Course Syllabus. Sanctification of Life: The Orthodox Mysteries (Sacraments)

Transcription

1 Course Syllabus TRP2117 Sanctification of Life: The Orthodox Mysteries (Sacraments) Trinity College Toronto School of Theology January to April (Winter/Spring) 2018 Instructor Information Instructor: Rev Fr Geoffrey Ready Office Location: Larkin Building, Office 325 Telephone: (647) Office Hours: By appointment Course Identification Course Number: Course Name: Course Location: Class Times: Prerequisites: TRP2117 (formerly TRH2454) Sanctification of Life: The Orthodox Mysteries (Sacraments) Larkin Building, Room LA340 (and online section) Thursdays, 7pm to 9.30pm (with additional services and events as marked in the schedule below) None Course Description This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the liturgical understanding of human existence from the central liturgical rites of the Orthodox Church covering every aspect of life: birth, marriage, ordination, confession, healing from sickness, and death. The course will thus provide an overview of the history, theology and current practice of the holy mysteries (sacraments), with a view to understanding the sacramentality of the world and the centrality of liturgy and sacraments in contemporary Christian life and ministry. Students will be evaluated on their class participation, a reflection paper on a liturgical visit, a research paper and final exam. Page 1 of 13

2 Expanded Course Description This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the liturgical understanding of human existence from the central liturgical rites of the Orthodox Church covering every aspect of life: birth, marriage, ordination, confession, healing from sickness, and death. The course will thus provide an overview of the history, theology and current practice of the holy mysteries (sacraments), with a view to understanding the sacramentality of the world and the centrality of liturgy and sacraments in contemporary Christian life and ministry. The main focus on this course will be on the Byzantine rite of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, but consideration will also be given to the sacramental rites of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, specifically the Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian and Syriac traditions. Students will gain solid familiarity with the actual rites and texts, and learn to reflect theologically upon these mysteries as well as the Trinitarian foundation of all sacramental life, guided by readings of Patristic texts and articles and commentary from modern Orthodox theologians. Students will be expected to apply the theological worldview and meaning of these rites to contemporary life and pastoral circumstances. The evolution through time and modern issues of liturgical practice will also be studied, along with the possibility of renewal and reform for the life of the world today. The course will include at least one visit to participate in the liturgical celebration of one of the holy mysteries. A class trip will be organised in Toronto, though online students may organise their own visits in their local area. Students will be evaluated on their class participation, a reflection paper on a liturgical visit, a research paper and final oral exam. There are no required prerequisites for this course, though we will be building on liturgical theology concepts discussed in the other liturgy courses, particularly TRP2123 Orthodox Eucharistic Liturgies. Students should have a good grounding in both Old and New Testament. Students without such a background should speak to the instructor who will provide some remedial reading prior to beginning the course. Course Resources Required Books The following books should be acquired for this course as they will be read in their entirety. Copies will also be placed on reserve (short term loan) at Trinity College Library. Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Dumitru Staniloae, The Experience of God, Volume 5: The Sanctifying Mysteries (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) Page 2 of 13

3 Required Course Further required readings liturgical and patristic texts, articles and book extracts will be provided via the course portal, which students can choose to view online or download and print. Recommended Books The following books are recommended for this course, both to supplement in-class / online discussion and for the preparation of the research paper. Great Book of Needs: Byzantine rites for baptism, confession, marriage, anointing, funerals Baptism and Chrismation Nicholas Denysenko, Chrismation: A Primer for Catholics (Pueblo) Aidan Kavanagh, The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation (Liturgical Press) Gennadios Limouris and Nomikos Michael Vaporis, eds, Orthodox Perspectives on Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) Alexander Schmemann, Of Water and the Spirit (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Edward Yarnold, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation (Liturgical Press): 4th century catechisms Marriage John Chrysostom, On Marriage and Family Life (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) John Chrysavgis, Love, Sexuality and the Sacrament of Marriage (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) Paul Evdokimov, The Sacrament of Love (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Lawrence Farley, One Flesh: Salvation through Marriage in the Orthodox Church (Ancient Faith) David & Mary Ford, eds, Glory and Honor: Orthodox Christian Resources on Marriage (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Stanley Harakas, Guidelines for Marriage in the Orthodox Church (Light & Life Publishing) George Koshy, Marriage: The Mysteries of Love (Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston) John Meyendoff, Marriage: An Orthodox Perspective (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Ordination (Diaconate, Priesthood, Episcopacy) Joseph Allen, ed, Vested in Grace: Marriage and the Priesthood in the Christian East (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) John Chrysostom, Six Books on the Priesthood (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) John Chryssavgis, Remembering and Reclaiming Diakonia: The Diaconate Yesterday and Today (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) Lewis Patsavos, A Noble Task: Entry into the Clergy in the First Five Centuries (Holy Cross Orthodox Press) Confession Peter Chamberas, The Mystery of Repentance and Confession in the Orthodox Church James Dallen, The Reconciling Community: The Rite of Penance (Liturgical Press) Hieromonk Gregorios, Repentance and Confession (New Rome Press) Anthony Khrapovitsky, Confession: A Series of Lectures on the Mystery of Repentance (Holy Trinity Publications) Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Anointing of the Sick Hieromonk Gregorios, Illness and the Believer (New Rome Press) Page 3 of 13

