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1001New Testament Greek

Course description

Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of Greek grammar, syntax and vocabulary (as set out in J. Duff’s The Elements of New Testament Greek) and its importance for the exegesis of the New Testament, with particular reference to a selection of texts from Mark’s Gospel that are in parallel with the Lukan set texts from the Introduction to the Bible paper. Passages from the text (which will be that of the United Bible Societies, 4th Edition) will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

Aims

To enable students to understand the essentials of New Testament Greek grammar and syntax, to acquire a basic vocabulary, and to be able to translate gospel texts and comment on grammatical points raised by them.

Objectives

Students who have successfully completed this paper will:

(a) have mastered elementary New Testament Greek as set out in J. Duff’s The Elements of New Testament Greek

(b) be able to translate and comment on select passages from the Gospel of Mark(c) be able to answer questions on elementary Greek grammar(d) be able to translate simple English sentences into Koine Greek.

Languages are best taught in classes.

1002Biblical Hebrew

Course description

This first-year paper introduces students to the basics of the Hebrew of the Old Testament, through a guided study of Biblical Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and of three chapters of prose text from the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 12, 15, and 22). The examination will include passages from these chapters for translation and comment, as well as questions on elementary Hebrew grammar, simple Hebrew sentences for translation into English, and some simple English sentences for rendering in Hebrew.

Aims

To enable students to understand the essentials of Biblical Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and to study selected chapters of the Hebrew Bible.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this paper will:

(a) have mastered elementary Biblical Hebrew grammar(b) be able to translate and comment on selected Hebrew passages from the book of Genesis(c) be able to translate simple prose sentences from Hebrew to English and from English to

Hebrew.

Languages are best taught in classes: 48 language, 8 text classes.

1004Qur’anic Arabic

Course description

Candidates will be expected to show elementary knowledge of Qur’anic Arabic grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Passages from the Qur’an will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

Aims

This paper will test knowledge of the Arabic grammatical features and vocabularymost commonly encountered in the Qur’an.

Objectives

Students will have:

(a) studied how to vocalize un-pointed Arabic passages in the Qur’an(b) had to translate these passages from Arabic into English(c) had to show knowledge of common grammatical forms in Arabic(d) had to provide linguistic and exegetical comment for selected passages.

Intensive language classes.

1005Pali

Course description

Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of Pali grammar, syntax and vocabulary (as set out in A.K. Warder: Introduction to Pali). Passages from the Pali Canon will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

Aims

To enable students to understand the essentials of Pali grammar and syntax, to acquire a basic vocabulary, and to be able to translate texts from the Pali Canon and comment on grammatical points raised by them.

Objectives

Students who have studied for this paper will

(a) have mastered elementary Pali as set out in A.K. Warder: Introduction to Pali(b) be able to translate and comment on passages from the Pali Canon(c) be able to answer questions on elementary Pali grammar(d) be able to translate simple English sentences into Pali.

Language teaching.

1006Sanskrit

Course description

The course provides an introduction to Sanskrit for the preliminary paper in elementary Sanskrit. The class is designed to introduce students of theology and religion to the basics of the Sanskrit grammar, syntax and vocabulary. By the end of the course students will have competency in translating simple Sanskrit and reading sections of the Bhagavad-gītā and passages from other texts. The course book will be Maurer’s the Sanskrit language. The paper will examine sections from chapters 2 and 11 of the Bhagavad-gītā and sections from the story of Nala.

Aims

To develop the history of Hindu traditions from the medieval period to modernity.

Objectives

Students who complete this course will have:

a) Knowledge of basic Sanskrit grammar, syntax and vocabularyb) Understanding of euphonic combination (sandhi)c) Knowledge of sections of important religious texts such as the Bhagavad-gītā and the story

of Nala.

48 lectures describe the Sanskrit language and follow the textbook by Walter Maurer The Sanskrit Language. Supplementary teaching material is introduced along with the reading of key texts.

1101Introduction to the Study of the Bible

Course description

This first-year paper investigates the nature and purpose of the Bible, giving attention not only to the content of the biblical books but also to issues of ‘background’ (the ancient contexts out of which those writings arose) and issues of ‘reception’ (how the Bible helps to shape what Jews and Christians believe and do).

The textual focus is on narratives concerning Abraham (Genesis 12–25) and Jesus (Luke 9–22). Examination gobbets will come from eight specific chapters, namely Genesis 15–17 and 22, and Luke 9, 15-16 and 22.

Aims

To provide students with an intelligent understanding of the nature and purpose of the Bible, including some consciousness of both the historical origins of the Bible and its subsequent importance.

Objectives


(a) have a sound knowledge of the content of the Bible, including an awareness of the Bible’s major theological themes and ideas

(b) have some acquaintance with the varying historical circumstances of the origin and development of the Bible

(c) have some sense of the importance of the Bible for understanding Jewish and Christian faith and practice, and of the impact of the Bible on wider culture

(d) be able to comment intelligently on some particular texts, demonstrating an awareness of different methods and approaches to interpretation.

