This seminar will examine the conjunction between theology and phenomenology from both directions in order to understand the mutual influence of the one upon the other. We will study a variety of theological and phenomenological works that present differing accounts of each enterprise and of their proper relation. The central question will be this: What does a radical description of the nature of experience have to do with the contemplation of God?

This course will analyze the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth confessed by the Church as messiah dead for our sin and risen for our salvation (Romans 4: 25).The original event of the messianic time and of the Christian tradition will be analyzed in a decolonial perspective as a source of meaning for the survivors of all times.Drawing on trauma studies, social sciences and the phenomenology of vulnerability as a lens to inhabit the biblical texts on the empty tomb and the apparitions of the risen Crucified One, the course will propose a horizon of meaning and hope in the midst of the civilizational collapse of our time of systemic violence.

This course will examine the Ressourcement of early and medieval theology by leading representatives of the so-called Nouvelle théologie movement in the mid-twentieth century, including: Jean Daniélou, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, and Étienne Gilson.

This course explores the topic of moral agency through texts in theological ethics treating autonomy, human rights, conscience, and sin. It also incorporates interdisciplinary literature that considers ways in which agency is impacted by social practices, structures, and cultural norms. Case studies will be incorporated to consider how concrete social questions may impact standard understandings of autonomy and agency and the influence of nonrational factors on human freedom.

Mesopotamian imperial politiesAssyria, Babylon, and also Persiarepresented a nearly constant threat to the kingdoms of the Eastern Mediterranean during the period between the ninth and late sixth centuries B.C.E. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah, like their neighbors, absorbed punishing military defeats, but also many cultural and material influences. One group of intellectuals, the prophetic figures in Israel and Judah, consistently responded to these Mesopotamian influences. This course examines a selection of prophetic texts from the Hebrew Bible as evidence for the intellectual and cultural engagement with the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian polities. Biblical texts will be studied alongside Mesopotamian and other epigraphic West Semitic texts to understand how prophets perceived and accounted for the Mesopotamian influences. Modern methods for reading prophetic texts will be introduced, alongside examination of Assyriological scholarship on the historical and archaeological contexts of these texts. The material culture of Israel and Judah, but also of the urban centers of the East, can also illuminate the political valences of prophetic texts.

In this course students will read ancient Christian authors as part of a long tradition of attempting to understand God through the reading of sacred texts. The course will cover three basic topics, which will be kept distinct even while the class examines them simultaneously. The first topic is early Christians' own understanding of, and consistency with, the principles of their exegesis, especially the "rule of faith." The second topic is the early Christian practice of scriptural exegesis, especially as this exegesis was relevant to doctrinal and theological debates, and to preaching. The final topic is the social and religious context of the principles and practice of Christian exegesis. To this end I am assigning significant readings in non-Christian sources to provide context for the Christian ones. The course will proceed in a generally chronological fashion, in order to allow students to note patterns of development and change over time. Selected secondary readings will be assigned for each session as a way to introduce students to the ongoing scholarly discussions in this field. All readings will be in English translation, though students with facility in the original languages are encouraged to employ this in their reading and research. The course is aimed at doctoral students in Historical Theology/History of Christianity, though there should be significant material appealing to students in Biblical Studies, Systematics, Comparative Theology, and Ethics.

The purpose of this class is to introduce theological ethicists to some philosophers who have been influential in discussions in theological/religious ethics over the past fifty years. The particular aims are threefold: (1) to allow students to engage with major works of philosophy; (2) to enable the seminar to collectively familiarize itself with the discussions these works have generated in the field of theological ethics; and (3) to encourage doctoral students to engage deeply with one or more of these philosophers in articulating and pursuing questions that will animate their own research, including their comprehensive exams. There are four basic areas covered (1) distributive justice (Rawls, Sandel, Walzer, Nozick); (2) virtue theory (MacIntyre, Nussbaum); (3) rights talk (Finnis, Dworkin, Glendon (on international law)); (4) cosmopolitanism (Appiah, Benhabib). Students will be required to produce two 12-15 page papers; one assessing the role of a philosopher's thought in the field of theological ethics, and the second furthering the student's own work in either comprehensive exam prep or dissertation research.

The course looks at the most important works that shaped Catholic Theological Ethics in the twentieth century. It analyses the innovative works of Lottin, Tillmann, and Gilleman whose works challenged the classical paradigm of manualists like Davis, Jone, Ford and Kelly. The course then looks at Häring, and at the roots of proportionalism that result from that same Council. The legacy of Fuchs as well as twentieth century papal encyclicals are also studied. The course concludes with the emerging work of Latin American liberationists, American feminist and black moral theologians, African inculturationists, and Asian theological ethicists

This seminar will explore diverse topics in a theology of grace from both an historical and systematic perspective. Specific consideration will be given to the salvific will of God and predestination, the distinction of nature and grace, the role of participation in justification, sanctification, and divinization, the relation of grace to distinct contexts and forms of life, and the liberating and social dimensions of grace in the coming Kingdom of God. Selected authors will range from Paul, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, Aquinas, Baez, and Molina to Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner,Hans Urs von Balthasar, Roger Haight, and Kathryn Tanner.

A seminar investigating the emergence and development of the Christian Bible from the first to the fourth centuries C.E. This seminar will discuss the development of a New Testament canon as well as different views of Biblical writings as revelation that developed along with competing claims to a secret or higher truth in "esoteric," non-canonical works of the same period. Students will explore the understanding of Scripture in four early Christian exegetes: Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius and Jerome. This seminar will incorporate a survey of scribes, book circulation and the role of reading circles in antiquity.

Will treat major voices connecting feminist theology and ethics/politics( (e.g., Mary Daly, Elizabeth Johnson, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Margaret Farley, Ivone Gebara, representatives from Asia and Africa, and applied ethics (e.g., economics, racism, sex, abortion).

A close reading and systematic examination of Aquinas' doctrine of God in the prima pars of the Summa theologiae. Concurrent readings from other parts of the Summa theologiae and from other texts of St. Thomas will also be used. In addition, modern interpretations and criticisms will accompany each week’s reading from Aquinas. This seminar is an advanced course intended primarily for students in doctoral, STL, and ThM programs, as well as senior M.Div. and MTS students preparing for further research.