THE 501A & B: Biblical Foundations (Dr. Andrew Minto)
Study all three (3) questions. The proctor will choose one for you to answer at the examination.
- Reflecting on the magisterial documents (Providentissimus Deus, Divino Afflante Spiritu, Dei Verbum, Historicity of the Gospels, and Mysterium Ecclesiae), the NCCB 's Pastoral Statement for Catholics on Biblical Fundamentalism, class lecture, and the articles by Frein and Lindbeck, address and answer the following questions. What place and role does Scripture occupy within the Church with respect to the mediation of God's word? How does this view of Scripture, as the privileged instrument of God's word, rest on certain fundamentals, yet, at the same time, resist and contradict fundamentalism?
- Reflecting on the article by Ratzinger, the excerpts from Colin's Enlightenment and Alienation, Hayes & Holloday's Biblical Exegesis, and class lecture, write a response to the two articles by R. Brown addressing the key issue of the effect of Enlightenment thinking on modern exegesis and theological reflection and a remedy to this affect.
- Reflecting on the magisterial documents (see question #1), the two articles by de la Potterie, the articles by S. M. and F. Martin, and class lecture, write an essay that discusses the meaning and interrelation of the senses of Scripture. How does this meaning and interrelation provide the foundation for an interpretative stance or hermeneutic?
THE 504A: Teachings of Vatican II (Dr. Alan Schreck)STUDY AND ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS:
- Discuss how each of the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council express both continuity with past Catholic teaching and new approaches that present Catholic doctrine in light of the present situation and understanding of modern people; and
- How would you evaluate both the successes and shortcomings of the implementation of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church from the close of the Council in 1965 to the present? Include in your answer the evaluation of the Catholic bishops form the "Extraordinary Synod" in 1985.
THE 504B: Teachings of Vatican II (Fr. Lawler, OFM)Explain this liturgical doctrine of Vatican II:
The Eucharist is the summit of Christian life, and it is the source of all Christian life activity. Christ and his saving mysteries are really present in the Eucharist; but the Eucharist can be made present validly only by Christ, acting in his priests, who have Christ's priesthood in direct succession from the apostles.
THE 641: Catechetics: Content & Curriculum (Prof. Barbara Morgan)In light of the General Directory for Catechesis and Catechesi Tradendae, discuss the content of catechesis regarding the maintenance of its integrity, the hierarchy of truths, and the need for a systematic presentation of it.
THE 655: Mary in the Modern World (Dr. Mark Miravalle)
- Offer a competent theological definition of the Mariological terms: "Co-Redemptrix" and "Mediatrix of all Graces" with support from Divine Revelation, and
- Summarize the treatment of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her "maternal mediation" as contained in Pope John Paul II's Marian Encyclical, Redemptoris Mater.
THE 660: Liturgical Theology and Practice (Fr. Dominic Scotto)"The Pastoral initiative of Pope Pius X helped to lead the way toward an eventual rediscovery of the liturgy as true prayer." Please expand on this statement.
THE 680: Applied Christian Ministry (Fr. Richard Tuttle)After making an outline in your blue book, discuss the Spirituality of the Minister by defining each of these two terms and fleshing out their meaning from both our class notes and our textbooks. Make another outline in your blue book and discuss methods: lesson plans and group management from our class notes and guest speakers plus some from observations and field experiences in terms of methods as they apply to content.
THE 691: Catechetical Methods I (Prof. Barbara Morgan)Describe the divine pedagogy as used by Christ and the Church and relate it to Msgr. Kelly's "Ecclesial" methodology.
THE 693: The Catechumenate and the RCIA (Prof. Barbara Morgan)Discuss the similarities and any divergencies between the fourth century catechumenates and the present-day Order of Christian Initiation.
THE 711: The Apocalypse (Dr. Scott Hahn)
- Briefly summarize the introductory issues of authorship, dating and historical background for the Apocalypse. What are the four major interpretive approaches to the Apocalypse? Briefly describe how the leading insights of all of these might be synthesized.
