1. How did the debate between Arius and Athanasius shape the Church’s understanding of Christ’s divinity, and why was this issue so important for salvation?
2. Why was the term homoousios (“same essence”) so critical at the Council of Nicaea, and what might have happened if the Church had accepted a compromise position instead?
3. How did language differences between the Eastern and Western Church contribute to theological confusion about the Trinity, and what does this teach us about communication in theology today?
4. In what ways did the teachings of the Cappadocian Fathers help clarify the role and divinity of the Holy Spirit, and why was this necessary for a complete doctrine of the Trinity?
5. Why was the definition of Christ as both fully God and fully man at the Council of Chalcedon essential to orthodox Christianity, and what problems arise if either nature is denied?
6. How did figures like John Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia influence the way Christians interpret Scripture, and why does their rejection of allegory matter?
7. In what ways did Augustine of Hippo shape Western Christian thought, and which of his ideas still influence the Church today—for better or worse?
8. How did the Iconoclastic Controversy challenge the Church’s understanding of worship, and what does the defense of icons reveal about beliefs regarding the Incarnation?
9. With so many different claims about what makes the “true Church” (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, etc.), what criteria seem most faithful to the teachings of Scripture and early Church history?