Skip to content

Course 26 · Lesson 2.3

Sample questions and what a good answer contains

9 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 26 outline

Module 1: Comprehensive Biblical Knowledge Examination

  1. Preparing: a review plan for the whole Bible
  2. The examination: books, story, genres and key passages
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 2: Historical Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: a timeline, key figures and key councils
  2. The examination: periods, controversies and primary texts
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 3: Systematic Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: an outline of the doctrines
  2. The examination: God, Christ, humanity, salvation, church and last things
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers, especially on fairness across traditions

Module 4: Philosophical Argument Evaluation and Historical Apologetics Assessment

  1. Evaluating a philosophical argument: premises, validity and objections
  2. Exercises: cosmological, moral, evil and hiddenness arguments
  3. Assessing historical evidence: sources, dating, witnesses and bias
  4. Exercises: the resurrection, the reliability of the New Testament and the canon

Module 5: Written Defense of Three Christian Propositions

  1. Choosing three propositions and defining the terms
  2. Building the case: arguments, evidence and sources
  3. Stating and answering the strongest objections
  4. Evaluating your defenses against the criteria

Module 6: Statement of Faith and Rule of Life

  1. Writing a personal statement of faith
  2. Relating the statement to the creeds and the traditions
  3. Writing a personal Christian rule of life
  4. Making the rule concrete and reviewable

Module 7: Reflection on Theological Development

  1. Mapping your development: beliefs held at the start and now
  2. Changes of mind: what changed and what caused the change
  3. Writing the reflection

Module 8: Strengths, Uncertainties and Continued Study

  1. Scoring the results of the components
  2. Naming your uncertainties without shame or evasion
  3. A plan for continued study, with dates for review

All courses

Program / Course 26: Comprehensive Assessment / Lesson 2.3

What you will learn

  • See what a strong answer to a historical theology question contains.
  • Use outline answers as marking guides without treating them as the only correct form.
  • Separate firm facts from debated claims in an answer.
  • Mark your own answers by the points actually written.

The big idea

A strong answer in historical theology names the issue, the main parties, the key terms and the outcome, and it does not exaggerate what is uncertain. The samples here are outlines for a private self-assessment. They are not a script. A student writes an answer from memory, then checks how many of the outline points appear on the page. The suggested standard of 70 percent is for the student’s own use, and nothing is submitted.

Key terms

Homoousios
A Greek word meaning of the same substance or being. Used at Nicaea to say that the Son shares the Father’s divine nature.
Theotokos
A Greek title for Mary meaning God-bearer. It was affirmed at Ephesus in 431 to protect the unity of Christ’s person.
Filioque
A Latin word meaning and from the Son, added in the West to the Nicene Creed’s statement about the procession of the Holy Spirit.
Justification
The act or process by which a sinner is made right with God. Churches differ on how it is understood.
Iconoclasm
A movement in the Byzantine Empire in the eighth and ninth centuries against the use of icons. It was ended in the East by the restoration of icons.
Outline answer
A list of points a good answer should contain, used for marking.

Background

The course plan gives an outline answer on the Council of Nicaea. A dispute arose in Alexandria over the teaching of Arius, who said the Son was a creature brought into being by the Father. Emperor Constantine called the bishops to Nicaea. The council affirmed that the Son is begotten and not made, of the same substance as the Father, and issued a creed that was later expanded at Constantinople in 381. A good answer names the issue, the parties, the key term and the later development, and does not exaggerate details that are debated.

The review notes for this course flag two cautions. First, the role of Constantine and the exact proceedings of Nicaea are summarized in popular accounts in ways that go beyond the evidence, so a student should use measured wording. Second, the relationship between the Creed of 381 and the council’s own acts is a matter of scholarly discussion, so the date and extent of Constantinople should be stated with care.

The same shape applies to other topics. State what was at issue. Name the main figures and their positions fairly. Give the outcome and, where it applies, the response of later churches. If a part is disputed among historians, say so.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Sample question on Chalcedon

Question: Explain what the Council of Chalcedon (451) taught about Christ and why it was controversial.

Outline answer: it affirmed that Christ is one person in two natures, divine and human, without confusion, change, division or separation; it drew on the Tome of Leo and on earlier councils; some churches in Egypt, Syria and Armenia did not accept it, and are today called Oriental Orthodox. A strong answer notes that modern dialogue has found much common ground between the sides, while the separation remains.

Step 2: Sample question on Augustine and Pelagius

Question: Describe the dispute between Augustine and Pelagius.

Outline answer: Pelagius stressed human responsibility and the ability to obey God’s commands; Augustine stressed the effects of sin on the human will and the need for grace from first to last; Pelagian teaching was condemned in the early fifth century. A strong answer says that how fairly Pelagius is represented in the sources is debated by historians, and that Eastern and Western Christians have emphasized different aspects of the matter.