Texts are best taught in classes.

1201Jesus in Christian Faith and Human Experience

Course description:

Jesus of Nazareth is agreed to be one of the most important figures in the history of the world. The major Christian churches teach not only that he was the foremost of the prophets, but that he is eternally the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. They also teach that his work as a man included not only his public miracles and his oral teaching but an invisible ministry of reconciling human beings to the God from whom they had been estranged by sin. Even for Christians who do not subscribe to traditional teachings, he remains a moral exemplar and an object of devotion. Moslems revere him as the sixth of seven great prophets, a number of Jews and Hindus have found a place for him in their faith, and he has been a frequent subject for poets and novelists, whatever their religion.

This paper therefore considers Jesus of Nazareth not only as a subject of Christian proclamation, but also as a subject of imaginative or philosophical reflection in Christian and other traditions. The examination will be divided into two sections, A and B: candidates will be expected to answer two questions from one section and one from the other.

Questions in Section A will concern the nature, ministry, teaching and example of Jesus as these have been understood in the public teaching of the chief Christian denominations. Students will be expected to be familiar with the ecumenical doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus Christ as second person of the Trinity. They will also be expected to know how these doctrines have informed different understandings of the redemption of the world through his death and resurrection, and how Christians have understood the ends and duties of life in the light of this redemption.

The majority of questions in Section B will concern the relation between the Jesus of the gospels and/or ecclesiastical dogma to Christian devotion, philosophy, literature, culture, aesthetics and social policy. There will also be questions on the place of Jesus in other religious traditions.

Aims

(a) to introduce students to the study and practice of Christian doctrine through the figure of Jesus as the universal focus of theological reflection reasoning

(b) to promote awareness of the significance of Jesus in all spheres of Christian life, reflection and church practice

(c) to introduce students to the religiously plural context in which the doctrinal significance of Jesus is considered

(d) to promote reflection on the relation between theology and culture, both within and outside the Christian sphere.

Objectives

A student who has attended the lectures and prepared thoroughly for eight tutorials may be expected:

(a) to be aware of the content of the ecumenical creeds of the Church(b) to have some understanding of the relation between scriptural exegesis and the

formulation of doctrine(c) to be aware of ways in which belief has informed life and conduct for Christians over the

centuries(d) to be aware of some responses to the religiously plural context in which Christian theology

is studied and practised.

Lectures will review important literature in sections A and B; tutorials will allow tutors and students to choose special areas of study.

1401Religion and Religions

Course description

Given that the study of religions focuses on the diversity of the human phenomenon of religion, the paper will move from outlining broad methodological approaches in religious studies (including anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, phenomenology, and ethics) in the first term, to discussions of particular religions in the ancient and modern world, including major ‘world’ religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity), the multiple religious traditions of China and India, and so-called indigenous or tribal religions, in the second term.

Aims

To equip students to develop an appreciation of the academic study of religion and a critical framework for describing the religious dimensions of human life, and in particular to the different ways ‘religion’ may be approached and understood.

Objectives

Students should:

(a) be aware of how the study of religion draws on multiple fields and disciplines, what they are, and how they differ

(b) be aware of some attempts to define ‘religion,’ as well as the limits of such approaches(c) gain an awareness of the diversity of religions and of some distinctive religious beliefs and

practices from around the world, and they should be cognizant of the benefits and limitations of comparing religions

(d) acquire the skills of reading, analyzing, and writing about some of the main works in the historical study of religions, and understand various disciplinary approaches

(e) In class discussions, learn to defend what they have written against critical comment.

The paper will be taught through a series of 16 lectures and 8 classes. The focus of 8 lectures will be on the ways in which the study of religions draws upon multiple fields and disciplines in an attempt to define religion, and will demonstrate how the object of study shifts depending on the approach used and the questions asked of the phenomenon. A further 8 lectures will introduce candidates to a variety of world religions, through a brief but detailed articulation of their histories and/or practices, eliciting particular examples of general themes that will have been introduced in the first term. Through these two sets of lectures, students will gain an awareness and understanding of the diversity of the phenomenon of religion.

2101The Narrative World of the Old Testament

Course description

This second-year paper investigates the storytelling and historiographical traditions of the Old Testament. Consideration is given to such topics as method in Old Testament study, the theological themes of the Old Testament, the history of ancient Israel, the development of Israelite law, the relation of the Old Testament writings to ancient Near Eastern culture, and the reception of the biblical narratives in Jewish and Christian traditions.

The textual focus is on the stories of primeval times that were seen as shaping the world (Genesis 1–11) and on the accounts of the last days of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2 Kings 17–25). Examination gobbets will come from these chapters, and there will also be an opportunity to comment on the Hebrew text of Genesis 1–4.

