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Jelinek

Theology 2

Theology 2 Semester 2 Study Guide


1. List the major kingdoms (in order) following the fall of Israel to the Assyrians. Include the
names of the important rulers associated with these Kingdoms.
- Assyrians (don’t need to know ruler; conquered in 722BC)
- Babylonians (Nebuchadnezzar; conquered in 586BC)
- Persians (Cyrus)
- Greece [Ptolemies & Selucids] (Alexander the Great)
- Romans (Caesar)
2. List four elements that contribute to the fall of Israel to the Assyrians.
- persist sin & idolatry
- God sends the Prophets to warn; they preach repentance & are ignored
- form alliance with Egypt (sign that they don’t trust God)
- Israel / Judah ignore & persecute
3. What happens to the people of Israel during the Assyrian Exile? The people of Israel
were uprooted from their conquered province and sent off to live in some foreign land, or
even scattered throughout the empire
4. How is the Assyrian Exile related to the Samaritan people? The Assyrian king found out
that Hoshea had been sending messengers to Egypt that suggested a secret alliance
and help Israel break free of Assyria. So the king attacked capital of Israel, with a huge
army and it fell after three years.
5. What year did Israel fall to the Assyrians? 722 BC
6. What is the relationship of the Prophets to the forthcoming judgment by foreign
conquest? Jonah was an unwilling prophet sent to preach repentance to Nineveh. He
spent three days as good as dead in the belly of a great fish. Jesus referred to the “sign
of Jonah” as a type of his own death & resurrection.
7. In what year did the Babylonians take over Jerusalem? 586 BC
8. What are the similarities between how both Israel and Judah Fall to foreign powers?
Foreign gods, temple prostitutes, dishonored temples, ignore God, persecute prophets
9. Briefly describe what life was like under the Babylonians- include what happens to the
temple and the deportations- use examples like Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, etc. “Dark
times”; temple from gradually taken away from. Jerusalem suffered one raid after
another, false prophets, all bad news. Jeremiah was imprisoned, thrown down a well,
and threatened with death many times. He had the truth though no one wanted to
recognize it.
10. don’t have to know 
11. Describe the Kings of Judah after the fall of Israel to the Assyrians? What did they do?
How did they respond to the prophecy of impending judgment?
- Isaiah: prophesies that Ahaz’s son Hezekiah will be Messianic figure
- Hezekiah: reformed Israel’s idolatrous ways. Tore down Pagan altars & idols that had
been built by former kings
- Manasseh: returned to the Assyrian cults & religious practices and ordered Isaiah’s
death (converts in end and begs for mercy)
- Amon: returned to Paganism, is later assassinated
- Josiah: reformer
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12. Who was Cyrus? What did he do? Why was he such an important figure to the Jews?
How did they think of him?
- was the king of Persia
- didn’t believe in massacre or much bloodshed
- allowed conquered people to keep their customs & religious practices
- allowed them to return to homeland & rebuild temple
- Jews saw him as Messiah
13. Briefly describe what life was like under the Persians.
good; freedom; Cyrus was king
14. What does the term “Hellenized” mean? Who started this? What occurred during the
period of Hellenization? What biblical work was produced by Jews as a result of this, and
how was it produced?
- Hellenized means to become Greek
- Alexander the Great started this
- during this period, everyone started acting & developing Greek culture
- Septuagint
15. Describe what happens to the Greek Empire following the reign of Alexander the Great
up until Antiochus? How do these figures relate to the Maccabean Revolt?
- the Greek Empire divided into Ptolmies & the Selucids, reclaimed land & purified the
temple
- these figures relate to the Maccabean Revolt because Maccabean people figured out
it was better to die than to be unfaithful
16. Describe what happens to the Temple/ Ark of the Covenant between the Babylonian
conquest thru the end of the Maccabean revolt. Jeremiah took and hid Ark of the
Covenant & was never seen again
17. Describe the Maccabean revolt: why did it start, who led it, what did they succeed in
doing, what were the effects, how is it remembered/ celebrated in Jewish culture? Make
sure to include Antiochus and his role in this event.
- started as result of Antiochus forcing pagan religion upon Jews & killing the
circumcised and mothers of
- Priest Matthias & his 5 sons led it
- succeeded in breaking free of Antiochus’ reign
- expanded Jerusalem
- now celebrated as the holiday of Hanukah

