SYT 108i Theology of Revelation Winter Semester 2018 Course Outline Class Start Date & End Date Wednesday, January 3, 2018 Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Class Meeting Time, Location, and Room NA Instructors Name: Fr. Dave Norman O.F.M. Office: 2 06 Office Hours: NA Telephone: 780 392 2450 ext. 2215 780 476 2338 (Franciscan friary) Email: dave.norman@newman.edu Skype: NA Course Description The modern problem of the compatibility between an authoritative divine revelation and human knowledge, freedom, and experience. The development of a theology of revelation from Vatican I to Vatican II. Revelation and the Enlightenment. Dei Verbum. Jesus Christ as the revelation of God and humanity. Pluralism and the unicity and universality of the Christ event. The Church s teaching on revelation and faith. The Christian act of faith. The question of truth and of on going revelation. Course Objectives To bring the student to a deeper (faith) understanding of Jesus Christ as the full revelation of God. To show that the form of revelation can be grasped (understood as true, good, and beautiful) by those that are open to it. To expose the facets of the form primarily those found in Jesus Christ as the Word Incarnate and in Mary Church as the witness in time and space to the form of the crucified and risen Lord. To explore the dialectic of faith (subjective evidence) and knowledge (objective evidence). This last objective is in view of bringing the student to an appreciation of the role knowledge and faith play in the human maturation process, particularly with regard to the contemplative and spiritual development of informed and engaged Christians as they enter more deeply Christ s way of life. The Christian ethical life finds its dynamism in revelation s form, that is, in Christ s Cross, manifested as the beautiful, the good, and the true. The course employs adult learning principles and techniques, such as guided reading, group discussions, and one on one student/professor discussions (via the internet). On completion of the course the student should be able to distinguish the objective evidence of revelation (the witness to God s revelation of Scripture and Tradition) from the subjective evidence (the faith response of the believer). Page 1 of 7
Course Assignments and Evaluation All written work will be graded as follows: 50% content and 50% style. For an A the written work must be clear, well organized and contain few if any grammatical and/or spelling errors. The difference between an A and an A is usually attributable to the aforementioned deficiency. For a B the written work demonstrates a suitably clear presentation of the material and is adequately organized with a minimum number of grammatical and/or spelling errors. For a mark of C+ or less the writing is not very clear; the ideas expressed are not very well organized; and there are more than a few grammatical and/or spelling errors. Extensions of one or two days may be granted for written submissions. No extensions will be granted for submissions to the discussion forum. With regard to the synopsis for The Experience of God you are invited to give a critique of the book. The first thing I look for in a critique is a comment on some of the following: is the book readable; are the ideas expressed clearly; is the topic adequately addressed; does the book miss something that, in your opinion, should have been covered? The second thing I look for is evidence of your own appropriation of the book: how did the book influence your life or your work? Did the book contribute to a deepening of your faith understanding? Textbooks Dermot Lane. The Experience of God: An Invitation to Do Theology. New York: Paulist Press, 2003. Recommended Reading Dei Filius Dei Verbum Dives in misericordia Dominus Iesus Fides et ratio Course Requirements For Monday, January 8 th and 5% of the final mark write a one page summary (300 325 words per page on a 12 point font) of my notes on the Introduction. For Monday, January 15 th read my notes on Dulles Five Models of Revelation. For Monday, January 22 nd and 10% of the final mark compare Dominus Iesus with Dives in misercordia. Your written response must be no more than 3 pages (300 325 words per page on a 12 point font). For Monday, January 29 read notes on Revelation as an Objective Principle of Theological Insight/Knowledge. Page 2 of 7
For Monday, February 5 th and 10% of the final mark write a 3 page summary of my notes on Official Church Teaching on Revelation. For Monday, February 12 th and 10% of the final mark write a 3 page response to the following: What is the relationship of Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium to Jesus according to Vatican II s Dei Verbum? How is this relationship the same and how is it different from that presented in Vatican I s Dei filius? Monday, February 19 th to Friday, February 23 rd Reading Break. For Monday, February 26 th and 25% of the final mark write 5 6 page synopsis of Dermot Lane s The Experience of God: An Invitation to Do Theology. New York: Paulist Press, 2003, 7 112. Late submissions will be docked 20%. For Monday, March 5 th and 5% of the final mark write a one page summary of my notes on The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part I. For Monday, March 12 th and 5% of the final mark write a one page summary of my notes on The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part II. For Monday, March 19 th and 5% of the final mark write a one page summary of my notes on The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part III. For Monday, March 26 th read The Spiritual Senses and The Objective Evidence. For Monday, April 2 nd and 15% of the final mark write a 3 page response to the following question: Why speak of the subjective evidence for revelation, given that the objective evidence is provided by Jesus and witnessed to by Scripture and Tradition? For 10% of the final mark participation in the discussion forum. Note: Submissions to the discussion forum must be made before the stated deadline.. Course Schedule I. Introduction The Problem of Revelation Religion and Revelation The Importance of Metaphor and Symbol II. Dulles s Five Models of Revelation A. Revelation as Doctrine 1. Conservative Evangelicalism 2. Catholic Neo Scholasticism B. Revelation as History C. Revelation as Inner Experience 1. The Form of Revelation 2. The Content of Revelation Page 3 of 7