Aims

To enable students to acquire a knowledge of the storytelling and historiographical traditions in the Old Testament, and to develop critical understanding by introducing them to basic issues of method, with particular reference to the study of two major Old Testament texts.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this paper will have:

(a) gained knowledge about and understanding of the narrative traditions and theological themes of the Old Testament in general

(b) gained a close knowledge of two particular narrative texts set for special study in English, with the option of having studied a section of one of these in Hebrew

(c) explored the literary and historical backgrounds of these writings and the trajectories of interpretation and appropriation to which they gave rise

(d) reflected upon the criteria employed in assessing evidence, and the possibility and desirability of achieving consensus concerning them.

16 lectures, 16 classes & 8 tutorials: 8 lectures on the Study of the Old Testament (shared with 2102); 8 lectures on the Narrative World of the Old Testament; 8 English text classes (4 on Genesis, 4 on Kings); 8 Hebrew text classes on Genesis; 8 tutorials

2102The Poetic World of the Old Testament

Course description

This second-year paper investigates the poetic traditions of the Old Testament, including prophetic, liturgical, and wisdom literature. Consideration is given to such topics as method in Old Testament study, the theological themes of the Old Testament, prophecy and particular prophets, psalmody and the Psalms, wisdom and the wise, the ethics of the prophets, the development of messianic and apocalyptic ideas, the relation of the Old Testament writings to ancient Near Eastern culture, and the reception of the biblical poems and songs in Jewish and Christian traditions.The textual focus is on the poems/songs of ‘Second Isaiah’ (Isaiah 40–55) and on two sets of psalms (Psalms 42–49 & 84–89). Examination gobbets will come from these chapters, and there will also be an opportunity to comment on the Hebrew text of Psalms 46–49.

Aims

To enable students to acquire a knowledge of the poetic traditions in the Old Testament, and to develop critical understanding by introducing them to basic issues of method, with particular reference to the study of two major Old Testament texts.

Objectives


(a) gained knowledge about and understanding of the poetic traditions and theological themes of the Old Testament in general

(b) gained a close knowledge of two particular poetic texts set for special study in English, with the option of having studied a section of one of these in Hebrew

(c) explored the literary and historical backgrounds to these writings and the trajectories of interpretation and appropriation to which they gave rise

(d) reflected upon the criteria employed in assessing evidence, and the possibility and desirability of achieving consensus concerning them.

16 lectures, 16 classes & 8 tutorials: 8 lectures on the Study of the Old Testament (shared with 2101); 8 lectures on the Poetic World of the Old Testament; 8 English text classes (4 on Isaiah, 4 on Psalms); 8 Hebrew text classes on Psalms; 8 tutorials

2103The Gospels

Course description

The Gospels paper will introduce students to foundational understanding of the Gospels of Matthew and John as exemplifying early Christianity’s two most influential normative expressions of the Jesus tradition. While offering an introduction to the backgrounds and origins of the gospels, and to leading scholarly theories about literary relationships between them, the primary aim will be to develop familiarity with the historical, critical, theological and interpretative issues raised by the Gospels of Matthew and John in their canonical form. Teaching for this paper will also aim at least selectively to illustrate the gospels’ place within the wider biblical context, and to show how their exegesis and/or reception bears on issues of Christian history, doctrine, and relations with other religious traditions.Set texts are as follows:

Matthew 2-3, 5-9, 17, 26-28 John: 1, 5-6, 8, 11, 17, 19-20

Aims

The paper aims to provide foundational understanding of the Gospels of Matthew and John as exemplifying early Christianity’s two most influential normative expressions of the Jesus tradition. The primary aim will be to develop familiarity with the Gospels of Matthew and John in their canonical form and setting.

Objectives


(a) have gained a close familiarity with the text and meaning of the Gospels of Matthew and John

(b) be able to give an account of their historical origin and setting(c) have a thorough grasp of the main historical, critical and theological issues raised by these

texts(d) be able to exegete and comment on particular texts assigned for special study, and to

illustrate how selected passages bear on matters of ancient and/or contemporary interpretation.

In Trinity term in their first year, candidates must declare whether they intend to take English or Greek text classes.

12 lectures, 8 classes, 8 tutorials: 12 lectures on the Gospels (6 each on Matthew and John) to provide a general framework for understanding followed by EITHER 8 one-hour English text classes (4 on Matthew, 4 on John) OR 8 one-hour Greek text classes (4 on Matthew, 4 on John) in Hilary Term.