4 Jean-Claude Larchet, The Theology of Illness (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) Paul Meyendorff, The Anointing of the Sick (St Vladimir s Seminary Press) John Zizioulas, Illness and Healing in Orthodox Theology (Sebastian Press) Funeral J. Mark & Elizabeth J. Barna, A Christian Ending: A Handbook for Burial in the Ancient Christian Traditions (Divine Ascent Press) Hieromonk Gregorios, Be Ready: An Approach to the Mystery of Death (New Rome Press) Richard Rutherford, The Death of a Christian: The Order of Christian Funerals (Liturgical Press) Other Mysteries Gus George Christo, The Consecration of a Greek Orthodox Church According to Eastern Orthodox Tradition (Edwin Mellen Press) Nicholas Denysenko, The Blessing of Waters and Epiphany: The Eastern Liturgical Tradition (Routledge) Participation Class participation in discussions on the readings and course themes is a vital part of the learning process. It is expected that students make every effort to attend every class in person, prepared to discuss having read the assigned readings ahead of time. Online Participation Each week's class will be available for participation in real time via Zoom videoconference. Instructions will be given on the course portal. Class participation in discussions on the readings and course themes is a vital part of the learning process. It is expected that students make every effort to attend every class in person, prepared to discuss having read the assigned readings ahead of time. To facilitate participation by online students and those who have to miss some classes and who are therefore following the course via the recordings, we will run at least four hour-long online tutorials during the course. These will be scheduled at a time that is convenient for as many students as possible to attend. Discussion questions and topics will also be posted weekly in the discussion forums for written discussion. Students are invited to post their own responses to the lectures in the forums. Course Portal This course will make extensive use of the University of Toronto s Learning Portal also known as Blackboard. To access the portal, go to the UofT portal login page at and log in using your UTORid and password. Once you have logged in to the portal using your UTORid and password, look for the My Courses module, where you ll find the link to the website for all your Blackboard-based courses. (Your course registration with ROSI gives you access to the course website at Blackboard.) Note also the information at Please ensure that you are familiar with how to access the system and navigate through it. The portal will be used in the following ways: Page 4 of 13

5 Keeping an updated version of the course syllabus and calendar Providing course readings, bibliographies and other handouts Sharing additional online resources Communicating class notices and updates Issuing assignment guidelines and deadlines Accepting assignment submissions Providing feedback and grades for all assignments and other course requirements In addition, for the online section, the portal will be used in the following ways: Delivering weekly course lectures and seminars (available also for classroom-based students for review) Enabling student participation and interaction in the blogs, discussion forums and other online communications (see course requirements and evaluation below) Auditors who do not have a UTORid should speak to the instructor to receive guest access to the course portal. As in the classroom, online communication must be carried out respectfully and civilly at all times. Writing within the online media of blogs, discussion forums is not an excuse for laziness, lack of proper reflection or uncivility. Arguments must be carefully crafted, respectfully presented and grounded in source texts and solid reflection. Students who fail to adhere to these guidelines will not succeed in this course. Course Learning Objectives Students successfully completing this course will be able to: Identify and describe the main rites and texts of the celebration of holy mysteries (sacraments) in the Orthodox Church, focusing on the Byzantine rite, with a comparative study of the Oriental Orthodox traditions (Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Syriac) Interpret and analyse the theological worldview of the liturgical celebration of the mysteries Discuss the Trinitarian foundation of all sacramental life and the world as sacrament Apply the theological vision emanating from the mysteries to contemporary pastoral situations Review the historical evolution of the sacramental rites, analyse issues in modern practice and assess the possibility of liturgical renewal and reform Page 5 of 13

