Knowledge of God

Question 1

Revelation (apokalypsis)

Answer 1

‘removing a veil so that something can be seen’

Question 2

Natural Theology

Answer 2

God is revealed by observation of the natural world, by using human reason and conscience

Question 3

Psalm 19:1

Answer 3

‘the heaven’s declare the glory of God’

Question 4

Acts 17

Answer 4

Paul’s sermon based on the alter to the unknown God

Question 5

Bonaventura

Answer 5

the mind has three ways of gaining knowledge: ‘eye of the flesh’, ‘eye of reason’ and ‘eye of contemplation’

Question 6

‘eye of the flesh’

Answer 6

sense of perception, empiricism, gain knowledge about the empirical world

Question 7

‘eye of reason’

Answer 7

work out mathematical and philosophical truths using logic

Question 8

‘eye of contemplation’

Answer 8

go beyond the senses and reason to come to knowledge of God through faith

Question 9

Aquinas

Answer 9

argued that reason and observation of the natural world were important signposts to God (Five ways for the existence of God)

Question 10

William Paley

Answer 10

an example of how Natural Theology has been used to suggest the existence of God e.g Watch analogy

Question 11

Tennants aesthetic principle

Answer 11

suggest the existence of a benevolent designer because of human appreciation of the arts, not necessary for survival

Question 12

Calvin: conscience

Answer 12

considered this to be particularly important, it literally means ‘joint knowledge’ between God and humans, God’s presence gives a sense of moral judgement

Question 13

Calvins view on natural theology

Answer 13

sensus divinitatis, God’s mirror, principle of accommodation, sparks of glory

Question 14

sensus divinititas

Answer 14

a sense of the divine or God - a general awareness of God. Calvin suggests that humans have an inbuilt and innate sense of God; the seeds of religion are everywhere. Everyone can know something of God through natural theology

Question 15

Creation is God’s mirror

Answer 15

it reflects something about the creator, God

Question 16

Principle of accommodation

Answer 16

God adapts himself to human needs in order to allow humans to understand something about God - sparks of glory

Question 17

The world is the theatre to Gods actions

Answer 17

God is known through his actions, through the things he does. e.g miracles

Question 18

Revealed theology -

Answer 18

special revelation - through the person of Jesus Christ, the Bible, church teaching. God can only be known when he chooses to reveal himself by grace which is revealed by faith

Question 19

Calvin calls ‘senses divinitas’ only ‘simple knowledge’

Answer 19

this cannot be complete knowledge of Go because humans are sinful; so natural knowledge of God would be imperfect and confused. Humans also need Christian knowledge of God as Redeemer, mediated by Christ

Question 20

Catholicism and natural theology

Answer 20

the fall did not cut humans off completely from God but it has distracted and confused natural knowledge of God. Revealed knowledge is needed to know God fully

Question 21

Robert Boyle

Answer 21

God could be known through the ‘two books’ of the natural world and the bible - both which has the same author