Fundamental Theology

Answers to Objections and Questions for oral exam

October 2013

The student must prepare a motivated and sound reply to one of the following
“Objections coming from the social and cultural context”, offering an oral
exposition of about 10 minutes. At the end, the teacher will address to the student
one of the “Questions about the Program of the Study”, chosen among the list here
below.
Alternatively, instead of preparing a reply to one of the “Objections”, the student
will answer 2 or 3 “Questions” posed by the teacher, among the ones listed below.
The student is asked to speak in one of the following languages: Italian, English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese. Other languages must require a translator into one of
the languages above, provided by the student, someone who has not attended the
same course of Fundamental Theology at the University of the Holy Cross.

FIRST SEMESTER

OBJECTIONS COMING FROM THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

(choose one of them and provide a sound reply)

1. There are no sufficient motives to sustain that God has truly spoken to man in
history. Instead, it is true that man speaks of God as a fruit of his aspirations and his
desires, constructing for himself a fictitious image of God as a response to his
existential problems.

2. The Revelation of God in the Old Testament is one of the many religious
manifestations typical to every population. It does not have divine origins, because it
consists of Scriptures written to create the identity of the people of Israel and to
justify the conquest of other populations. In fact, the contents of the Biblical
Revelation present many similarities with other occurrences that appeared in the
Middle East in those same centuries, and they can be studied as an instance among
others.
3. Maintaining that God, the Creator of the universe, became man is the result of
mythological thinking. God’s transcendence is not compatible with faith in the
incarnate Word. Jesus of Nazareth was a man who had a deep spiritual life and a
very profound doctrine, but His life story and what happened to Him is similar to
what happened in the lives of many of the other prophets and messiahs who worked
in Israel.
4. Faith is an interior and personal attitude. It is often irrational, that is, it obliges one
to make decisions contrary to reason. Every religion has need of its faith, and in this
faith, even the Christian faith, there is a seed of fanaticism and intolerance.
5. If one truly wishes to live an authentic Christian life, it is necessary that he put
aside the Tradition of the Church and live according to Scripture. In fact, throughout
the centuries many human traditions have been superimposed, hiding the spirit of
Christianity contained in the Gospels, until the point of distorting it in many areas.
Therefore one could apply to the Tradition the words of Jesus to the Pharisees:
«Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men» (Mk 7:8).
6. The Church claims to be infallible in what she teaches, but can we really believe
that this is true after so many centuries of unjust trials, inconvenient measures and
scientifically wrong teachings? And on the other hand, if the bishops and even the
Roman Pontiff have changed opinions on so many occasions and concerning so
many topics, how can the Church be infallible in all of her teachings?

7. The teaching office of the Church has received a divine mandate to transmit and
teach the contents of Biblical Revelation. Therefore it should abstain itself from
teaching on subjects and themes which are not present in Scripture, for example
about philosophical topics or about new ethical questions from the modern or
contemporary age. In every case, the teaching of the Church on these themes, not
contained in an explicit way in the Scripture, cannot be considered infallible.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM OF STUDY

(chosen by the teacher)

1. What are the object and purpose of Fundamental theology, in relation to other
theological disciplines? Mention the four major areas of Fundamental theology and
comment on some relations between them.
2. What is the relationship between the dogmatic and apologetic dimensions of
Fundamental theology? Put this relationship in the light of the nature of Revelation,
once it is understood as a mystery and as an event.
3. Comment on the historical development of the Treatise of Fundamental theology.
How it has been articulated in the threefold structure: Demonstratio religiosa -
Demonstratio christiana - Demonstratio catholica?
4. Comment on some aspects of human religiosity as a fundamental anthropological
constant, and the opening of human religious dimension to divine revelation.
5. What are the main properties of a divine revelation performed through the Word?
Offer a brief biblical and theological commentary on some pages form the First
Testament.
6. How the Gospels speak about God’s Revelation and Jesus as Revelator? What are
the ways in which the synoptic Gospels, and then St. John, speak about “revelation”
and “to reveal”?
7. What are the rules, logic and content of divine revelation according to the Pauline
epistles? What is the theological content of the Pauline mysterion?
8. Briefly explain the ways of understanding the concept of “Revelation” according to
authors of the Patristic age.
9. Comment on the ways of understanding the concept of “Revelation” according to
the Middle Ages theology, especially Thomas Aquinas’ thought.

