Module THEO1191: Introduction to Christian Theology

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO1191: Introduction to Christian Theology

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To equip students with a basic grasp of the history of Christian theology.
• To provide students with a comprehensive map of the major figures, ideas and debates which function as a minimal context for intelligent work in Christian theology.
• To introduce students into the method of thinking theologically, by habituating them in the thoughts of leading theologians.

Content

• The module provides a fundamental map of the major developments, thinkers and texts that have shaped Christian theology from the Apostolic Fathers through to the twentieth century. The module focuses on no more than eight representative primary texts, with two or three lectures and a seminar dedicated to each text. The lectures will place the text in its historical and philosophical context, and draw out the key critical themes and issues. The texts will be related to one another, with attention drawn to patterns of continuity or discontinuity, agreement and conflict. In this way, students will be trained to integrate conceptual and historical skills when reading classic theological texts. The module will be framed by a number of introductory and overview lectures, facilitating a synoptic view that will assist the in depth reading.
• Below are some sample reading suggestions for each term, giving an idea of the sort of texts that might be appropriate (in some cases the work will not be read in its entirety, but in substantial selections). Three or four of these texts will be selected for each term, depending on staff availability in that year.
• Michaelmas Term:
• Gregory of Nyssa, Catechetical Oration
• Augustine, Confessions
• Cyril of Alexandria, On the Unity of Christ
• Anselm, Proslogion
• Bonaventure, Journey of the Mind to God
• Thomas Aquinas, selections from the Summa Theologiae
• Epiphany Term:
• Luther, The Freedom of a Christian
• Pascal, Pensees
• Kant, Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone
• Schleiermacher, The Christian Faith
• Barth, selections from Church Dogmatics
• Guttierez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Salvation
• Schussler-Fiorenza, In Memory of Her

Learning Outcomes

• To provide a knowledge of the underlying concepts, doctrines and principles of Christian theology.
• To provide a basic map of the history of Christian theology.

• An ability to evaluate and interpret classic theological texts with historical sensitivity, and critical rigour.
• An ability to identify the deep source of theology disagreements, and to understand what is at stake in a range or debates.

• Skills in the acquisition and interpretation of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of ideas in both written and oral form.
• An ability to read complex and multivalent texts with intellectual nuance, and a sensitivity to context and genre.

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

• enter text as appropriate for the module

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Michaelmas Term: one take-home 500 words maximum gobbet, teaching week 4 Epiphany Term: take-home short essay (1500 words maximum), teaching week 13

■ 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