The World of the New Testament


Briefly characterize the following kingdoms or groups of people that appear in the New
Testament:

a. Pharisees – a Jewish sect that Judaism to modern life. They


believed in keeping separate held most of the positions of
from the Gentiles. They followed power in the priesthood.
the law of Moses strictly and Sadducees did not believe in
added many traditional the resurrections and denied the
interpretations & regulations of existence of angels & spirits.
their own c. Samaritans – a mixed
b. Sadducees – a Jewish sect that population (Assyrians &
believed in accommodating
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Theology 2
Israelites) who worshipped God Solomon when the northern
in different way from the Jews tribes refused to accept
d. Gentiles – not Jewish Rehoboam as their king
e. Proselytes (of the Gate) – l. Assyrian – cruel in their
person who converted to the conquest, uprooted conquered
Jewish religion populations & either completely
f. Essenes – a Jewish sect who relocated them or scattered
showed marked kindness and among empire
hospitality to strangers, showed m. Babylonians – seen as “devil’s
special care for the sick city”
g. Zealots - A member of an
ancient Jewish sect aiming at a
world Jewish theocracy and n. Persians
resisting the Romans until AD
70
h. Romans – final destroyers of
Jerusalem after Jewish-Roman o. Greeks
war lasted 3 years
i. Galileans – entire race wiped
out by Romans after resenting
their taxes, religiously p. Maccabees
passionate
j. Kingdom of Israel – also known
as Samaria; House of Joseph;
union of all the twelve Israelite q. Seleucids
tribes living in that area
k. Kingdom of Judah – resulted as
the break-up of the Kingdom of
Israel, created by Saul, David & r. Ptolomies

NT & Gospels Ch. 16-17


The New Testament
1. Briefly describe the Relationship between the OT and the NT The NT does not replace
the OT: it fulfills it
2. What are the divisions of the NT?
- Law: the 4 Gospels
- History: The Acts of the Apostles
- Wisdom: The Epistles (letters)
- Prophecy: The Book of Revelations
3. What are the similarities between the divisions of the OT and NT? In the NT we see how
God’s plan of salvation unfolds & is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus
4. Why are the writers of the NT called evangelists? Evangelism refers to the practice of
relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those
beliefs. They were writing to spread what they knew to those who didn't.
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Theology 2
5. Why the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, and Luke are called “synoptic”? The gospels
of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include
many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same
wording.
6. How do we explain the differences in the stories told about Jesus in each of the
gospels? Each author emphasizes different details because they’

The Gospel of Matthew


1. Who was the main audience for Matthew’s Gospel? Jewish Christians
2. How is Matthew’s Gospel different from the others? Emphasizes Jesus as the true heir
of David’s kingdom
3. What does Matthew include in his Gospel that shows us he is writing for this audience?
Shows how Jesus fulfilled Jewish expectations as Messiah.
4. don’t have to know 
5. Explain at least 2 examples of how Matthew employs the New Kingdom theme.
- Jesus is a descendant of David through Mary
- Jesus is separated from David through 14 generations
- Jesus chooses 12 apostles, symbolic of 12 tribes of Israel
- Jesus uses Peter as a symbol for prime minister, David had a Prime Minister
6. Explain at least 2 examples of how Matthew employs the New Exodus theme.
- Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, connected to Israelites crossing the Red Sea (also
Baptized when crossing)
- Jesus goes into desert for 40 days, connected to Israel who went into desert for 40
years
- Moses makes a covenant with God on Mt. Sinai and gives 10 Commandments;
Jesus gives the laws of the New Covenant in the Sermon on the Mount
7. Describe characteristics of Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew? genealogy of David through
14 generations
8. Where is Jesus baptized? the Jordan River
9. Where did the Holy Family go after Jesus’ birth? Egypt
10. What happened to Jesus while he was in the desert? He was tempted by the devil to
prove that he was the Son of God; resists temptation
11. Where does Jesus go and what does he do after his time in the desert?
12. What does Jesus say about the “Old Law”?
13. Discuss Matthew 16:17-18 in terms of Jesus instituting Peter as Pope. Discuss Peter’s
primacy as Pope.
14. Typology be able to compare: Jesus to Moses & the Zion Covenant to the Catholic
Church check typology section below.