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10. Comment on the notion of revelation as presented in Dei Verbum, 2.
11. What are the main biblical contents associated with what we call “the revelation
of the origins?” Mention some element of originality that the biblical text has when
compared with extra-biblical religious traditions.
12. Provide some theological explanation on how and why creation can be
considered a cosmic revelation of the Word.
13. Express the main stages of salvation history and the major theological contents
associated with the revelation of the Word through the logic and religious experience
of the Covenant.
14. What image and attributes of God can be deduced from a logic of revelation as
that of the Covenant?
15. What are the three main areas in which the content of revelation as a Word of
Wisdom has developed? Refer to examples from the Wisdom books.
16. Present the main theological content associated with the figure of the prophet,
especially in its relationship with the word.
17. Explain how the Incarnate Word can be presented as the fullness of revelation of
the word of creation.
18. Illustrate some aspects of the relationship between Jesus Christ and history: the
new creation in Christ and the economy of the Incarnate Word as the fullness of time.
19. What are the main theological categories associated with the Word of Covenant
in the First Testament, that come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word?
Make some examples that show the dynamics between promise and fulfillment
existing between the First and the New Testament
20. Summarize, briefly commenting on the main theological elements of the
relationship between the First Covenant and the New Covenant, as they appear in
chapters 8, 9 and 10 of the Epistle to Hebrews.
21. Comment on the role of the Holy Spirit in the economy of Revelation.
22. How and where does Dei Verbum speak of the role of the Holy Spirit in the logic
and economy of Revelation?
23. Express how the First Testament speaks of faith: what does it mean, for the
people of Israel, to have faith in, i.e. to believe in God?
24. Comment on what “to have faith” and “to believe” mean according to the
Synoptic Gospels, and what is the Christocentric dimension of faith according to the
Gospel of John.
25. Which documents of Vatican I and Vatican II Councils speak of faith, and which
theological contents of faith are there emphasized?
26. Explain some aspects of the Christological dimension of faith.
27. Explain some aspects of the Ecclesial dimension of faith.
28. Revelation and the Church: What does it mean that the Church is “called” and
“generated” by the Word?
29. What are the main features of “Tradition” in the light of Dei Verbum, nn. 7 and 8?
30. What are the criteria for recognition of the key-places in which Tradition lies?

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31. On the relationship between Scripture and Tradition: give examples that
highlight their unity, the distinction between them and their mutual
interdependence.
32. What is the object (primary and secondary) of the Magisterium of the Church and
what are the (four) forms of teaching of the Magisterium?
33. What are the (three) forms of assent of the faithful to the teachings of the
Magisterium, as set out in the 3rd paragraph of the CDF document, Inde ab ipsis
primordis (1998)?
34. What is the biblical foundation for the notion of “indefectibility” of the Church?
How could the infallibility of the Church in docendo be deduced from such
indefectibility?
35. What are the different subjects of the Magisterium who teach having the charism
of the infallibility, and under which circumstances does such infallibility in docendo
operate, according to Lumen Gentium, n. 25?
36. Explain how broad the subject-matter is upon which the Magisterium of the
Church can teach according to its charism of infallibility in docendo, and what are the
reasons for supporting such a broadness.
37. How is the dogmatic teaching of the Church compatible with both the notion of
immutability and the development of dogma?
38. What are the factors that contribute to the development of the dogmatic teaching
of the Church?
39. Comment on Dei Verbum, n. 10, explaining the relations between the Magisterium
of the Church and Revelation.
40. What are the main criteria that should guide the interpretation of dogmatic
formulas, especially in light of the relationship between dogma, philosophy and
language?

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SECOND SEMESTER

OBJECTIONS COMING FROM THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

(choose one of them and provide a sound reply)

1. There is no motive to speak of the credibility of “Christian Revelation” as a group

of arguments which can be transmitted and shared by others, also in an objective
way. The Revelation is accepted on the basis of exclusive personal, subjective and
interior opinions.
2. Many are of the opinion that the Gospels are stories invented or at least
“theologically enriched” by their first-century authors. They are the only source that
we have to know Jesus, but historiographically they do not have any value, nor is it
possible to verify the historicity of those things that they recount. Thus, that which is
contained within them is not sufficient to motivate an act of faith that conditions the
entirety of human existence.
3. A sufficient motive does not exist for believing that Jesus of Nazareth worked
miracles. Stories such as these have other explanations: they could be due to the
ignorance or naivety of those present, to natural causes, or rather to the mythological
and devotional nature of the stories.
4. The disciples of Jesus of Nazareth preached his resurrection for political or
religious motives, or because they were deceived by their own anticipation of the
Messiah. The genre of the “resurrections” is part of the myth, and there are no
historically-founded reasons to believe in it.
5. One often hears people saying: «I believe in Jesus Christ, but not in the Church». It
seems like a justified affirmation, since today the Church is a hierarchical institution
that does not have much to do with the spiritual community founded by Jesus in the
days of his existence on earth. The Catholic Church, therefore, represents a historical
superstructure respective to the evangelical message of Jesus of Nazareth. There are
insufficient elements to establish continuity between these two realities. Therefore, it
is possible to believe in and adhere to Jesus of Nazareth without sharing a large part
of what the Catholic Church and her pastors affirm and teach.
6. Who can believe that the Church is still a “holy” reality? All can see the abuses of
power (including economic abuses), the scandals of human corruption which are
present everywhere. The Church has even asked for “pardon” for her sins… In these
circumstances, how can we be asked to believe that the Church can be a «vessel for
the nations» (Isa 11:12), a sign intended to announce to humanity the goodness and
love of God? We are not dealing, then, with a spiritual reality, willed by Jesus Christ,
but with a simple earthly community. Therefore, it is not possible to see in her any
reason for credibility in Christian Revelation.
7. Today’s society is characterized by multiculturalism, that is, the peaceful
coexistence of people of diverse cultures and beliefs. On the other hand, in the
theological field, the twentieth century has shown a large effort by Catholics to better
understand and value the great riches of non-Christian religions. Even if the contents
of Christian faith are outstandingly rich and profound, they are comparable those of
other religions. There are therefore no sufficient reasons for announcing Jesus Christ
to those who already profess a non-Christian religion.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM OS STUDY
(chosen by the teacher)

