Saint John's Seminary

FA22

HT501

PATRISTICS

BTI Category:

Church History/History of Religions

This course is a survey of the development of doctrine in the early Church from the first century through the seventh century. The readings, lectures, and class discussion introduce the student to the theologies, teaching, and personalities of the early Christian period.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

CH501

CHURCH HISTORY I

BTI Category:

Church History/History of Religions

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

MM502

SURVEY OF CANON LAW

BTI Category:

Church Polity/Canon Law

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

LT402

ELEMENTARY LATIN II (Fall)

BTI Category:

Languages

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. (1.5 credits are earned per semester at the graduate level.)

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

OT502

THE NARRATIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: GENESIS�KINGS

BTI Category:

Scripture & Biblical Studies

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

NT501

THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

BTI Category:

Scripture & Biblical Studies

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

NT503

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN

BTI Category:

Scripture & Biblical Studies

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

NT625

THE NEW COVENANT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

BTI Category:

Scripture & Biblical Studies

This course studies the use of vocabulary and motifs associated with "new covenant" thinking in the New Testament. After a survey of the Old Testament background of covenant language, where in LXX usage the term diath_k_ regularly translates Hebrew ber_th, the course will examine the famous new-covenant prophecy in Jeremiah 31 (38 LXX), together with its sources and/or echoes in related prophetic texts (esp. in Isaiah and Ezekiel). Moving to the New Testament, the course will investigate new-covenant teaching in Paul, in Luke-Acts, in the Johannine writings, and especially in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which explicitly cites Jer. 31 and asserts its fulfillment in the Christ event. It is widely recognized that much of OT theology can be subsumed under the rubric of covenant (ber_th). But the concept of "new covenant/testament" also has the capacity to integrate and illuminate the most profound aspects of Christian doctrine and spirituality.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

TH501

FUNDAMENTAL THEOLOGY

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

In this course we will reflect on sacred theology's defining task: deepening our comprehension of the Deposit of Divine Revelation. This will require that we explore Divine Revelation's nature and content, as well as how Christ has endowed His Church with the capacity to preserve and interpret this sacred deposit. We will also delve into how the believer comes to recognize and assent to Divine Revelation in the gift of faith, the role reason plays in paving the way for this gift, and the role reason plays in the life of faith. Accordingly, the course will introduce students to the discipline of apologetics as the demonstration of faith's rational suitability. It will also present the methodological and ecclesial dimensions of sacred theology's cogitatio fidei.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

TH502

CHRISTOLOGY

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

TH504

THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

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.

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

TH646

RATZINGER AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

The eighteenth-century Enlightenment movement that swept across much of Europe, notably France, England and Germany, came to mean different things to different peoples, embodying different strands and currents of thought. The Aufkla_rung, that is, the German strand of the Enlightenment, was particularly acute in its interaction and more pointedly, its challenge of traditional Christian orthodoxy and doctrines. To Ratzinger, the Aufkl'rung marked an enduring criticism of revealed faith, a critique that the Church is yet to fully engage and respond to. The goal of this course, therefore, is to examine the Christological and Ecclesiological positions of the Aufkl'rer, that is, the German Enlightenment thinkers, and Ratzinger's engagement of these positions of the Aufkl'rung from the perspective of the twenty-first century rationalism. has

Saint John's Seminary

FA22

TH648

MARIOLOGY

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

The course will link Mariology to the doctrines and theology of the Trinity, Christology, ecclesiology, anthropology, and moral theology, thereby serving as a synthetic lens through which to understand the Christian faith. The opening unit will address and critique contemporary understandings of women and sexual differentiation, both from the "right" and the "left." After discerning in what ways Mary can be understood as a model for women and for all human persons, the course will examine the biblical, historical, and dogmatic developments in the theology of Mary. The course will include the recent Magisterium's presentation of Mary as Mother of the Church, model of faith, and "principle" or "type" within the Church.