List three sources of knowledge/teaching in the Orthodox church.
Where is Malachi in the Bible?
The last book of the Old Testament
Who was the famous church father who defended the faith during the Council of Nicaea?
St. Athanasius
Who do you establish your spiritual canon with?
Your father of confession
What does the word 'eucharist' mean? (50 points) What does the word 'communion' mean? (50 points)
Eucharist = thanksgiving
Communion = fellowship/sharing
Is the Bible separate from church tradition? Explain what is included in church tradition.
Bible IS a part of church tradition. Tradition also includes the liturgy, councils, church fathers, rites, etc...
What does the name Malachi mean?
My angel or my messenger
Who was the heretic whose heresy led to this council being convened? (50 points). What was his heresy and why is it so dangerous? (150 points).
Arius, that Jesus is not God, this is an issue because our Saviour had to be God not any created being
What are some potential components of a spiritual canon?
List the four sacraments that are redemptive/salvific (everyone partakes in them).
Baptism, chrismation, eucharist, repentance and confession
Which came first: the church or the Bible (50 points)? Explain why this is important/relevant (150 points).
The CHURCH came first. This is relevant because the church gives us the canon of scripture/the Bible (other potential answers accepted for the explanation)
Explain Malachi 1:6-8. How is it applicable in our lives? (150 points). Explain Malachi 3:13-15. How is it applicable in our lives? (150 points).
Many answers accepted, up to servants' discretion ...
Give three facts about the life of the famous church father who defended the faith during the Council of Nicaea. (one of the facts cannot be that he attended the Council of Nicaea).
St. Athanasius: born to pagan parents, played with Christian children his age, Pope Alexandros saw him playing with his friends and acting as a bishop baptizing others, became pope's secretary, studied at school of Alexandria, wrote On the Incarnation, spent 3 years with St. Anthony, went to Council of Nicaea as a deacon
Provide two examples of struggles of following a spiritual canon (100 points). Explain some potential ways to overcome these struggles (200 points).
Many answers accepted: lukewarmness and boredom, wasting time, pride, distractions, exhaustion, losing sight of the goal, etc...
What is the point of spiritual life? (100 points) Explain how this relates to Adam and Eve and the story of salvation. (200 points)
If you can explain this using information from a book by a famous church father, that will be AMAZING !!
Union with God, like Adam and Eve we have sinned and disconnected from the Source of Life and need to be in union with Him for healing and resurrection, etc...
Without using Google, provide two Bible verses that explain the importance of church tradition.
2 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Timothy 2:2 (but other possible answers accepted)
Without using Google, give two verses/passages from Malachi that show that the people had grown cold/insensitive to God and His love.
Many potential answers accepted ...
Without using Google, give one verse that Arius may have used to try to prove his heresy. Then give a verse in response to that that shows that Arius' teaching is incorrect.
Verses Arius may have twisted: John 14:28, John 5:30, Matthew 28:18
Response: John 10:30, John 14:9, John 16:15, John 14:10, John 5:21, John 1:1, Luke 22:70
Without using Google, give two Bible verses that talk about spiritual struggle.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Timothy 2:5, etc...
Without using Google, provide two Bible verses that explain that the eucharist is NOT a symbol.
John 6:55-56, 59-60, 66, 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (other answers accepted).
Explain the importance of church tradition. Where does it come from? Why do we have it? What are some common objections that people have to tradition? Give an appropriate response (the more in depth the answer, the more points you get).
Many answers accepted, up to the servants discretion ;)
Give some examples of lessons that we can learn from the book of Malachi. (the more in depth the answer, the more points you get).
Many answers accepted, up to the servants' discretion ...
Take the Orthodox Creed and breakdown what it says about the following topics: the Trinity, Salvation, and the Church (the more in depth the answer, the more points you get).
Many answers accepted, up to the servants discretion ...
What are the goals of having a spiritual canon? Explain the difference between self-denial and obligation. (the more in depth the answers, the more points you get).
UNION WITH GOD, delight in the love of God, spend time with God, a remedy for laziness, supports me on spiritual journey, self examination, etc...
Self-denial = I offer my free will willingly to God, obligation = against my will I do something
What are some ways that we can make the eucharist personal to us? How does it go from being an act we do to a life we live? (the more in depth the answer, the more points you get).
Faith, reconciliation with others, preparation beforehand, participation in the liturgy (work of the people), focus, surrender everything to God, etc...