Alister E. McGrath, Theology: The Basics

Chapter 7: Trinity

Quiz questions:

1.  For Irenaeus, the way in which God has ordered the salvation of humanity in history is the “______of salvation.”

2.  The idea of the Trinity as a harmonious “community of being” in mutual relationship is known as the doctrine of ______.

3.  For Karl Barth, Jesus is the self-______of God.

Multiple-choice questions:

1) According to McGrath, what provides the foundation for the doctrine of the Trinity?

a.  the Old Testament

b.  two verses in the New Testament

c.  the overall pattern of divine activity in the New Testament

d.  classical philosophy

2) The notion of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” as God’s proper name is associated with

a.  Charles Wesley

b.  Robert Jenson

c.  Epiphanius

d.  Karl Barth

3) The Trinitarian heresy known as Sabellianism proposes that

a.  the Holy Spirit is not divine

b.  the three persons of God exist in three different modes at one time

c.  the one God acts in three different modes at different points in history

d.  the doctrine of the Trinity is nowhere in the Bible and therefore is invalid

4) Jürgen Moltmann described the Trinity as

a.  a society, or community, of mutual love

b.  a riddle or mystery

c.  a rainbow

d.  the self-revelation of God to a sinful world

5) Which theologian described the Trinity through hymns?

a.  St. Patrick

b.  Charles Wesley

c.  Robert Jenson

d.  Adolf von Harnack

6) According to Tertullian, what does the doctrine of the Trinity affirm about God?

a.  God’s power

b.  God’s involvement in human history

c.  God’s love

d.  God’s unity and distinctiveness

7) For Karl Barth, the Holy Spirit’s primary role is to

a.  enable humanity to recognize revelation as revelation

b.  provide a model for human society

c.  create bonds of love between humans and God

d.  convict people of sin and lead them to God