Module THEO2211: Philosophy and the Christian Tradition 100-1300

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2211: Philosophy and the Christian Tradition 100-1300

Prerequisites

• Introduction to Christian Theology or equivalent.

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To further develop student's knowledge on basic themes of key ancient philosophical discussions of "God", the soul and some aspects of epistemology.
• To further student's knowledge of the ways in which these ideas influenced the development of Christian thought in the period between 100 and 1300, with a particular focus on understanding how Christians adapted non-Christian ideas to their own uses.
• To provide students with skills necessary for exploring the relationship between Christian theologies and philosophical ideas in the pre-modern period.

Content

• Since at least the late nineteenth century the charge has frequently been made that early and medieval Christian thinkers allowed the clear teaching of the Gospels to be overcome by the alien concepts of "Greek philosophy". The purpose of this course is to examine some of the key thinkers and schools of ancient and late ancient philosophy and explore how those ideas influenced Christian thinking between 100 and 1300. The course supposes no prior knowledge of ancient philosophy. As well as providing concrete case studies of Christian adaptation of non-Christian philosophy, the course will also help students to explore a variety of broad questions about the relationship between theology and philosophy.
• In the first term of the course key relevant philosophical schools will be introduced. At the same time, during these sessions frequently small sections of the Christian texts will be introduced and will be considered at more length in the second half of the course. The aim in so doing will be to enable students to recognise the multi-layered nature of those Christian texts when they are later encountered again after further philosophical studies. This will help students to learn how to read different layers of philosophical influence in texts.
• In the second term, the main focus will be on Christian texts using these non-Christian resources (although considering these Christian texts will also deepen students' awareness of the intentions and structure of their non-Christian sources). Much time will be devoted to considering how Christians adapted philosophical material, how the demands of the Scriptural text governed adaptation and how far that which seemed philosophically persuasive shaped interpretation. In order to focus on a few actual texts rather than engaging in too much survey work, the focus will be on a small number of Christian authors.

Learning Outcomes

• A knowledge of the main schools of classical philosophy that were influential on Christianity, and a detailed knowledge of the methods Christians used when they adapted material from those schools.
• Analytical awareness, informed by recent research and methods in the field, of the contribution of classical philosophy to the development of classical Christian beliefs.

• An ability to analyse non-Christian philosophical and early and medieval Christian texts with intellectual rigour and historical depth.
• A capacity to perceive and interpret relationships between key theological beliefs and philosophical sources.
• Skills in reading, researching, and writing about complex texts that depend on a complex range of sources and that reveal complex patterns of adaptation.

• Skills in the analysis of the interaction between philosophy and theology in a wide range of traditions an cultures.
• An ability to read sophisticated and multivalent texts with intellectual nuance.
• Research, presentation, and writing skills.
• A capacity to discern the techniques of adaptation and source engagement that shaped classical Christianity from its inception to the high middle ages.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the material and to improve their skills in interpreting and evaluating information.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches, as well as affording developmental opportunities for skills in theological reflection.
• Formative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Summative essays and Exams assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in research, analysis, and argumentation, including the written presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 3,000 word formative essay. Regular brief written analyses and oral presentations on set texts in seminars.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University