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BTI Consortium | Last Updated April 11, 2023 - 5:00PM
CHURCH HISTORY & HISTORY OF RELIGIONS
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7026
History of Western Christianity I: 100-850
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
Through lectures and primary source readings, the course surveys the major cultural, institutional, and theological developments of ancient Christianity from the time of the persecutions to the break-up of the Carolingian empire and the rise of medieval Christendom.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Michael McCarthy, SJ
TR
10:30-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7201
Pathways to God: Classic Texts on Prayer and Christian Mysticism
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
This course explores the theological and pastoral dimensions of both classic texts and contemporary theological reflections on prayer and Christian mysticism. Texts are paired with specific topics, e.g. Benedict of Nursia (lectio divina); Francis of Assisi and Teilhard de Chardin (encountering God in the cosmos); Cloud of Unknowing (centering prayer), Ignatius of Loyola (discernment, consolations, desolations); Teresa of Avila (mystical phenomena); John of the Cross (dark night). Other topics include the Churchs public prayer, icons, embodied and performative prayer, the possibility of everyday mysticism, the relationship between prayer/mysticism and social justice. Theological reflections by, e.g. McGinn, Rahner, Ruffing, Boff.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Catherine M. Mooney
T
12:30-3:20
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
A previous church history or historical theology course is desirable but not required.
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7229
Great Christian Thinkers: Augustine, Aquinas, Luther
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther determined the shape of Christian thought and practice in the West in innumerable, profound, and lasting ways. This course provides an introduction to the life, literary works, and theology of these three great Christian thinkers. For each, our readings and discussions will focus on the themes of "Faith and Reason" and "Nature and Grace." Throughout the course, we will consider how the historical and cultural context, education and formation, vocation, personality, and spirituality of each theologian influenced the content and form of his theology.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Franklin T. Harkins
F
9:00-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5009
Encounters of Catholic Faith and Belief to Understand Modern China
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
Most people are surprised to learn that there are at least 10 million Catholics in contemporary China. This course is an historical introduction to understand that Catholic experience. The nineteenth century was a time of European missionary reengagement with Chinese Catholics. Building on the local faith and devotions, European Catholic missionaries sought to strengthen that faith, convert so-called "pagans" and compete with Protestants. This was a time of theological suffering and hope symbolized by the Boxer Uprising martyrs in 1900. The twentieth century describes a new theological opportunity. We will see how American and European missionaries and Chinese Catholics implemented Catholic encyclicals and adapted theological principles to assist Chinese and peoples of the world in the face of famine, environmental disasters, as refugees, and as witnessesto the Catholic faith before and after the establishment of the Peoples'Republic of China in 1949 till after Tiananmen Square in 1989 also seen as a world religions story. Ultimately, this course serves as an introduction to understand how encounters of Chinese theology contribute to contemporary international Catholic theological relationships.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Robert Carbonneau
TR
10:30-11:45
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7018
Priesthood, Celibacy, and Authority in Ancient Christianity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
In the late antique and early medieval periods the eastern and western branches of Christianity developed distinctive practices in regard to the marriage, celibacy, and sexual continence of the clergy. By the sixth century the eastern churches, for the most part, required celibacy of bishops, but allowed presbyters and deacons to marry prior to ordination. By the late fourth century the western churches, by contrast, attempted to enforce permanent sexual continence on the three highest ranks of the clergy, but did not refrain from ordaining married men. The eastern tradition was enshrined in the sixth-century legislation of Emperor Justinian and in the canons of the seventh-century Council in Trullo; the Western tradition is found in papal letters of the late fourth century, as well as in several of the Latin Fathers (Ambrose, Jerome, Ambrosiaster). Our aim in this course is to explore these diverse traditions and to discern the reasons behind these historical developments. We will study the emergence of the offices of bishop, presbyter, and deacon in the early church, the gradual appropriation of hieratic terminology ("priest" and "priesthood"), and the role of regulations such as single marriage, sexual continence, and complete celibacy in defining the authority of the clergy.
Professor
Class Day & Time
David G. Hunter
M
4:30-6:50
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Masters and Doctoral
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN794
Magical Texts
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
An advanced course in the interpretation of ancient magical texts that emphasizes the use of theoretical models (Malinowski, Levi-Strauss, Tambiah, J.Z. Smith, et al.) for understanding the complementary uses of sound and symbol, myth and nonsense, and forms of verbal/scribal efficacy in magic, all with attention to social context. Texts include a selection of ritual manuals, amulets, binding tablets, and mystical ascent texts from Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian antiquity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
David Frankfurter
T
3:30-6:15
Grading Option
Audit; Letter; P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
DOCTORAL, MA allowed; prior coursework in theory of religion ancient religions, or anthropology of religion recommended.�
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7195
Classic Wisdom for Discerning the Spirits
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
A study of the discernment of spirits in the ancient church, beginning with the Old and New Testaments, select Church Fathers, the Life of St. Anthony, the sayings of the desert fathers and mothers, and Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian. For the purposes of showing their relevance for the present day, continuities with the "Spiritual Exercises" of St. Ignatius Loyola and "The Screwtape Letters" of C. S. Lewis will be considered.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Barton Geger, SJ
W
10:00-12:50
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7218
Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
A study of the coherent theological vision and practical spiritual teachings of Ignatius of Loyola through his writings (e.g. Spiritual Exercises, Diary, and Testament). The course explores both the historical foundations for Ignatius's spiritual program and its subsequent interpretations by theologians and pastoral practitioners.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Andr� Brouillette, S.J.
T
6:30-9:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7297
Women Theologians, Ministers, and Preachers in Christian History
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
This course surveys the contributions and impact that women have made within the Christian church as theologians, ministers, and preachers. Attention will be given to church and societal obstacles that have impeded women�s contributions and to the varied strategies that women have employed to weaken, subvert, or overcome such obstacles. Primary sources (women�s theological writings, sermons, and evidence of their ministries) will be complemented by contemporary scholarship illuminating a diverse selection of women from early Christianity until today.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Catherine M. Mooney
M
12:30-2:50
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5426
From Nile to Niger: African Christian Fathers and Mothers of the Church
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
This course counts as an elective towards the interdisciplinary Minor in Ancient Civilization. Introduction to the Fathers of the Church, with special emphasis on the period after the apostles to the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325). The lives, writings, and teachings of the Church Fathers will be studied through readings in English translation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Margaret Schatkin
M
3:00-5:20
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7049
The Council of Nicea (325): Theology and Discipline
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
The Council of Nicaea (325) is crucial event that shaped both Christian theology and life. Although its main impact revolved around the development of Trinitarian theology, its canonical legislation became a reference point for subsequent Christian discipline. Therefore, the seminar addresses these two aspects. The first part of it deals with the Trinitarian debate, namely, the so-called Arian crisis and focuses on the analysis of contemporary documents rather than fifth-century Christian historians (Fernndez). The second part of the seminar addresses the twenty disciplinary canons of the council, their antecedents and reception (Hunter).
Professor
Class Day & Time
David G Hunter and Samuel Fernandez
W
10:00-12:25
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Masters and Doctoral
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TM930
History of Missiology: Texts on cross-cultural and religious encounter during the colonial era, 1780�s-1950s
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA23
PhD Seminar on the classic Protestant mission theorists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dana Robert
F
8:00-10:45
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
DOCTORAL
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