Unit 1 Lesson 1-4 & 6 in Divyabodhanam Book 4 "Thinking about God: An Introduction to Christian Theology."

1. Thinking About God
Book 4
Unit 1. Lesson 1-4, 6

2. Purpose
• A General Introduction to the field of
theology
• An attempt to think rationally about
faith
• Prayerful attempt to think about faith
in Holy Trinity

3. UNIT I -
Introduction to the Study of
Theology

4. Lesson 1 Terms
• Can we study God as a subject?
• Theo = God and Logia = Word. Greek
• Mysteries of God (1 Cor 2:7)
• Goal = perfection. Acquiring the image and likeness
of God. Not mere observance of certain principles of
morality.
• “ousia” = real essence; “energia” = his ways of
working.
• Transcendence & immanence

5. Lesson 2 - Theology – Historical
Analysis
• St. John the Evangelist and St. Gregory of
Nazianzus called Theologian
• True Theologian is one who witnesses the Lord.
• Christian Theology evolved out of attempting to
explain the Faith in Risen Lord
– Salvation
– Christology (Christ as God and Man)
– End of the World
– Trinity
• What are the modern questions related to our
faith in Risen Lord?

7. Lesson 3 Study of Theology – Principles
and Sources
• Catechism in the Early Church (Baptism)
• Response to the surrounding Greek,
Roman cultures
• Apostolic Fathers – St. Clement of Rome,
St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp …
• Apologists - defenders of the Faith, Justin
Martyr, etc.
• Source – H. Bible, Writings of Early
Fathers, Liturgy, Creed, H. Synods, etc.
• Paradosis – “Handed down” – 2 Thess
2:15; 1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess 3:6;

8. Lesson 4 – Terms, Symbols and
Holy Sacraments
• “knowledge” limited by senses
• Worship is an opportunity for “ecstatic experience”
of God. Beyond the 5 senses.
• Symbols can represent the unutterable realities.
For example the mystery of redemption is
symbolized in cross.
• Mysteries (i.e sacraments – medium of communion
) & we can speak of a “Liturgical Theology”
• See: “West Syrian Liturgical Theology” by Fr B.
Varghese .
• http://books.google.com/books?id=ymJtCxzIvSkC&
printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

9. Lesson 6 – Reason, Revelation,
Interpretation
• Limit of human reason
• We can only know God because God has
chosen to reveal himself to us.
• (Why is the H Bible Important in this
regard?)
• Interpreting the revelation that we have
received is a task of theology.
• Theology is a means and not an ends
• Evagrius – “The one who has purity in
prayer is true theologian, and the one who
is true theologian has purity in prayer.”
• To lead us to the Father in the H. Spirit.