6 Programme Outcomes Course Outcomes: Knowledge of the Area of Concentration Course Elements Programme Outcomes Students successfully completing this course will be able to: Identify and describe the main rites and texts of the celebration of holy mysteries (sacraments) in the Orthodox Church, focusing on the Byzantine rite, with a comparative study of the Oriental Orthodox traditions (Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Syriac) Interpret and analyse the theological worldview of the liturgical celebration of the mysteries Discuss the Trinitarian foundation of all sacramental life and the world as sacrament This outcome will be achieved through these course elements: Lectures / seminar discussions Liturgical visit reflection paper Research paper Final exam Lectures / seminar discussions Liturgical visit reflection paper Research paper Final exam Lectures / seminar discussions Research paper Final exam This course outcome corresponds to these aspects of the Basic Degree Learning Outcomes Religious heritage Cultural context Capacity for ministry Religious heritage Cultural context Capacity for ministry Religious heritage Cultural context Capacity for ministry Apply the theological vision emanating from the mysteries to contemporary pastoral situations Review the historical evolution of the sacramental rites, analyse issues in modern practice and assess the possibility of liturgical renewal and reform Lectures / seminar discussions Liturgical visit reflection paper Research paper Final exam Lectures / seminar discussions Liturgical visit reflection paper Research paper Final exam Cultural context Capacity for ministry Personal and spiritual formation Religious heritage Cultural context Capacity for ministry Personal and spiritual formation Page 6 of 13

7 Evaluation Requirements Classroom Section The final grade for the course will be based on the following areas: Class participation (10%): most sessions will include a period of discussion of primary or secondary sources and liturgical texts. All students are expected to read all texts thoroughly. Students will be assigned a grade based upon their preparedness for and participation in these sessions. Liturgical reflection (10%): students will write a word reflective essay following a class (or individual) visit to a liturgical service of one of the holy mysteries. Research paper (50%): students will write a 2,000-2,500 word research paper or critical book review on a topic of their choice to be agreed with the instructor, and also present a brief summary of their paper to the class during the final class session. The assignment will be graded as follows: 10% for submission of topic, thesis statement and draft outline, 20% for rough draft, 50% for the final essay, 10% for proper format including bibliography, and 10% for the oral presentation. Oral final exam (30%): students will be assigned a take-home exam sheet requiring commentary on liturgical texts and responses to essay questions. Having prepared their responses at home they will present them orally to the instructor during an examination timeslot. (Alternatively the final exam may be submitted in written format if the students desires.) Requirements Online Section The final grade for the course will be based on the following areas: Online class participation (10%): most of the weekly sessions will include reading and reviewing primary or secondary sources and liturgical texts. Students must read all texts thoroughly and actively participate in the discussion forums set up on each weekly theme. Students will be assigned a grade based upon their preparedness for and participation in these sessions. Liturgical reflection (10%): students will write a word reflective essay following a visit to a liturgical service of one of the holy mysteries (the visit must be self-arranged but the instructor may be able to help find an appropriate choice in the student s location). Research paper (50%): students will write a 2,000-2,500 word research paper or critical book review on a topic of their choice to be agreed with the instructor, and also present a brief online summary of their research on the class discussion forums during the final weekly session. The assignment will be graded as follows: 10% for submission of topic, thesis statement and draft outline, 20% for rough draft, 50% for the final essay, 10% for proper format including bibliography, and 10% for the online summary. Final exam assignment (30%): students will be assigned a take-home exam requiring commentary on liturgical or other primary source texts and responses to essay questions. (Alternatively the final exam may be done orally over video conference.) Page 7 of 13

