BOSTON COLLEGE

School of Theology and Ministry

2021 MDiv Synthesis Exam – Day One

Instructions​: ​Choose TWO of the following four questions to answer​ in

well-written and clearly organized essays. You may refer only to the Bible, a
collection of the documents of the Catholic Church, and the Documents of Vatican
II. Please send your completed exam by 12:30 pm Eastern Time to Melissa Kelley
(melissa.kelley@bc.edu), and I will forward it to your faculty examiners. [If you
are handwriting your exam, please submit it to the Service Center and have them
write the time submitted on the front page. You must call the Service Center when
you arrive at the STM building.] All best wishes for this experience.

1. In a trip to Europe (before the pandemic!), you noticed above the door of a Lutheran
church: ​Sola Scriptura​ (“By Scripture Alone”). Explain the implications, values, and
limitations of this assertion in light of the theology of revelation, tradition, the authority
and interpretation of Scripture, and the role of the church in relation to Scripture. Your
response should draw from both ​Dei Filius​ and ​Dei Verbum​.

2. Theologian Joseph Ratzinger (aka Benedict XVI) wrote, “​What did Jesus actually bring,
if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? The answer is very simple:
God. He has brought God​.” What does it mean for Jesus to “bring” God? What
implications might your response have for the Christian community’s participation in the
life of the world?

3. Explain the salvific significance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in
relationship to both the present experience and future fulfillment of God’s reign. Your
 response should reflect biblical teaching, the church’s creedal faith, and the insights of
contemporary theologians.

4. Identify and detail the theological insights and theologian(s) that have helped you
develop your current understanding of the human being as sinful but graced, and as being
capable of hearing and responding to God’s revelation. How would you synthetize these
theologians’ contributions to our understanding of revelation, sin, grace, and soteriology?