1. What are the motives of credibility which show the divine origin of Revelation
(that is, of the fact of Revelation), according to the Magisterium of Vatican I and
according to the magisterial teachings that preceded it?
2. What the analysis of the actus fidei proposed by Neo-scholastic theology consisted
of, and what role had the motives of credibility in such analysis?
3. What are the “preambles of faith” (praeambula fidei)?
4. According to the teaching of Vatican II, what are the signs of salvation which show
the divinity of Revelation and manifest that God is present there?
5. What does it mean that the credibility of Christianity is centered on the person of
Jesus Christ as: a) the fullness and fulfillment of Revelation; b) the source of
intelligibility of Revelation; and c) the key-solution to the enigma of human life and
aspirations?
6. What are the main theological contexts of the First Testament in which the God of
Israel gives his people reasons to believe in him, i.e. what are the manifestations of
His Self-witness?
7. Why should the "dynamics of Promise and fulfillment" be considered as the
fundamental rationale of the credibility of Revelation? Offer some considerations
able to embrace this dynamics for both the First and the New Testament.
8. What are the main extra-biblical documents which back the historicity of Jesus of
Nazareth? Recall their authors, contexts and essential contents.
9. Comment on the Apostolic kerygma: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, he died for
our sins and resurrected from the death. Show which knowledge is necessary to fully
understand the meaning of such an announcement.
10. Explain how the historicity of Gospel accounts is backed by the fact that Gospel
authors were simultaneously “disciples”, “apostles” and “martyrs”.
11. Among the reasons for the credibility of Christianity, what is the role of the access
we can have to the psychology of Jesus, as presented us by the Gospels?
12. Explain which sign the paschal mystery of Jesus actually is. How could it be
considered the ultimate sign for Jesus’ credibility?
13. How, in the Gospels, does Jesus appeal to his works (miracles), and to the
fulfillment of the prophecies, as reasons to believe in him?
14. What is the criterion of continuity / discontinuity used by exegesis to prove the
historicity of the Gospel accounts? Show a few examples of how it could work when
applied to some specific accounts.
15. What are the main theological and biblical reasons to support the real historical
occurrence of a number of miracles of Jesus, as told in the Gospels? Offer some
specific examples.
16. What aspects of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are made the subject of historical
knowledge, and which belong to the faith.

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17. Offer a general and comparative summary of the data of the New Testament
about the resurrection of Jesus, focusing on what we can reasonably consider to be a
matter of acquired historical and theological knowledge, and which issues are still
open to theological discussion.
18. Detail at least a couple of objections to the truth of the resurrection of Jesus and
provide the corresponding answers.
19. Speaking of the divine origin of Catholic Church as the true Christ’s Church,
what was the theological content of the proof once called via historica? How is this via
understood by contemporary theology? In particular, how could we show a true
continuity existing between the original community raised around Jesus of Nazareth
and contemporary Catholic Church?
20. How is today understood the via notarum —once employed to prove the truth of
Catholic Church as a witness and keeper of divine Revelation—according to the
sacramental and eschatological dimensions of the Church, as they are emphasized by
contemporary theology?
21. How was the classical via empirica presented by the First Vatican Council, and
how is it today presented by contemporary theology, taking into account the
character of a human-divine sacrament and that of a paradox, owned by the Church?
22. Why is the Church a sign and a witness of Jesus Christ, according to the Second
Vatican Council? What aspects of such a witness are underlined in order to show the
credibility of Revelation?
23. What are the specific features of Judaeo-Christian Revelation which highight its
specificity, when compared with extra-biblical religious traditions?
24. What is the content of the document, Christianity and the Religions (1996) as
authored by the International Theological Commission?
25. What is the “pluralist model” employed by some theologians to explain the
relationship between Christianity and religions? Is it in accord with the global
theological content of Christian Revelation?
26. Comment on the two theological strategies employed to address dialogue
between Christianity and religions within a Christocentric-inclusive model, namely
the doctrine of the semina Verbi and the convergence between anthropology and
Christology.
27. What are the key-contents of the document of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, Dominus Iesus (2000)?