8 Grading System Policy on Late Assignments The instructor reserves the right to deduct up to 2.5% of the final assignment grade for each week that an assignment is late. Students are generally granted a grace week provided the instructor is informed of any special circumstances before the assignment deadline. This penalty is not applied to students with medical or compassionate difficulties; students facing such difficulties are kindly requested to consult with their faculty advisor or basic degree director, who should make a recommendation on the matter to the instructor. The absolute deadline for the course is the examination day scheduled for the course. Students who for exceptional reasons (for instance, a death in the family or a serious illness) are unable to complete work by this date may request an extension (SDF = standing deferred ) beyond the term. An SDF must be requested from the registrar s office in the student s college of registration no later than the last day of classes in which the course is taken. The SDF, when approved, will have a mutually agreed upon deadline that does not extend beyond the conclusion of the following term. If a student has not completed work but has not been granted an SDF, a final mark will be submitted calculating a zero for work not submitted. Page 8 of 13

9 Course Grades Consistently with the policy of the University of Toronto, course grades submitted by an instructor are reviewed by a committee of the instructor s college before being posted. Course grades may be adjusted where they do not comply with University grading policy ( or college grading policy. Policies Accessibility. Students with a disability or health consideration are entitled to accommodation. Students must register at the University of Toronto s Accessibility Services offices; information is available at The sooner a student seeks accommodation, the quicker we can assist. Plagiarism. Students submitting written material in courses are expected to provide full documentation for sources of both words and ideas in footnotes or endnotes. Direct quotations should be placed within quotation marks. (If small changes are made in the quotation, they should be indicated by appropriate punctuation such as brackets and ellipses, but the quotation still counts as a direct quotation.) Failure to document borrowed material constitutes plagiarism, which is a serious breach of academic, professional, and Christian ethics. An instructor who discovers evidence of student plagiarism is not permitted to deal with the situation individually but is required to report it to his or her head of college or delegate according to the TST Basic Degree Handbook (linked from and the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters Students will be assumed to have read the document Avoidance of plagiarism in theological writing published by the Graham Library of Trinity and Wycliffe Colleges ( Other academic offences. TST students come under the jurisdiction of the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters This includes not submitting the same academic work for more than one course for credit. Back-up copies. Please make back-up copies of essays before handing them in. Obligation to check . At times, the course instructor may decide to send out important course information by . To that end, all credit students are required to have a valid utoronto address. Students must have set up a utoronto address which is entered in the ROSI system. Information is available at The course instructor will not be able to help you with this HELP and the Help Desk at the Information Commons can answer questions you may have about your UTORid and password. Students should check utoronto regularly for messages about the course. Forwarding your utoronto.ca to a Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo or other type of account is not advisable. In some cases, messages from utoronto.ca addresses sent to Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo accounts are filtered as junk mail, which means that s from your course instructor may end up in your spam or junk mail folder. communication with the course instructor. The instructor aims to respond to communications from students in a timely manner. All communications from students should be sent from a utoronto address. communications from other addresses are not secure, Page 9 of 13

10 and also the instructor cannot readily identify them as being legitimate s from students. The instructor is not obliged to respond to from non-utoronto addresses. Course Schedule For the online section, the recorded lecture and seminar discussion will be available on the day following the classroom session. Responses to the readings and themes will take place in the online forums during the remainder of the given week. Thursday 11 January Week 1 Introduction to the Course course overview, syllabus, reading list, expectations glossary and resources theology and problematics of the holy mysteries (sacraments) (read in advance of first class, if possible) Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, pp 11-22, Introduction to the Book of Needs Thursday 18 January Week 2 The Mysteries of Initiation: Baptism and Chrismation baptism and chrismation in the New Testament and early church historical development of the catechumenate and mysteries of initiation Dumitru Staniloae, The Experience of God: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology Volume 5: The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp 1-25 Selections from Edward Yarnold, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation: Baptismal Homilies of the Fourth Century, pp [Cyril of Jerusalem], pp [John Chrysostom], pp [Theodore of Mopsuestia] and pp [Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus] Thursday 25 January Week 3 Special Event: Further Up and Further In Anglicans and Orthodox in Dialogue with CS Lewis held at the convent of the Sisterhood of St John the Divine, 233 Cummer Avenue, North York 6pm: service of the Great Blessing of Water followed by refreshments 7pm: talks by Dr Edith Humphrey and Dr John Bowen, followed by discussion Edith Humphrey, Creation, Sub-Creation and Thanksgiving from Further Up and Further In: Orthodox Conversations with CS Lewis on Scripture and Theology, pp Service of Great Blessing of Water Thursday 1 February Week 4 The Mysteries of Initiation: Baptism and Chrismation II class will be preceded at 5.15pm by the service of Great Vespers with Litiya for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord (chapel) Page 10 of 13

