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BTI Consortium | Last Updated April 22, 2025 - 11:00AM
Saint John's Seminary
School
Saint John's Seminary
OT501
The Narrative Books of the Old Testament: Genesis-Kings
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
This course involves a close study of the Narrative Books of the Old Testament (Genesis-2 Kings). The historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the books are presented, taking account of chronological sequence and canonical context. The course seeks to impart a solid critical and theological understanding of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and Former Prophets or �Deuteronomistic History� (Joshua-2 Kings) for prayer, preaching and catechesis. On completion, it is expected that the student will be equipped 1) to discuss the books with facility and 2) to appreciate the text from the perspectives of faith and reason. The student should develop a methodology for approaching the sacred text with a) humility and reverence (it is a Divine Word) and b) a critical/discerning eye (it is expressed in human words). Reason brings an awareness of historical background, sources, authorship, possible editing, literary forms, narrative approaches, etc. All aspects, however, are pursued within the greater vital context of divine inspiration, Sacred Tradition (including patristic and liturgical interpretation), and the life of the Church. The overarching aim is to discover what the Lord continues to communicate through the inspired text.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Briody
MWF
9:00-9:50 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
NT503
The Gospel According to John
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
This course studies the Gospel of John, beginning with an overview of its structure and contents, and continuing with detailed exegesis of many key passages. Special emphasis is placed on the work as a late, highly creative example of an already established genre, whose exemplars (i.e. the Synoptic Gospels) were well known to the author of the Fourth Gospel. Special theological emphases of John, attested also in the Johannine letters, will often appear as further, sometimes dramatized developments of insights already present in the earlier gospel tradition
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Grover, O.M.V.
TR
10:30-11:45 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
NTMT523
The Beatitudes of St. Matthew
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
This course is an in-depth study of the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew. The contents of these opening declarations of Jesus� Sermon on the Mount will be examined in the light of successively wider interpretive contexts: the Sermon itself, the Gospel of Matthew, other New Testament writings, and some Old Testament background texts that contain similar macarisms and guideposts for a life that is pleasing to God. Nowhere in the New Testament do we come closer to the heart of Jesus� moral teaching than in this opening salvo of his first great Sermon in the Gospel of Matthew. For this Evangelist, becoming a �disciple� of Jesus means primarily allowing oneself to be measured and molded by the message of the Beatitudes.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Maluf
R
2:45-4:45 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
LT401
Elementary Latin I
BTI Category
Semester
Languages
FA25
It is assumed that the student has had no formal instruction in Latin or has had only one or two years of high school Latin. The course will introduce students to Latin grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. O'Hanlon
TR
1:15-2:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
1.5
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
TH504
Theological Anthropology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This course treats Catholic belief regarding creation, the providence of God, the creation and fall of the angels, original sin and the consequences of the fall, the problem of evil, as well as the nature, origin, and destiny of the human person. In light of contemporary debates, this course will consider Catholic belief about grace, freedom, and the relationship of the natural and
super-natural orders. The course will also treat basic themes of eschatology. In addition to Scriptural and patristic sources, instruction will consider medieval and modern authors as well as the texts of the recent papal Magisterium.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Sanders
MW
9:00-10:15 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
MT502
Catholic Social Doctrine
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course provides a comprehensive overview of Catholic Social Doctrine. Relying on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and the social encyclicals of the papal Magisterium, the course will treat Catholic belief regarding the proper ordering of economic and political life, Church-state relations, the protection of human life and promotion of the family, immigration, healthcare, care for our common home, and safeguarding peace. In light of contemporary discussions, instruction will prepare students to advance the social doctrine of the Church in the present context.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Nakkeeran
MF
9:00-10:15 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
ST501
An Introduction to the Sacred Liturgy
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
This course provides the student with a systematic introduction to the Western liturgical patrimony of the Catholic Church. It examines the historical, theological, canonical, and pastoral realities which undergird the celebration of the liturgy. In the first part of the course, the student will come to understand the origins of the liturgy and its major eras of development and reform. In the second part, the principal liturgical books of the Roman Rite are examined in detail, since these are the texts which a candidate for Holy Orders will encounter most frequently in the work of ministry. In the third part, pastoral considerations for the contemporary celebration of the liturgy are discussed.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Stamm
