Theology 1
Ministerial Theology
PRELIM EXAM POINTERS
Introduction to Theology
Theology - study of God
- Greek words: theos (God) and logia
(discourse or “the study of”)
- It concerns the existence and the nature of
a divine being.
- First used by Plato (rational conception)
Church Fathers - 1st to 5th century
- They explain doctrines and help people
appreciate Jesus’ teachings.
- Scriptures, traditions, and witnesses
“Theologia Deum Docet, a Deo docetur, ad
Deum ducit”
- Theology teaches of God, is taught by God,
and leads to God.
Medieval Era (500 - 1500 CE)
- Europe’s Golden Years
- Theology became an academic field, or
science.
- Medieval universities and theological
faculties
Approaches in Learning Theology:
1. St. Anselm of Canterbury
- “Fides quaerens intellectum” (Faith seeking
understanding)
- Faith first, then understanding
- His audience are first baptized Christians
2. Peter Abelard
- Most famous philosopher
- Study, know, and understand first before
believing (truth)
- His audience are atheist
Five Areas where we can do Theology
1. Folk Theology
- Close-minded people (their belief cannot be
changed)
- Naive, traditional, uninformed, dogmatic
(strong sure of facts)
2. Lay Theology
- More reflections on learned theological
concepts
- People are always asking (debatable)
- Formulates a doctrine of essentiality
3.
- More sophisticated reflections
- Has educated theological methodology
- Uses tools and resources at a more effective
level
- Working on knowledge of the languages
- Those who want to be a priest or minister.
4. Professional Theology
- Works with pastoral and lay theologians
- Conducts original research
- They critically evaluate common theological
trends and folk theology
5. Academic Theology
- Overly speculative and critical
- Follows the academic status quo
- Talks with other theologians
Main Categories:
1. Biblical Theology
- Study of Old Testament and New Testament
- Studies biblical text in its original language
● Old Testament
- Patriarchal Era (Abraham)
- Mosaic Era (Moses and Exodus)
- Monarchical Era (Kings: David, Saul, and
Solomon)
- Prophetic Era
● New Testament
- Synoptics
- Letter of James
- Pauline Letters
- Letter of Peter and Jude
- Revelation
2. Historical Theology
- Study of the Church history
- From St. Peter to Pope Francis
- Historical development of theological
concepts
● Divisions
- Ancient Theology (1st century - A.D. 590)
- Medieval Theology (A.D. 590 - 1517)
- Reformation Theology (1517 - 1750)
- Modern/Contemporary Theology (1750 -
Present)
3. Practical/Pastoral Theology
- They live out what is in the Bible.
- Study of ministerial practice
- Understands moral life
- Worship, Sermon, Pastoral and Community
Care, Administration and Leadership,
 Educational Work in School and Community,
Missiology)
4. Systematic Theology
- To understand our faith and teaching of the
Church
- Systematic and logical presentation of the
content of the Christian Faith (dogmatics)
and foundation of the Christian Way of Life
(ethics)
- Revelation and Faith, Christology,
Pneumatology (Holy Spirit), Angelology and
Demonology, Cosmology (Creation),
Anthropology and Hamartiology (Man and
Sin), Soteriology (Salvation), Ecclesiology
(Church), Sacramentology (Sacraments),
Eschatology (Last Things: hell, heaven,
purgatory)
- Summaries other categories
Why do we study Theology?
- Seek and give help
- Deep understanding of religious, tradition,
and explain the nature of divinity
- To understand faith
- Help us to reform or justify religion
- Compare from other religions
- To live out our faith
- Address our present situation
- Explore possible ways of interpreting the
world
God reveals Himself through:
1. Creation
- Genesis
2. Scripture (Salvation History)
- Abraham and People in Israel
- Old Testament: biblical signs made up of
deeds and work
- Covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses
● Yahweh or YHWH
- He-who-is-with His People)
- Tetragrammaton
- Jehovah, God, Lord, Iodin
3. Church
- Bring the Good News through a group of
disciples (all nation)
- Doctrine, life, and worship
- Sacred Scriptures and living traditions
4. Other Religions
5. Current Events
Jesus Christ - Agent, Content, and Goal of
Revelation
- mediator and the fullness of all revelation
- Key, center, and the purpose of the whole
man’s history

Divine Revelation The God who is and related with us in Love

Revelation - Latin word: revelare (to unveil or to ● Love sustains life

disclose) ● Forgiveness and Saves
- Introduction to new people sustained by ● Redemption
constant communication ● Shares and Creates

Divine Revelation - foundation of Christian’s faith ● Longs to be with

- God makes known to man Himself and His - Jesus’ Paschal Mystery
mysterious plans for the man and the world.
- Know His love, make friends, and invite us ● Guides and Empowers
to Him - Jesus’ resurrection (apostles)
- Where our central truths of our faith was - Holy Spirit
given - Church
- Access of man to the Father to His will is
through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the ● Being Loved by the Lover
Holy Spirit - Creation
- Frontliners
1. God reveals Himself to us freely. - Inculturation
2. Gratuitous (generous) even if we did not - Ecuminism
worthy of it (sins)