D. Revelation as Dialectical Presence E. Revelation as New Awareness 1. The Anthropological Shift 2. Revelation as Cognitive III. Revelation as an Objective Principle of Theological Insight/Knowledge A. The Concept B. Revelation in Scripture 1. The Old Testament 2. The New Testament C. Revelation As Understood Throughout (Church) History 1. Up to the Middle Ages 2. From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century a. Deism 3. 18 th Century Rationalism a. Lessing and Reimarus b. Kant and Fichte 4. Rationalism/Idealism in the 19 th Century a. Schleiermacher, Schelling, and Kierkegaard b. Hegel c. Traditionalism, Semirationalism, Fideism, and Modernism d. Contemporary Philosophy IV. Official Church Teaching on Revelation A. Comparison between the First and Final Drafts of Dei Verbum 1. The first draft of Vatican II s Constitution on Divine Revelation De Fontibus Revelationis (On the Sources of Revelation) 2. Vatican II s Dogmatic Constitution of Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) 3. Commentary on Dei Verbum B. Vatican I s Teaching on Revelation 1. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith (1870) 2. Joseph Ratzinger s Commentary on Dei Verbum 3. Comparison with Vatican II C. Conclusion V. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part I A. Human Experience B. The Experience of Beauty and Its Form VI. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part II A. The Light of Faith (Faith s Form) 1. Pistis and Gnosis 2. Delineating the Form of Faith 3. Elements of the Form of Faith VII. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part III B. The Experience of Faith 1. Experience and Mediation Page 4 of 7
2. Archetypal Experience a. The Archetype as Model b. General Reflections on Archetypal Experience c. Jesus Experience of God d. Israel s Experience of God e. The Marian Experience of God f. The Apostles Eyewitness g. The Church and the Christian VIII. The Spiritual Senses IX. The Objective Evidence for Revelation A. Jesus Christ Form, Centre, and Norm of Revelation B. Mediation of Scripture 1. Canonicity 2. Inspiration C. On Going Revelation General Academic Information Late Submission Policy. Extensions of one day may be granted for written submissions. For good reason (hospitalization, death in the family, chronic sickness, etc.) extensions for longer than one day may be granted for written submissions. No extensions will be granted for submissions to the discussion forum. Late submissions for the synopsis of Dermot Lane s The Experience of God will be docked 20%. Course Attendance No credit will be given for a course if the student has been absent, for any reason whatever, from onethird or more of the lectures and/or seminars scheduled for the term. Likewise, no credit will be given if term assignments or other assignments are or remain incomplete. Leave of Absence and Policy for Incompletes Extensions to an incomplete grade may be granted in extenuating circumstances, but may not exceed 16 weeks following the end of the course. Students who fail to complete course work by the agreed deadline will have a grade assigned which is based on work completed. Academic Integrity Acts of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) are subject to an appropriate penalty. The grade F may be assigned to a student guilty of such acts by the professor of the course in which the infraction occurred. A second offense against academic integrity renders the student liable to automatic dismissal from NTC. Further details are available in the Student Handbook in the Academic Misconduct Policy. Academic Grievances Students may appeal grades received; the procedure is outlined in the Student Handbook in the Appeal Policy. For other grievances, students will refer to the Student Grievances Policy also outlined in the Student Handbook. Page 5 of 7
NOTE: The GPA is computed on the basis of cumulative grade point (letter) values, not percentage values. All courses are included in this calculation except those exceeding degree requirements and/or received as transfer credits from other recognized institutions. Grading System Undergraduate Studies C.Th., Dip.Th., B.Th. Meaning Excellent A+ A A Good B+ B B Adequate C+ C C Marginal D+ D Point 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 Graduate Studies M.T.S., M.Div., M.Th., G.C.C.S.A., M.R.E. Meaning Excellent A+ A A Good B+ B B Adequate C+ C C Fail F 0.0 Fail D+ D F Point 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.0 Written Assignments Style and Format Newman Theological College requires that all written work be submitted in acceptable academic format and style. Please note the following regulations: Regulations Research papers, book reports, article summaries, reflection papers, and essays should be doublespaced, printed on one side only, and submitted on white, 8.5 x 11 paper. A standard type style, such as Times New Roman, with a 12 point font size, must be used. The instructor will specify the most recent edition of the style manual to be used: Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). Joseph Gibaldi & William Achters, eds., MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (New York: Modern Language Association of America). Page 6 of 7
American Psychological Association Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Washington: APA Publications). Copies of these standard references may be purchased in the NTC bookstore. Ignorance of standard form is not considered an acceptable excuse for deviation from required standards of format and style. Academic Regulations The following Academic Regulations are located in the Academic Calendar for your reference: Changes in Registration: Add/Drop/Withdraw Notice Course Work Final Examination Schedule Incomplete Policy Inclusive Language Related Academic Matters The following Related Academic Matters are located in the Academic Calendar for your reference: Reports & Posting Glossary of Academic Terms Other Related Policies The following policies are located in the Student Handbook for your reference: Academic Misconduct Policy Appeal Policy Recording of Lectures Audio or video recording of lectures, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior consent of the instructor. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s). Student Accessibility Services: If you have special needs that could affect your performance in this class, please let me know during the first week of the term so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you are not already registered with Student Services, contact Doreen Bloos at 780 392 2450 ext. 2212; Email doreen.bloos@newman.edu. Page 7 of 7