Part One: The Profession of Faith › Section Two of Part One: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The Creeds ›› CHAPTER 1: I Believe in God the Father ››› Article 1: “I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth” ›››› §6 Man

› IN BRIEF

Questions and Answers

359. For what four reasons does man occupy an unique place in creation? (CCC 355) Man occupies an unique place in creation, because God:
1. made him in His image
2. united in man the spiritual and material worlds
3. created him male and female
4. established man in His friendship.
360. Where does the Bible say that man was created in the image of God? (CCC 355-356) The Bible says in Gen 1 that man was created in the image of God.
361. What does it mean that man as God’s image possesses the dignity of a person? (CCC 357) That man as God’s image possesses the dignity of a person means that he is:
1. someone not something
2. capable of self-knowledge
3. capable of self-possession
4. capable of communion with others.
362. Why did God create all things for man? (CCC 358) God created all things for man so that man could offer all creation back to God.
363. When did the Son of God stamp His image on Adam? (CCC 359) The Son of God stamped His image on Adam when He created him.
364. Why does the human race form a unity from the beginning? (CCC 360) The human race forms a unity from the beginning because from one ancestor God made all nations to inhabit the whole earth.
365. When does Gen 2 describe man as “body and soul but truly one”? (CCC 362) Gen 2 describes man as “body and soul but truly one” when declaring that:
1. God formed man of dust (symbol for the body)
2. breathed the breath of life into him (symbol for the soul)
3. so that man became a living being (= one).
366. In what double way does the Bible understand the term “soul”? (CCC 363) The Bible understands the term “soul” as:
1. human life or the entire human person
2. the spiritual principle in man.
367. Why does the human body share in the dignity of the image of God? (CCC 364) The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God, because it is animated by a spiritual soul.
368. How does the Council of Vienne define the soul? (CCC 365) The Council of Vienne (AD 1311-12) defines the soul as “the form of the body”.
“form” is as a technical term in the philosophy of Aristotle († 322 BC)- that what makes a thing to be what it is.
369. What does it mean that “the soul is the form of the body”? (CCC 365) That “the soul is the form of the body” means that the material body becomes a living, human body because of its spiritual soul.
370. Are spirit and matter in man two natures united? (CCC 365) No, spirit and matter in man are not two natures united, but their union forms one single nature.
371. Is the spiritual soul of a human being produced by his parents? (CCC 366) No, the spiritual soul of a human being is not produced by his parents, but is created immediately by God.
372. What happens to the soul at death? (CCC 366) At death the soul does not die but it separates from the body and will be reunited with it at the resurrection of the flesh.
Thus, death is the separation of the soul from the body.
373. What does the term “spirit” mean when applied to man? (CCC 367) When applied to man, the term “spirit” means that
1. from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end
2. man’s soul can gratuitously be raised to communion with God.
The distinction between “soul” and “spirit” does not introduce a duality into the soul.
374. What does the term “heart” signify in the context of the human soul? (CCC 368) In the context of the human soul, the term “heart” signifies the depths of one’s being where one decides for or against God.
375. Where does the Old Testament say that God created men “male and female”? (CCC 369) The Old Testament says that God created men “male and female” in Gen 1,27.
376. In what respect are man and woman perfectly equal? (CCC 369) Man and woman are perfectly equal as human persons with one and the same dignity.
377. In what respect are man and woman different? (CCC 369) Man and woman are different in their respective beings as male or female.
378. In what sense can God not be compared to a man or to a woman? (CCC 370) God can not be compared to a man or to a woman in the sense that He is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes.
379. In what sense can God be compared to a man or to a woman? (CCC 370) God can be compared to a man or to a woman in the sense that the respective “perfections” of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God.
380. What two reasons does God give for creating the woman? (CCC 371) God gives the following two reasons for creating the woman:
1. that man may not be alone
2. that he may have a fitting helper.
381. How do man and woman co-operate in a unique way in the Creator’s work? (CCC 372) Man and woman co-operate in a unique way in the Creator’s work when as spouses they transmit human life to their descendants.
382. What is man’s vocation in regard to the rest of creation? (CCC 373) Man’s vocation in regard to the rest of creation is to subdue the earth as a steward of God.
383. In what double harmony was man established in Paradise? (CCC 374) In Paradise man was established in a double harmony:
1. with God
2. with himself and the rest of creation.
384. What were the two chief aspects of man’s original state before the Fall? (CCC 375) The two chief aspects of man’s original state before the fall were:
1. original holiness
2. original justice.
385. What is original holiness? (CCC 375) Original holiness, which is caused by sanctifying grace, is friendship with God and a share in the divine life.
386. What is original justice? (CCC 376) Original justice is man’s harmony with God, with himself and with the creation around him.
387. What are the three aspects of the state of original justice? (CCC 376) The three aspects of the state of original justice are:
1. the inner harmony of the human person
2. the harmony between man and woman
3. the harmony between man and all creation.
388. How was man’s mastery over the world chiefly realized in Paradise? (CCC 377) In Paradise man’s mastery over the world was chiefly realized through his mastery of himself.
389. What was man doing in Paradise? (CCC 378) In Paradise man was tilling and keeping the garden.
390. Why is man’s work in Paradise different from his work after the Fall? (CCC 378) Man’s work in Paradise is different from his work after the Fall, because in Paradise man’s work is not yet a burden but a collaboration with God in perfecting the visible creation.
391. When were original holiness and original justice lost? (CCC 379) Original holiness and original justice were lost by the sin of our first parents.