Previous Years' Course Catalogues

Several issues in Johannine scholarship will be explored in depth, among them the following: (1) the Fourth Gospel and the Synoptics; (2) historicity of the Fourth Gospel; (3) the Johannine community and its historical situation; (4) the Fourth Gospel and other Christian traditions; (5) Johannine language and symbolism; (6) post-modern interpretations of the FG; (7) the FG and "the Jews"; (8) the FG and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Lectures, discussions and class participation; final paper. Requirements: Reading knowledge of koine Greek.

An examination of different issues related to the "historical" Paul, including sources, composition history, composition history of the corpus paulinum, social location, mission, and comparative analogies. Research seminar with paper.

An examination of different issues related to the "historical" Paul, including sources, composition history, composition history of the corpus paulinum, social location, mission, and comparative analogies. Research seminar with paper.

This is an exploratory course and will proceed as a seminar on "modes of thought" with special attention to the changing role/value of "religious thought" with the eventual development of the modern Western epistemic tradition. Readings will deal with that tradition from the prehistory of the human mind and the stages in the evolution of human cognition to the radical historical transformations of that growth with the emergence of the new cultural value of seeking knowledge for its own sake and, finally to the emergence of the modern mind with the scientific revolution in sixteenth- and seventeenth century Europe.

This is an exploratory course and will proceed as a seminar on "modes of thought" with special attention to the changing role/value of "religious thought" with the eventual development of the modern Western epistemic tradition. Readings will deal with that tradition from the prehistory of the human mind and the stages in the evolution of human cognition to the radical historical transformations of that growth with the emergence of the new cultural value of seeking knowledge for its own sake and, finally to the emergence of the modern mind with the scientific revolution in sixteenth- and seventeenth century Europe.

Examination of the nature of theology from its emergence with the ancient Greek philosophers to its establishment as an academic enterprise in the middle ages. Seminar presentations (2) and a major paper.

This course complements EMB5703 (Paul's Biographical Problems); though it may be taken independently. Pursued will be problems related to the manuscript tradition of the corpus paulinum; historical authenticity, literary unity, and chronology of the individual writings; scribal and other interpolations.

This course complements EMB5703 (Paul's Biographical Problems); though it may be taken independently. Pursued will be problems related to the manuscript tradition of the corpus paulinum; historical authenticity, literary unity, and chronology of the individual writings; scribal and other interpolations.

This seminar will map out the Dialectical Materialism of Slovenian philosopher, psycho-analyst, and cultural critic Slavoj Zlzek. A communist and atheist, Zlzek's thought is an original Lacanian inspired repeat of Hegel that recallibrates Materialism. Zlzek's incisive structural insights will be explored even as his faith in the Void as the eternal traumatic Real is contrasted with faith in the steadfast Love of God.

This seminar will map out the Dialectical Materialism of Slovenian philosopher, psycho-analyst, and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek. A communist and atheist, Zizek's thought is an original Lacanian inspired repeat of Hegel that recallibrates Materialism. Zizek's incisive structural insights will be explored even as his faith in the Void as the eternal traumatic Real is contrasted with faith in the steadfast Love of God.

This course will concern itself with various recent forms of natural theology (and arguments in support of natural religion) that claim to provide evidence that confirms belief in the existence of God (and/or other transcendent realities). Such theologies almost always attempt to draw on the authority of the sciences for their claims and amount to full-scale challenges to modernist claims that science has disenchanted the world. The main objective of the course is to assess the cogency of the explicit claims that a more perceptive and comprehensive view of science can restore the pre-modern optimism in the belief in the existence of God and the value of religion.

This course will concern itself with various recent forms of natural theology (and arguments in support of natural religion) that claim to provide evidence that confirms belief in the existence of God (and/or other transcendent realities). Such theologies almost always attempt to draw on the authority of the sciences for their claims and amount to full-scale challenges to modernist claims that science has disenchanted the world. The main objective of the course is to assess the cogency of the explicit claims that a more perceptive and comprehensive view of science can restore the pre-modern optimism in the belief in the existence of God and the value of religion.