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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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