The Gospel of Mark


1. Who was St. Mark? A disciple of Peter & traveling companion
2. What is Mark’s Gospel known for? Being the shortest & earliest Gospel
3. How did he compose his Gospel? Tells the story of Jesus’ life in a straightforward way.
4. Describe the basic features and characteristics of the Gospel of Mark?
- Jesus is the leader of a New Exodus
- Jesus performs many miracles to show that he is God: healing the sick & casting out
demons
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The Gospel of Luke
1. Who is St. Luke? What was his profession and who did he travel with? A gentile
physician & disciple of Paul.
2. Who was the main audience for Luke’s Gospel? Gentiles
3. don’t have to know
4. Where did Luke get his information from? In regards to Jesus’ infancy narratives?
Mary
5. What does Luke include in his Gospel that shows us that he is writing for this audience?
God uses someone who is a Gentile to write to the Gentiles
6. What are features/ characteristics of Luke’s Gospel that make it unique from the others?
- Luke was not an eyewitness to the events of the life of Jesus
- Luke was a Gentile Christian himself
7. don’t have to know

Typology
1. Compare Jesus to Moses
Jesus Moses

-became the Prince of Peace -became the Prince of Egypt

-went from being God to a human being -went from being prince to pauper

-performed signs/miracles -performed signs/miracles

-spent 40 days fasting in the desert -spent 40 days fasting on the mountain

-He is the Good Shepherd -became a shepherd


-Jesus is the prophet, priest, and King of -Moses is the prophet of the Old
a New & everlasting covenant Covenant

2. Compare the Zion Covenant to the Catholic Church


Zion The Church

-Temple: permanent center of worship -Temple: Jesus’ body is the new temple
that draws people to Jerusalem

-International: the covenant reaches -International: the church is for all people
through all nations throughout Israel

-Inclusive: designed to invite the nations -Inclusive: the church is evangelistic,


in spreading the Gospel to all

-Wisdom Literature: a new Torah -Wisdom Literature: the New Testament


designed to speak to all man-kind is the book of the New Covenant
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Theology 2
-Todah: most important religious -Todah: Jesus gives us his body and
ceremony is the thank offering blood in the Eucharist as an act of
thanksgiving and atonement

3. Discuss how the 7 Primary and 3 Secondary features of the Davidic Kingdom are fulfilled
in the Church.
Seven Primary Features The Church

-David would have a great kingdom -Jesus is the King of the New Israel

-David would have a dynasty -Jesus is the last & perfect Son, He rules
forever
-David was adopted as God’s Son -Jesus is the only begotten Son of God

-the covenant was unlimited -Jesus’ Kingdom is forever and for all
people
-Jerusalem is the spiritual center -the Heavenly Jerusalem replaces the
earthly
-the temple was the sign of the covenant -Jesus is the temple of the new covenant
-Wisdom is the new law of the covenant -the epistles of St. Paul & the Apostles
are the new wisdom literature

Three Secondary Features The Church

-Queen Mother becomes role -Mary is the new Queen Mother &
advocate
-Prime Minister is chief steward -Peter & the Popes are the Prime
Ministers
-Thank Offering replaces the sin offering -the Eucharist is the perfect & ultimate
thank offering

Gospel of John
1. Who is the Gospel of John written to? Jewish Christians
2. What do we know about the author? he’s an Apostle & one of Jesus’ inner circle of
friends
3. What are the major themes?
- John emphasizes Jesus as the “Word of God Incarnate”
- Jesus comes to inaugurate the New Creation “In the beginning..” (John 1) We are the
new creatures in Christ
- Jesus comes to establish a new Passover
- John shows the family relationship of the Trinity most clearly
4. What are the features/ characteristics that distinguish this gospel from the others?
- John includes details left out in the other Gospels (ex.- The Wedding Feast at Cana,
Jesus’ prayer to the Father before his arrest, & Jesus refers to himself as “I Am”)
5. How was St. John’s death (the Apostle) different from the other Apostles? was the only
Apostle not martyred
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6. What happens at the wedding Feast at Cana? Jesus’ first miracle; the bread & wine
feast
7. What does Jesus teach us about Baptism? cleanses us of original sin
8. In what chapter does Jesus give us the Bread of Life discourse? John 6:22-71
9. What miracle does Jesus perform before giving the discourse? turned bread into the
Eucharist
10. How do some of the disciples respond to what Jesus says about the Eucharist? Many of
the disciples left Jesus because of this teaching
11. What word is used for the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of
Jesus?
12. What 4 things does Jesus teach in the Bread of Life discourse?
- Jesus is the new Manna (bread from Heaven)
- Jesus is the great “I Am”
- Receiving the Eucharist is necessary for our salvation
- In the Eucharist, we truly consume Jesus’ body & blood
13. Explain using distinct and specific examples from the Gospel, how we see St. John
using the “New Creation” typology.
- John starts the Gospel with the words “in the beginning..”
- John uses dark & light as images of a new creation; Christ is changing the world from
darkness into light (Christ is the light in the darkness)
- The Gospel is narrated & ordered according to “days” as in the book of Genesis
- Mary is repeatedly called “woman” by Jesus; this identifies her as the “New Eve”

