebrating community
- When and only when the bishop has validated the celebration
Correct answer: By virtue of the sacramental act itself, not the personal holiness of the minister
Ex opere operato ('by the work worked') means that the sacrament produces grace by the valid performance of the sacramental act itself, independent of the minister's personal sanctity.
MCC Theology & Doctrinal Knowledge 2
According to Catholic doctrine, which council formally defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception?