COURSE OFFERINGS

The theology and history of evangelization and catechesis; the methods, models and experiences of evangelization and catechesis from Biblical times throughout the history of the Church; the teachings and normative directives of the Church on evangelization and catechesis. 3 credits. 

SCRI 606/Old Testament

This course entails a study of the Old Testament canon as being fulfilled in the New Testament. Special focus will be on the revelatory stages of salvation history, on biblical typology and prophecy, and on other teachings taught explicitly in these books and through the examples of Old Testament figures. In this course, students will be introduced to Catholic hermeneutical principles and will interpret biblical texts using careful analysis aided by commentators, especially those in the Catholic tradition. 3 credits.

HIST 610/Church History, Part I

A survey of the history of the Church from its Apostolic origins through the Middle Ages, with special emphasis on theological issues and the contributions of the Church to culture and civilization. Includes the development of the early Church, major councils of the Church, the Monastic tradition, the Eastern Schism, the rise of Islam, and the Crusades. 3 credits.

This course examines the biblical roots and theological tradition of the study of the human person, the origins of mankind and the nature of the human person as a free and acting subject, Jesus Christ as the archetype and perfection of humanity, the concept of man and woman as image of God, the unity in sexual difference, and the nuptial meaning of the body. The course will also examine briefly the question of the end of man and the relationship between nature and grace. 3 credits.

THEO 807/Miracles, God, Revelation, and Reason: Philosophical Foundations of Faith Mondays, Wednesdays 6:30 – 9:00 pm | Dr. Robert J. Matava

Does God exist? How can he be known and meaningfully spoken about—or spoken to? Students in this course will explore the philosophical foundations of Catholic faith by asking the “big questions.” What do we know about allegedly miraculous phenomena and how do we rationally account for them? What are the strongest arguments against the existence of the Creator, and how ought one to respond? Why should the canon of Scripture be trusted as God’s word? How can believers make sense of providence, human origins, freedom, the soul, suffering, and nature in the age of science, historical consciousness, and modern philosophy? 3 credits.

A study of some of the false philosophies of man and God, especially in so far as these form the intellectual basis for the errors and shortcomings in contemporary popular thought and in Biblical exegesis, with a critique of these theories and a comparison of them with the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The course reflects on the meaning and content of the gospel genre in the New Testament. It highlights the relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and the Johannine gospel. It also provides an in-depth study of Ss. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Special emphasis is given to the Infancy Narratives, the Lord’s Supper, and his passion, death and glorious resurrection.

This course entails an examination of the Psalms and Wisdom literature of ancient Israel. Students will study these texts as inspired Scripture, written by the ancient sages and scribes, and will learn to read and appreciate these texts as guides for right living, for prayer, and for Christological reflection. This course also focuses on the reception of these books in the Church Fathers and other commentators in order to interpret these writings through solid Catholic exegesis.

An introduction to the mystery of the Incarnation, from the perspectives of Scripture, patristic theology and St. Thomas Aquinas. Course includes the nature and method of Christology, the ‘quests’ for the historical Jesus, foreshadowings of the Incarnation and Jesus in the Old Testament, the patristic development of Christology, the motive for the Incarnation, the personal union of Christ’s divine and human natures, the human nature assumed by the Word, the theological implications of the union of natures, the Paschal Mystery and our redemption. This course combines historical and systematic methods in an engagement with Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae III.

THEO 606 Apologetics

A study of the Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church, with emphasis on their contributions to Church doctrine, morals and the spiritual life, including their historical context and the significance of their lives and writings for the contemporary Church.

THEO 724 Sexual and Biomedical Ethics