Acts of the Apostles


1. List three non-Christian scholars who gave accounts of the life of Jesus or the early
Church.
2. Who is the Author of Acts? Luke
3. What is the major theme of Acts? Jesus tells them that it will be their business to
restore the kingdom. They will be His witnesses.
4. What verse gives us the “blueprint” for Acts? How is the book structured according to
this?
- Acts 1:6-8
- The verse says the Gospel will start in Jerusalem, then goes through Judea,
Samaria, & all the rest of the earth.
5. Describe Pentecost. What are its roots in the OT? How is it fulfilled in the NT? What
sacrament relates to Pentecost?
- Pentecost: the giving of the Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts
of the Father in salvation history
- Roots in the OT are “In the beginning, the Spirit came as a ‘mighty wind’ sweeping
over the face of the earth” (Genesis 1:2)
- Fulfilled in the NT, the Spirit comes again as a “strong, dividing wind” to renew the
face of the earth
- Relates to sacrament of Confirmation
6. don’t have to know
7. What happens to Ananias and Sapphira? Why? They both died because they lied to
the Holy Spirit & to God about keeping money that was not righteously theirs.
8. Discuss how the restoration is accomplished in Acts.
- Jesus, the King, is lifted up and Enthroned in Heaven
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- The Twelve Thrones are reunited under the King—this is accomplished through the
election of Matthias to replace Judas
- Peter is the Prime Minister just as David and his successors had had ministers to sit
on thrones and judge people, so Jesus chose Peter. In Acts, Peter exercises that
authority.
9. What is an ecumenical council? What is the first ecumenical council?
- An ecumenical council is when the Pope calls all bishops together for a
meeting/discussion on problem.
- The first was the Council of Jerusalem, by Peter & they reach two decisions:
Christians don’t need to follow dietary laws and Gentiles didn’t need to be
circumcised
10. Discuss what happens at the Council of Jerusalem? Why is the council called? Who
calls it and who presides over it?
- It’s decided that it is not necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be
saved & we are no longer required to follow the dietary laws
- “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond
these necessities.”
- Peter calls & presides over it.
11. What are the two major decisions that come from this council? It’s decided that it is
not necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be saved & we are no longer
required to follow the dietary laws

St. Paul the Apostle (Saul became St. Paul)


1. Who is the Author of Romans? St. Paul
2. What is St. Paul’s background? He was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin
3. What do we know about St. Paul?
- He was a tent maker, & used this trade to support himself on his missionary journeys
- short & ugly
- not a good public speaker
4. What is the difference between an apostle and a disciple? How does Paul become
an apostle?
- difference is that an Apostle is a disciple who has received the title from Christ;
disciple is an “untitled” Apostle (all Apostles are disciples, disciples are not Apostles)
5. How many missionary journeys does St. Paul make? What often happens on these
journeys?
- St. Paul makes three missionary journeys
- on these journeys he wrote 2nd Corinthians & Romans
6. How does Paul follow in the footsteps of Peter? Why is it important that he does
this?
- Paul follows Peter’s footsteps; they both healed the lame, 1st sermon announced the
fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, etc.
- yo no se
7. To which group of people is Paul sent to evangelize?
- the Gentiles
8. Explain Paul’s doctrine of Justification. Be sure to discuss grace, merit, and
salvation.
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Theology 2
- Justification means “made right with God”; the people of the OT thought that
following the “Old Law” made them righteous. The law did not make them righteous,
therefore no one could ever learn justification through the law
- grace: free and undeserved help from God; all grace comes from Jesus’ death on the
cross
- merit: what is owed to a person for their actions committed; with regard to God, man
cannot claim to merit anything
- salvation:
9. don’t have to know
10. List the similarities between Peter and Paul.
Peter Paul

-1st sermon announces the fulfillment of -1st sermon announces the fulfillment of
the Davidic covenant the Davidic covenant

-Reprimands Simon the Magician -Reprimands Bar-Jesus the Magician

-refuses to be worshipped by Cornelius -refuses to be worshipped by the people


of Lystra

-becomes famous for healings -heals the lame


-rescued from prison by a miracle -rescued from prison by a miracle
-raises Tabitha from the dead -raises Eutychus from the dead

11. What was Paul doing before his conversion? persecuting the followers of Jesus
12. don’t have to know
13. don’t have to know
14. Read 1 Cor 15:12-55 What does Paul say about death& resurrection? Why is Christ’s
resurrection necessary to our faith?