Step 3: Sample question on the Reformation

Question: Compare the Catholic and Protestant understanding of justification at the time of the Reformation.

Outline answer: Luther taught that a sinner is justified by faith alone, as a gift of God, and that Christ’s righteousness is counted as the believer’s own; the Council of Trent taught that justification involves a real renewal of the person by grace, in which faith works through love, and that good works are fruits of grace and meritorious by it. A strong answer states each position in its own terms and notes that later ecumenical dialogue has found more agreement than the sixteenth century debates assumed, while acknowledging that disagreements remain.

Step 4: Mark your answers

Write each answer from memory first, then check it against the outline. Give one mark for each point written, one for accuracy and one for fairness. Total the marks, compare with your standard, and record the missed points for review.

  1. Did I name the issue before I described the answer?
  2. Did I state each side in terms its holders would accept?
  3. Did I use the key technical word and explain it?
  4. Did I claim any detail with more confidence than the evidence allows?
  5. Did I give the later development as well as the immediate outcome?
  6. Did I mention a point of continuing debate when one exists?

Examples

A weak answer

Nicaea was where Constantine decided that Jesus was God. This misstates the matter: the bishops debated the Son’s relation to the Father, and the claim about Constantine’s role goes beyond the sources. (A constructed example.)

A stronger answer

Nicaea responded to the teaching of Arius that the Son was a creature. It affirmed that the Son is of the same substance as the Father. The emperor convened the council and took part in it, but the doctrinal content came from the bishops. (A constructed example.)

A fair answer on the filioque

The West added the filioque to the creed, saying the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The East objects both to the content, in many accounts, and to the addition made without a common council. (A summary, to be checked against sources.)

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic teaching holds that the councils define doctrine infallibly when they meet the conditions the church sets. It teaches that the filioque expresses the same faith as the Eastern formula, and accepts the Council of Trent’s teaching on justification.

Orthodox

Orthodox teaching holds that the creed should not be altered without a common council and regards the filioque as an error in content and in procedure. It is generally wary of the Western stress on original guilt and juridical language about salvation.

Protestant

Most Protestants accept the Nicene and Chalcedonian definitions. Reformed and Lutheran churches teach justification by faith alone, whereas Wesleyan and Arminian traditions give more weight to human response while still affirming grace.

Scholarly

Historians treat the sources for the councils critically, noting political settings and the fact that many accounts were written later. They agree on the broad lines of Nicaea and Chalcedon and debate many details.

Why it matters

Outline answers show the difference between knowing a name and being able to explain an event. They also teach restraint: the best answers say what is known, mark what is uncertain and describe each side so that its own members would agree.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: Constantine decided the doctrine at Nicaea.

Correction: He convened and attended the council. Historians discuss the extent of his influence, but the sources present the doctrinal definition as the work of the bishops.

Misunderstanding: Pelagius denied grace entirely.

Correction: He affirmed grace in his own sense, and the accuracy of Augustine’s description of his view is debated. A good answer describes the dispute without caricature.

Misunderstanding: Catholics and Protestants have never found any agreement on justification.

Correction: A later joint declaration by Lutherans and Catholics stated a common understanding on basic truths of justification, with differences remaining. A good answer notes both.

Knowledge check

What did Nicaea decide about the Son?

It affirmed that the Son is begotten and not made, and of the same substance as the Father, against the teaching of Arius that the Son was a creature. The creed was expanded at Constantinople in 381 to address the Holy Spirit. A careful answer avoids overstating Constantine’s role.

What was Chalcedon’s definition of Christ?

That Christ is one person in two natures, divine and human, without confusion, change, division or separation. It built on the Tome of Leo. Some churches did not accept it and are now called Oriental Orthodox, though modern dialogue has found a good deal of common ground.

State the Protestant and Catholic positions on justification fairly.

Luther’s tradition teaches that sinners are justified by faith alone, through Christ’s righteousness counted as theirs. The Council of Trent taught that justification includes a real renewal by grace, with faith working through love. Each side holds its view as faithful to Scripture, and later dialogue has narrowed some differences.

Why use outline answers only as a guide?

Because a good answer may contain the same points in another order or include other correct ones. The outline helps keep marking consistent, but it is not the only correct form. The student marks what is on the page and remains free to adjust the guide.

Think it through

  1. Which of the sample topics could you explain to a friend with no background?
  2. How do you describe a view you reject in words its holders would accept?
  3. What is the difference between a debated detail and a settled outline?
  4. Which question would you most like to answer in full?

Independent assignment

Three answers and a marking guide

In your own notebook, choose three questions from your own examination. For each, write an outline of five to eight points, then write a paragraph answer from memory and mark it against the outline. Write about 400 words in all and list the points you missed. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.

Further study