- Briefly discuss the preterist interpretation of the Apocalypse, focusing on the elements of "covenant judgment" which were evident in the first century. How would you relate this to the prophetic discourse given by Jesus on the Mount of Olives (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21)? What light does Josephus' writing shed for preterists?
- Briefly discuss the importance of the liturgy in the Apocalypse. Show how the liturgical elements running throughout John's visions combine to form a coherent literary framework for interpreting the Apocalypse in the light of the church's eucharistic worship. What significance may be drawn from the interconnection of juridical and liturgical actions, as they are depicted in the divine temple of the heavenly Jerusalem? How can the Apocalypse be related to the Church's eucharistic worship?
THE 711GA: Paul and Prophets (Fr. Reto Nay)Explain Christian Justification according to the Book of Romans.
THE 740A: Eschatology (Dr. Regis Martin)Comment at length on the following passage from Hans Urs von Balthasar in which he invites the entire discipline of Theology to become, as it were, eschatologized, i.e., to be dominated by the eschata. He writes: "God is the 'last thing' of the creature. Gained, he is heaven; lost, he is hell; examining, he is judgment; purifying, he is purgatory...In this way, eschatology is, almost more than any other locus theologicus, entirely a doctrine of salvation. This is absolutely central."
THE 740B: Theology of the Holy Spirit (Dr. Alan Schreck)Discuss some of the important aspects of the identity and work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and explain how these aspects are presented in later theological reflections and teachings on the Holy Spirit, such as by St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Symeon the New Theologian, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Pope John Paul II. (You need only show how these aspects are presented or explained in some of these writers, not all of them.)
THE 740C: TI: Dogmatic Theology (Fr. Bramwell, OMI)Discuss the philosophical and theological aspects of the Catholic answer to the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith debate.
THE 740D: TI: Feminism and Theology of the Body (Prof. Donohue White)
- Feminist theology: Present in general form the project of feminist theology and its primary criticism of the Christian tradition and illustrate how this project and critique are applied in three of the following areas: feminist Trinitarian theology (C. LaCugna), Christology (E. Johnson), sacramental theology (S. Ross), theological anthropology (M. A. O'Neill) and moral theology (L. S. Cahill). How would you critically respond to the feminist challenge to the tradition in light of John Paul's understanding of feminism and in light of the criticisms of feminist theology we analyzed in class?
- Theology of the body: Present and contrast the understanding of the body, sexuality and gender in the thought of Augustine, Hildegard and Thomas Aquinas in terms of Prudence Allen's distinction between sex unity, sex polarity and sex complementarity and in light of the historical work of P. Brown ("Sexuality and Society: Augustine") and C. Bynum ("The Female Body and Religious practice in the Later Middle ages"). Finally, how can our contemporary understanding of the theology of the body benefit from a deeper understanding of Augustine, Hildegard and Aquinas and from a critical confrontation with the modern feminist problematic?
THE 740E: Christian Anthropology (Dr. Mark Miravalle)Discuss the Thomistic notion of the internal senses of "Imagination" and "Memory"; and distinguish their respective operation as "contained in man" as opposed to as "contained in sense creature alone."
THE 740GA: Universal Catechism and Moral Theology (Dr. Donald Asci)
- Write an essay on the Catholic understanding of "freedom." What is freedom? What do we mean when we say the Catholic concept of freedom is a "freedom for"? What is the relationship between law and freedom? What is meant by participated theonomy?…etc.
- Is Catholic morality a "law-based" or a "virtue-based" moral theory? What is the place of each in the Catholic moral theory. Is there a relationship or interdependence between law and virtue? Does one of these concepts predominate? How or why (not)?
THE 740GA: TI: Atonement, Grace, and Justification (Dr. John Saward)Explain man's cooperation with grace using the relevant reading materials from the course.