The Bible and the Church


1. How do we see Peter’s primacy over the other Apostles evidenced in the bible- give
specific examples?
- Peter is the Prime Minister, and he does various things: without debate he
announces that Judas must be replaces, he acts as the unquestioned leader at
Pentecost, Peter speaks for them again before the people and the priests, and he
exercises a healing power like Christ’s.
2. What is the Hierarchy of the Church? What is the purpose of the Hierarchy?
- 1. Jesus
- 2. The Pope
- 3. Apostles = Bishops
- a.) Cardinals (Archbishops with a special authority)
- b.) Archbishops (Bishops of larger dioceses)
- c.) Bishops
- 4. Priests (Monsignors, Pastors & Associate Pastors)
- 5. Deacons
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- 6. Lay Faithful
3. What is a sacrament? What are the seven sacraments? What are the categories of
sacraments?
- sacrament: an efficacious sign of grace instituted by Christ & entrusted to the Church
4. Where do we see each of the sacraments mentioned in the Bible? in Acts; gives us
several detailed accounts of the Church celebrating the Sacraments
5. Describe the elements of form, matter, minister & effect in relation to the sacraments.
Know each of these for each sacrament (on the chart)
- form: words/oath
- matter: physical thing/material
- effect: what sacrament does/gives us
- minister: administers the sacrament

Revelations
1. Who is the author of Revelations? What else did they write? St. John, also wrote
Gospel of John
2. What Greek word does “revelation” come from? What does it mean? What cultural
context does this work imply and how is it related to the book of Revelations?
- The Greek word “revelation” comes from is “apocalypse”
- Revelation means “to unveil”
- It implies the cultural concept that the lamb of God is reunited with his groom; entire
book moves up to this “ultimate wedding”
3. What type of writing is the book of Revelations? prophetic writing
4. What purpose do Revelations serve in relation to all of public revelation? In
Revelations, we see a prophecy that’s both to be partially fulfilled (immediately) &
eventually fully fulfilled at the end of time
5. What are the 4 senses of Scripture?
- literal sense: words mean exactly what they say
- allegorical sense (spiritual): how text is fulfilled through Jesus’ life
- moral (spiritual): how one should act justly & live righteously
- anagogical (eschatological sense): how text is fulfilled with our eternal destiny in
mind
6. Why is it important to know these senses in relationship to the Book of Revelations?
can misinterpret the meaning of Revelations; like how the early Christians expected
the world to end in their lifetime
7. When did the early Christians expect the world to end? very soon; within their lifetime
8. What disaster in 70AD brought the world of the Old Covenant to an end? the
Romans succeeded in taking Jerusalem
9. What are major events within the Jewish-Roman War?
- During the Roman attacks, Jerusalem became so crammed with Jews that there
wasn’t enough food & supplies. Many fell to starvation/cannibalism
- more than 1 million Jews had died in battle or famine
- the destruction took 40 years = 1 generation
10. What did the Christians do before the fall of Jerusalem? Christians began to flee to
the mountains to escape the violence & fall of Jerusalem
11. What historical event surrounds the Book of Revelations? the Jewish-Roman War
12. How many parts is the book of Revelation divided into? How do these parts
correspond to the mass?
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- divided into two parts: Revelations 1-11 & Revelations 11-22
- these parts correspond to the mass because Rev. 1-11 = liturgy of the Word & Rev.
11-22 = Liturgy of the Eucharist
13. What does the number 144,000 represent?
14. Who is the Ark of the Covenant in the symbolism of Revelations? Mary
15. Why is there no temple in the New Jerusalem? Jesus is the “replacement temple”
16. When does Jesus say that the end of the world will come? only God knows
17. What happened to all the churches listed in Revelations? What does this mean for
us?
- all of the churches listed in Rev. were destroyed
- this means for us that
18. How is prophecy related to typology? foretells the future
19. What are things that John sees in his vision that are also things used at Mass? an
altar, candles, incense, priests dressed in robes, bread/manna, and bowls or chalices
of blood.
20. What word is repeated 8 times in the letters to the seven churches? Why was it
important that the 7 churches hear this word?
- “repent”
- The occurrence of this word is related to the structure of the Mass because with this
invitation to dine with Christ Himself, the heavenly Liturgy of the Word gives way to
the feast of the heavenly Eucharist.

21. don’t have to know


22. What does the Bible use parousia to mean? Bible uses “parousia” to mean “advent”
or “arrival” or “bodily presence”.

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