Previous Years' Course Catalogues

This seminar course will provide an introduction to Paul's ethical thinking in the context of the theological fabric of his thought. It will provide an opportunity to read some of the great commentators on Paul's ethics and to discuss the interrelationship between Paul's ethics and his theology.

This seminar course will provide an introduction to Paul's ethical thinking in the context of the theological fabric of his thought. It will provide an opportunity to read some of the great commentators on Paul's ethics and to discuss the interrelationship between Paul's ethics and his theology. Evaluation: seminar presentations and participation and written work.

Religious belief is linguistically and culturally determined. Specific 'language use' is the particular means of appropriating and forming religious consciousness. There is this a linguistic bias in every religious belief system. This course relies on the linguistic philosophical writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein, especially his exposition of language-games, family resemblances, rule-following, and forms of life, in order to explore the linguistic and cultural determination of religious belief.

This course deals with the 'back history' to the study of religion (and theology) in the West as modern scientific enterprises. It will provide insight into the conditions that underly a proper study of religious thought and behaviour in the context of the modern research university. The lectures, readings, and discussions will review the evolution of the human cognitive capacities that made the emergence of a scientific mode of thought possible, as well as a review of the prehistorical and historical development of the scientific enterprise. This will provide the foundation for discussion of the question about the appropriate approach to the study of religion (and theology) in the modern research university.

This course deals with the 'back history' to the study of religion (and theology) in the West as modern scientific enterprises. It will provide insight into the conditions that underly a proper study of religious thought and behaviour in the context of the modern research university. The lectures, readings, and discussions will review the evolution of the human cognitive capacities that made the emergence of a scientific mode of thought possible, as well as a review of the prehistorical and historical development of the scientific enterprise. This will provide the foundation for discussion of the question about the appropriate approach to the study of religion (and theology) in the modern research university.

Throughout Christian history Paul's letters have been crucial texts for those attempting to answer the question 'What is the gospel'? This class explores the Pauline interpretation of sixteenth century Protestant Reformers, whose work forms one of the most influential episodes in that history of reception. It considers the impact upon them of earlier interpreters, and the content of their own Pauline interpretation. It also considers their influence upon subsequent eras as those who contributed to the development of new traditions of Pauline interpretation. In order for students to undertake this exploration in a methodologically sophisticated manner, the course also examines reception theory and its potential contribution to New Testament interpretation. Students will assess what use we should make today of resources drawn from previous interpretations, especially those of the Reformers, in our own attempts to interpret Pauline theology. Many recent interpreters understand their positions as standing in direct opposition to trajectories of interpretation established by the Reformers. Does this render Reformation interpretations redundant or are contemporary interpreters neglecting an important resource?

The Orthodox Church's history and Tradition have been described as the úchallenge of our past." Canon law Is an important part of this Tradition. Through examination of primary and secondary historical sources, this course examines the canonical history of the Church, with a special emphasis on the Churches of the Byzantine tradition. Students are to be able to identify the Sacred Canons of the Church as well as their historical interpretation over the centuries. Finally, the process of codification of canon law in the Catholic Churches will be examined, with a critical exploration of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches as an approach to address the challenges of the modem Church while remaining faithful to the Canonical Tradition of the Christian East.

The course will study the passion narratives of the synoptic gospels, John and the extra-canonical gospels. It will examine the question of a premarkan passion narrative, compositional theories and the influence of the Old Testament on the traditions of the passion and death of Jesus.

The course will introduce students to the text of the letters of Peter and Jude and to issues surrounding their interpretation. A range of scholarly approaches to interpreting the letters of Peter and Jude will be introduced, and issues explored will include authorship, literary relationships between the letters, literary relationships with other early Christian and Jewish texts, and the social and ecclesial contexts of the first readers. Careful attention will be paid to the theological perspectives and convictions expressed In the letters, with particular concern for (i) questions of Christology, (ii) the relationship of the churches with Greco-Roman society, and (iii) conflicts within the churches. The Identity of Christ and the nature of the church, its common life and divisions, and its relationship with Greco-Roman society, will provide the prindpal foci of the course. This course also aims to assist students in apprehending the relevance of the letters of Peter and Jude in contemporary contexts.

The course will introduce students to the text of the letters of Peter and Jude and to issues surrounding their interpretation. A range of scholarly approaches to interpreting the letters of Peter and Jude will be introduced, and issues explored will include authorship, literary relationships between the letters, literary relationships with other early Christian and Jewish texts, and the social and ecclesial contexts of the first readers. Careful attention will be paid to the theological perspectives and convictions expressed In the letters, with particular concern for (i) questions of Christology, (ii) the relationship of the churches with Greco-Roman society, and (iii) conflicts within the churches. The Identity of Christ and the nature of the church, its common life and divisions, and its relationship with Greco-Roman society, will provide the prindpal foci of the course. This course also aims to assist students in apprehending the relevance of the letters of Peter and Jude in contemporary contexts.

The course will introduce students to the text of the letters of Peter and Jude and to issues surrounding their interpretation. A range of scholarly approaches to interpreting the letters of Peter and Jude will be introduced, and issues explored will include authorship, literary relationships between the letters, literary relationships with other early Christian and Jewish texts, and the social and ecclesial contexts of the first readers. Careful attention will be paid to the theological perspectives and convictions expressed in the letters, with particular concern for (i) questions of Christology, (ii) the relationship of the churches with Greco-Roman society, and (iii) conflicts within the churches. The identity of Christ and the nature of the church, its common life and divisions, and its relationship with Greco-Roman society, will provide the principal foci of the course. This course also aims to assist students in apprehending the relevance of the letters of Peter and Jude in contemporary contexts.

This course will introduce the scholarly methods used to study the historical Jesus and the various pictures of Jesus that these methods yield. It will also study the historical Jesus and the beginnings of New Testament Christology.