TR
9:00-10:15 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
NT501
The Synoptic Gospels
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
The class will pursue a close exegetical analysis of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with particular attention to the historical setting, style, and to the Gospels� portrayal of Jesus, discipleship, the law, and suffering. The course aims to develop the student�s ability to integrate each of the evangelists� perspective meaningfully into preaching, teaching, and theological reflection. This goal will be pursued through a survey of the structure, content, and main themes of each Gospel, based primarily upon an exegetical and intra-textual analysis with attention to current discussion in the scholarly literature.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Achu
MW
10:30-11:45 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
NT626
Paul: A Second Temple Jew
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
Since the Holocaust, there have been several scholarly attempts to rediscover who Paul is and what he stood for in terms of his teachings about Judaism (and Christianity); Was he opposed to Judaism? Did he break away from Judaism? Was he a radical Jew? Was he an anomalous Jew? Or was he just a simple Jew, living his life and observingthe Jewish Torah as he understood it? Questions like these led to the scholarly themes on the study of Paul commonly called: the �anti-legalistic view of Paul,� the �new perspective on Paul� (NPP), the �apocalyptic view on Paul,� the �radical new perspective on Paul� (aka Paul within Judaism), and/or the �gift perspective on Paul.�In this course, as we try to understand who Paul is within his day and time, we shall explore these perspectives on Paul and how they shape the reading of Paul and his view in his letters to the various churches and the individuals to whom he wrote.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Achu
T
2:45-4:45 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
CH501
Church History I
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
This survey course aims to introduce students to the history of the Catholic Church from the first century through the fifteenth century. Through an examination of the historical narrative, including its key periods, movements, and figures, students will come to a deeper understanding of the history of the Catholic Church in the early and medieval periods.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Coughlin
MF
10:30-11:45 AM (M) 9:00-10:15 AM (F)
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
TH502
Christology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This course is an introduction to the basic elements in the study of the identity and saving work of Jesus Christ as developed throughout the Catholic Tradition with particular attention to the contribution of St. Thomas Aquinas. The course proceeds from an examination of the data of Revelation in both the Old and New Testaments, to a detailed study of the Christological formulas articulated by the Church through the Third Council of Constantinople (680�81), to a systematic treatment of topics rooted in the two natures and one Person of Jesus Christ, including the knowledge, holiness and mediation of Christ. The course concludes with an examination of the basic principles of soteriology.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Coughlin
WF
10:30-11:45 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
TH652
Catholics and Muslims in the Western Tradition
BTI Category
Semester
Interreligious Learning
FA25
The course explores the Western Christian views of Islam from the birth of Islam to the present. Commenting on primary and secondary sources, we will analyze religious, historical, theological, social, and cultural developments of the attitudes towards Islam within Christianity � particularly within Catholicism � showing both continuities and changes through history. The course is divided into four parts. Each lesson is organized around one or more topics that will be discussed using primary and secondary sources. Rather than the usual schedule of two-hours per week for a graduate elective at SJS, this course is scheduled for two-and-a-half hours per week since it will not meet during certain weeks of the semester, but it will fulfill the required minimum three-credit classroom hours.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Colombo
F
1:15-3:55 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Upper level; see description for meeting time note
School
Saint John's Seminary
MT505
Bioethics in the Catholic Tradition
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
The field of science and technology is an ever-evolving and rapidly developing field that has given rise to countless new possibilities, particularly in the area of healthcare. Although such an enterprise seems enticing, these new developments, especially within the last century, have raised a number of moral questions. Just because something is technically possible does not necessarily mean that it should be done. This course will cover the fundamental principles of Catholic bioethics to see how the Church has consistently responded to bioethical questions from the perspective of both faith and reason. Students will utilize these principles to develop sound moral reasoning to respond to bioethical questions and issues with truth and charity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Nakkeeran
WF
9:00-10:15 AM (W) 10:30-11:45 AM (F)
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
School
Saint John's Seminary
MM502`
Survey of Canon Law
BTI Category
Semester
Church Polity/Canon Law
FA25
An introduction to key terms and concepts in canon law through a textual analysis of several topics treated in the 1983 Code of Canon Law including ecclesial structures, the sacraments of initiation and healing, teaching authority, and penal law.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Prof. Shanklin
R
10:30-11:45 AM & 1:15-2:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
NA
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