11 detailed study of the service of baptism and chrismation theological reflection Dumitru Staniloae, The Experience of God: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology Volume 5: The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp 1-25 Service of Baptism and Chrismation Thursday 8 February Week 5 The Mysteries of Initiation: Baptism and Chrismation III class will be preceded at 5.15pm by the service of Great Vespers for the leavetaking of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord (chapel) the reception of converts and baptismal controversies contemporary baptismal issues and renewal baptism and Pascha / baptism within the Divine Liturgy Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, pp Services of Prayers after Birth, Naming and Churching after 40 Days Prayers after Miscarriage (Book of Needs) Prayers after Miscarriage (new form) John Erickson, The Reception of Non-Orthodox into the Orthodox Church: Contemporary Practice Peter Alban Heers, The Recognition of the Baptism of the Heterodox as the Basis for a New Ecclesiology (In Step with Vatican II) Thursday 15 February Week 6 The Mystery of Confession (Repentance) repentance in the New Testament and early church historical development of confession detailed study of the service of confession theological reflection contemporary issues and renewal Dumitru Staniloae, The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp Kallistos Ware, "The Orthodox Experience of Repentance" Selections from Anthony Khrapovitsky, Confession: A Series of Lectures on the Mystery of Repentance Service of Confession (Repentance) Thursday 22 February Week 7 The Mystery of Crowning (Marriage) class preceded at 5.15pm by the Canon of Repentance of St Andrew of Crete (chapel) Page 11 of 13

12 marriage in the New Testament and early church historical development of marriage detailed study of the services of betrothal and crowning theological reflection contemporary issues and renewal Dumitru Staniloae, The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, pp Services of Betrothal and Crowning Thursday 1 March Week 8 The Mysteries of Ordination and Consecration ministry in the New Testament and early church historical development of the threefold order of ministry (bishops, presbysters, deacons) detailed study of the services of ordination and consecration continued detailed study and theological reflection on ordination and consecration minor orders (subdeacons, readers) monastic tonsure as a sacrament deprecated orders (deaconesses, chanters, etc) contemporary issues and renewal Dumitru Staniloae, The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp St John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood (Book 3) Services of Ordination and Monastic Tonsure Thursday 8 March Week 9 The Mystery of Anointing of the Sick illness and healing in the New Testament and early church historical development of the mystery of anointing detailed study of the service of anointing theological reflection contemporary issues and renewal Dumitru Staniloae, The Sanctifying Mysteries, pp Simion Todoran, The Mystery of Holy Unction: Work of the Church Service of Anointing Thursday 15 March Week 10 The Mystery of the Funeral and Burial class preceded at 5pm by the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts death and burial in the New Testament and early church historical development of prayers for the departed, as well as the mystery of the funeral and burial Page 12 of 13

13 theological reflection on the communion of the saints and prayers for the departed Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, pp Kallistos Ware, Dare We Hope for the Salvation of All? selections from NT Wright, For All the Saints? Remembering the Christian Departed selections of prayers for the departed Thursday 22 March Week 11 The Mystery of the Funeral and Burial II detailed study of the funeral and burial service theological reflection contemporary issues and renewal Services at the Departure of the Soul from the Body and of the Burial of an Infant, a Lay Person and Priest Thursday 29 March Week 12 Other Mysteries and Course Review NB: On Tuesday 27 March, the Service of Anointing will be celebrated in the chapel. other holy mysteries (eg consecration of church, blessing of home) review of course themes and preparation for the final exam further reflection on renewal of the celebration of the holy mysteries student presentations of their research papers Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, pp 11-22, [review and reconsideration in light of what we have learned] Service of Consecration of a Church (and other ecclesiastical and liturgical blessings) Service of Blessing of a Home at Theophany / Service of Blessing a New Home Thursday 5 April Week 13 Eve of Holy Friday 4pm to 9.30pm: Vesperal Liturgy of St Basil the Great followed by Mattins with the Twelve Passion Gospel (chapel) Please note that this syllabus is subject to change in accordance with the regulations in the TST Basic Degree Handbook. Page 13 of 13