TH 330 / TH 530 Christology Syllabus S1: 2012 July 9-13, 2012 COURSE DESCRIPTION For more information on this course, including the official course description and any prerequisites, can be found in the GPS Catalog at http://www.sjcme.edu/gpscatalog/ COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, you should be able to do the following: Think theologically about the person and work of Christ within the faith of the orthodox Christian tradition. Recognize the importance of the first five centuries for the development of Christology. Recognize the salient elements of soteriology as they have emerged through the centuries. Respond to contemporary questions and challenges regarding the meaning and significance of Jesus the Christ today. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS Christology and The Resurrection of Jesus in Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990), [NJBC], 1354-1359, 1373-1377. Wiliam Rusch (ed), The Trinitarian Controversy (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980) Richard Norris (ed), The Christological Controversy (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980) Leo Donald Davis, The First Seven Ecumenical Councils: Their History and Theology (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987) William P. Loewe, From the Humanity of Christ to the Historical Jesus, Theological Studies 61 (2000), 314-331. [This article can be retrieved from ATLA in the Library s electronic sources.]
, "Toward a Responsible Contemporary Soteriology" in Creativity and Method: Essays in Honor of Bernard Lonergan (Marquette University Press, 1981), 213-238. Bernard Lonergan, The Dehellenization of Dogma and The Origins of Christian Realism in Second Collection (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1974), 11-32, 239-261., Mission and the Spirit, and Christology Today: Methodological Reflections, A Third Collection (Paulist, 1985), 74-99, 23-34. John A. McGuckin, Atonement in The Westminster Handbook to Patristic Theology, available as a Google book, pp. 36-39: http://books.google.com/books?id=u4i8jv0b7ikc&pg=pa38&lpg=pa38&dq=patristic+the ories+of+redemption&source=bl&ots=fubebpwt4f&sig=rxygcvvocodsx- Zkrxpvk_wq6PE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Z8QxT8i9DOTpsQKWz_nrBg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBQ #v=onepage&q=patristic%20theories%20of%20redemption&f=false If you have any questions regarding your course materials, please contact your academic advisor and/or our book vendor EdMap. You can reach EdMap by phone 1- (800)-274-9104 or website at http://www.edmapbookstore.com/storefront/index/stjsp COURSE FORMAT This course consists of seminar discussions of readings, student presentations and lectures. COURSE GUIDELINES No credit can be given after the student misses more than 3 hours of class time. Advanced reading and active participation in class are required. No late assignments will be accepted. CLASS SCHEDULE Class Period 1 Topic: The context of contemporary Christology: The historical Jesus, the historically reconstructed Jesus, and the interpretation of the N.T.
Christology in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1354-1359. William P. Loewe, From the Humanity of Christ to the Historical Jesus Two-page summary (about 400-500 words, double-spaced, 12 point font. 1 inch margins) of the Christology reading from the NJBC. Two-page summary of the Loewe article. Class Period 2 Topic: The Easter Event The Resurrection of Jesus in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1373-1377. Two-page summary of the Resurrection article. Class Period 3 Topic: Interpreting the dogmatic development toward the Christological dogmas. Lonergan, The Dehellenization of Dogma and The Origins of Christian Realism Two-page reflection on each of the Lonergan articles. (These are difficult, so simply do your best. Instead of summaries this time, try to formulate questions for our in-class discussions.) Note: One detailed class presentation of a patristic author (from the collections in Rusch and Norris) is required of each graduate student sometime in the first 6 sessions. Please limit each presentation to 15 minutes. The presentation of a patristic author should include a brief introduction to the life and work of the author, including the context of the work to be presented (as you would in biblical studies: audience/sitz im