Faith - proper response to God for His divine Sacred Scripture, As Living Word of God
revelation
Bible - Latin: Biblia (the books)
- Greek: ta biblia (the books/scrolls)
 - Collection of sacred texts written at different
times, by different men, and in different
places
- God, our faith, and experiences of the
believers
- Product of divine inspiration
Divine Inspiration
- Authoritative record of the relationship
between God (word) and humans (effort)
Second Vatican
- Most important event of the Catholic Church
- During the 21st century, all bishops held a
meeting of all Church leaders to discuss how
to help the Christians understand more our
faith.
- Gave adjournment or resourcement
Document: Second Vatican
- “The Verbum” (God’s Word)
- Explaining the importance of the Bible
- God lovingly comes to His children and talks
to them by the Bible (Paragraph 21)
- The Bible is where God continues to be with
us, love us, and reveal His very self to us.
- It continues to animate our Christian life and
our faith as we go through our journey.
- It is where the followers of God listen and
learn to love God and Jesus more
- It is the central point of our Christian
life.
Important Points:
1. Bible is about God
- Know Him more (identity, purpose of
creating, redeeming, and sanctifying)
- How He calls and walk with us
- How to act, love, and to be a person that He
wants us to be
2. Bible is about people
- Learn lessons that people in the past
experienced (fails and success)
- To know how to live up His message
- How God calls, chooses, and uses them to
become instruments of His love
3. Bible is about Salvation History
- Genesis up to Revelation
- Lead us to glorify God
- His saving plan
4. Bible tells us about faith
- How people grow their faith from an
experience
- God’s love and kingdom
5. Bible is the living witness to God
- How His revelation started
- His gift of salvation
- His kingdom is the reality we live in
6. Bible is about us
- Understand the true meaning of events in
our life
- Experience of a person
Parts of the Bible: Division
1. Old Testament - about the Jewish people
anchored in the Exodus event and His
promises to His Chosen people
- Protestants: 39
- Catholic: 46
- Jewish: 28 (both New and old;
fused)
- Language: Hebrew
Classification:
● Pentateuch - Jews: Torah (law)
- First 5 books
- Laws given by God
- He wants to be known, we follow Him,
believe Him, and accept Him
- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy
- Foundation of Israelites
- Abraham, Noah, and Moses
● Historical
- Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah
- 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2
Chronicles
- Deutero-canonical books: Tobot, Judith,
Esther, 1 & 2 Maccabees
● Wisdom/Writings/Didactic
- Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Qoheleth, Song of
Songs
- Deutero-canonical books: Wisdom and
Sirach
Note: Both Historical and Wisdom Books
show reflection on the meaning of the
covenant with God.
● Prophetic - speeches and writings of the
prophets
- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel,
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi
- Deutero-canonical books: Baruch and Daniel
 2. New Testament - writings about Jesus as
the fulfillment of the promises
- About early Christian communities Deutero-canonical Books (Differing Books)
- Protestants: 27 - Catholic call: Deutero-canonicals (7)
- Catholic: 27 - Protestants call: Apocrypha
- Proto-canonicals: books that do not fit in
Classification:
● Old Testament
● The Gospels - “Good News” - Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach
- Greek: Evangelion (announcement of the - 1 & 2 Maccabees
good news)
- Story of Jesus and the good news of
salvation offered by Him Biblical Inspiration
- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
“The Bible is written in time.” (mystery in
● Acts of the Apostles action)
- Writer: Evangelist Luke - With the guidance and inspiration of the
- Second part of the Gospel of Luke Holy Spirit
- History of the early Church with special - A process
reference to the missionary journeys of Paul - Empowers the authors to use their talent
- What happened after Jesus’ death and knowledge
- To communicate the knowledge of salvation
● Pauline Letters/Epistles
- Writer: St. Paul the Gentile/Apostle (Saul) Stages of Formation:
- Contains doctrinal, moral actions, practical
advice, and exhortations 1. Experiences from people
- How to apply Jesus’ teachings - Oral tradition
- Written to the early churches that Paul
founded 2. Pass through verbally
- To strengthen the faith of the early 3. Writing
Christians
- Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 4. Canonisation
Colossians, Titus, Philemon - Choose the appropriate writings
- 1-2 Corinthians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2
Timothy Theories on WHO wrote the Bible:

● Letter to the Hebrews 1. Maximizing Theory - maximum

- Reminder to all Christians
- Complex theological theories on Christology
priesthood of the sacrament of Christ
- New Covenant and the way of Christian Life
● Universal/Catholic Letters
- Writings of person for particular
communities
- James, Jude
- 1-2 Peter, 1-2-3 John
● Revelation - Apocalypse
- Writer: Evangelist John (poetic terms)
- The end times (what will happen)
- Highly symbolic and visionary in nature
- Extraordinary, cataclysmic, and mystical
- Tells Christians to remain, stand firm, and
wait patiently to the fulfillment of God’s
mighty promise (salvation).
participation of God
- Minimum participation of the human
2. Hypnotic Theory - human is possessed
and is compelled to write
3. Condensation Theory - God comes down
to our level and expresses Himself in human
language
4. Instrumental Causation - Human is only
an instrument to express God Himself
- FAULT: no human freedom
5. Verbal Dictation - communication of
language to the author giving words that
best suits the writer’s individuality
- Author is task to consciously open to God’s
spirit

TOTAL BOOKS 6. Minimizing Theory - maximum

Protestants = 66 participation of the human
Catholic = 73 - Not accepted theory
 7. Subsequent Probation - if dli mutunong
sa gusto kay dili iapil

8. Negative Assistance - God chooses

people to write then He leaves

Biblical Inerrancy

“The Bible is without error when talking

about faith, however, historical truths may.”
(Paragraph 11, Second Vatican Council)

Canonicity - a process where a work is being

accepted or acknowledge in the lease of Sacred
Scriptures
- Whether old or new Testament
- Has standards

Criteria:

1. Apostolic Origin
- Written during apostolic origin (era)
- Written by a reliable writer

2. Importance of the Local Community

which produce the book
- Written by someone who lives in the
community

3. Conformity with the Rule of Faith

- Connected to what we understand about our
faith

4. Date

5. Liturgical Use
- The book has been used since the beginning
of time.
- Important, true, and has few errors