Leben, intellectual influences/sources, problems the author is trying to meet, literary style, etc.). Texts for this presentation will be taken from Norris and Rusch. An outline or summary should be written, copied and distributed to the class members, or if you use a PowerPoint or something digital, please allow us to post it on Angel. You may e-mail me your preference in advance. Class Period 4 Topic: The Gnostic / Docetist Challenge; Tertullian and Origen Selections from Melito of Sardis and Irenaeus of Lyons (in Norris) Selections from Tertullian, Against Praxeas and Origen, De Principiis, (both in Norris) Davis, Chapter 1 Two-page summary of Davis and a two-page summary of either Melito and Irenaeus or Tertullian or Origen (Please consult the Lonergan articles that you have already read for guidance in your interpretation of Tertullian and Origen.) Class Period 5 Topic: Nicea (325 A.D.) Davis, Chapters 2-3 Athanasius, Orations Against the Arians, Book I (in Rusch) and Book III (in Norris) Arius, Letter to Eusebius and Letter to Alexander (in Rusch) Alexander of Alexandria, Letter to Alexander of Thessalonica (in Rusch) Synodal Letter of Antioch (in Rusch) Creed of Nicea (in Rusch) Aruis' Letter to Constantine, (in Rusch)
Two-page summary of Athanasius, Orations Against the Arians, either Book I (in Rusch) or Book III (in Norris). Class Period 6 Topic: The Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) Davis, Chapters 4-5 Nestorius, First Sermon and Second Letter to Cyril Cyril of Alexandria, Third Letter to Nestorius and Letter to John of Antioch Pope Leo I, Tomus ad Flavianum of A.D. 449 (All of the above to be found in Norris) Two-page summary of the Nestorius Cyril correspondence or of Cyril s Letter to John and Leo s Tome. Class Period 7 Topic: Salvation in Christ: From the Fathers to Anselm John A. McGuckin, Atonement St. Anselm, A Meditation on Human Redemption Two-page summary of Anselm. Class Period 8 Topic: Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 1, a. 1-6 Two page summary of only one of the six articles. Class Period 9 Topic: A Contemporary Christology and Soteriology Bernard Lonergan, Christology Today: Methodological Reflections William P. Loewe, Toward a Responsible Contemporary Soteriology Two-page summary of the Loewe article. Class Period 10 Topic: The Spirit, Spirituality, and the World s Religions Lonergan, Mission and the Spirit None POST-RESIDENCY ASSIGNMENT A post-residency take-home exam due absolutely no later than August 15. COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Current information regarding College policies affecting your course can be found on the Resources/Policy section of the course homepage. On this page, you will find vital information, including the following:
Current Student Handbook, outlining course-specific policies Access to support resources, including advising and online tutorial services Student Success Guides SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS Your instructor will provide you with instructions on how to submit your assignments while on campus. Any other submissions, including your post-residency assignment should be submitted through the Assignment Submission Form on your ANGEL course site. EVALUATION Classroom Participation (and Presentation for graduate students)... 40% Written Summaries.. 30% Post-Residency Take-Home Exam.... 30%
INSTRUCTOR INTRODUCTION My name is David Hammond. I received my A.B. degree from the University of Notre Dame, (1976) and my M.A. and Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America (1986). I have been teaching theology for over 30 years. A number of my articles on topics in foundational and systematic theology have been published in British and American journals. My special interests are the works of John Henry Newman and Bernard Lonergan. I am also the editor of a volume of invited essays entitled Theology and Lived Christianity (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2000). My current book project (in its final stages) is an introduction to the foundations of Christian Theology, tentatively entitled The Measure of Faith. In addition to teaching in the Theology Department at Saint Joseph College, I also teach courses in philosophy, theology and religious studies at High Point University in North Carolina.
HOW DO I ACCESS DISABILITIES SERVICES? Anyone who would like information or needs access to accommodations or services related to disabilities should contact the college s Accommodations Office. Please contact your Academic Advisor or refer to the Student Handbook for more information. This course was developed by Saint Joseph s College of Maine for the exclusive use of students enrolled in the College s Division of Graduate and Professional Studies. For more information on this course, including the official course description and any prerequisites, can be found in the GPS Catalog at http://www.sjcme.edu/gpscatalog/ Copyright 2012 by Saint Joseph s College of Maine - All Rights Reserved