2201History of Doctrine

Course description:

Christianity is a practical religion, but most Christians hold that it cannot be practised alone. Christian life is grounded in the faith and worship of distinct communities, or churches, and, since faith and worship both presuppose belief, these churches (or denominations) are typically distinguished by their doctrines. Some of these are held in common with other Christians, while others are peculiar to one or a few denominations; in either case they are usually presented as deductions from texts which are universally recognised as scriptures. The language in which they are formulated, however, is often technical, and it is not uncommon for particular creeds or articles to be expressed with a minuteness and complexity that puzzles even insiders. Historical study is generally the best way of ascertaining what believes have understood, and why they differ, regarding such terms as revelation, creatio ex nihilo, Trinitarianism, incarnation, atonement, sacrament, ecclesiology and eschatology.

This paper is designed to introduce students to the history of such terms, and thus to explain the genesis of the doctrines to which they refer. Candidates will be expected to know the biblical evidence which has supported and informed the promulgation of these doctrines; they will also be expected to show an appreciation of contingent factors, both intellectual and historical, which have shaped the oecumenical formulations of Christian doctrine and have led to the emergence of distinct communities, churches or traditions.

Aims

Candidates who have attended 16 lectures on this subject, and prepared thoroughly for tutorials, may be expected to have a good understanding:

(a) of the role of doctrine in Christian life and in the ministry of the churches(b) of the relation between exegesis and doctrine, and of the endemic causes of dispute about

the meaning of the scriptures(c) of the history which lies behind the formulation of particular doctrines, and the historical

circumstances which have promoted either consensus or division.

Objectives

Candidates who have attended 16 lectures on this subject, and prepared thoroughly for tutorials, may be expected to show an acquaintance:

(a) with the scriptural passages which have served as recognised touchstones of debate and speculation among theologians

(b) with the oecumenical creeds and the distinctive tenets of major denominations(c) with the principal controversies that have shaped the development or diversification of

Christian thought on particular doctrines(d) with the teachings of the major theologians where these are relevant to the study and

discussion of particular doctrines.16 lectures, 8 tutorials: best mode of preparation for the traditional three-hour paper without set texts. Lectures provide narrative, tutorials explore problems.

2202

Ethics I: Christian Moral Reasoning

Course description

This course is designed to introduce students to Christian ethics—its concepts, its variety, its history, its major figures, and some of its classic texts.

Aims

The aim of the Christian Moral Reasoning paper is to develop a capacity for moral reasoning, specifically in terms of the Christian moral tradition. Candidates are invited to criticize what they find in this tradition, but they are advised to do so only after they have first acquired a sound understanding of it.

Objectives

The course aims to enable candidates to demonstrate understanding of:

(a) principal concepts and methodological issues in Christian moral thought(b) concrete issues in the light of Christian moral concepts and in relation to Christian moral

sources(c) how to exegete a prescribed text(d) how to marshal relevant material in support of an argument.

In the course of demonstrating the above, the course also aims to enable candidates, secondarily, to demonstrate some understanding of:

i. the moral thought of relevant major figures in the history of Christian ethics—e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, Barth

ii. the variety of Christian traditions of ethics—e.g., Thomist, Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican

iii. the relation of Christian moral thinking to major schools of moral philosophy (e.g., those of Aristotle, Kant, and Utilitarianism) and to current intellectual trends (e.g., political liberalism, feminism, postmodernism, human rights discourse).

8 lectures, 8 classes, 8 tutorials: the course aims to cover a lot of theoretical, practical, and historical territory. Candidates will be prepared for all three parts of the examination paper by 8 tutorials (e.g., 4 on concepts & methodological issues, 2 on prescribed texts, 2 on concrete moral issues). These tutorials will be supported by a series of 8 introductory lectures on “A Christian Vision of Moral Life” in Michaelmas Term, and by 8 classes on concrete moral issues in sexual and medical ethics in Hilary Term.

2203Themes in Nineteenth-Century Theology and Religion

Course Description

The paper addresses key themes in theological thinking in Europe and North America during the long nineteenth century. These include Biblical interpretation, the nature of authority, faith and reason, ecclesiology, Christology, romanticism, literature and imagination, spirit and history, secularization, reductionism, religious experience, and the encounter with world religions and the natural sciences. The topics will be addressed through seminal or representative texts. Kant, Hegel, Schleiermacher, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Newman and Coleridge are especially significant thinkers whose work or influence will normally be represented. Four main topics with prescribed texts will be published for each year. Students are not expected to become familiar with all of these texts, but, in consultation with tutors, will focus on two or three of the prescribed texts as well as preparing one or more essays on more general issues. Lectures will address the background and influence of the texts and comment on the questions they raise, but will not necessarily be limited to exposition of the texts. The themes and texts may change from year to year.

Aims

(a) To build on the student’s knowledge of theology and the history of religion(b) To understand some of the key intellectual developments in the long nineteenth century

that have proved significant for the history of Christianity, the emergence of the academic study of religion, and for modern society more generally

(c) To analyze and evaluate the relative merits and deficiencies of arguments concerning theology and religion as considered under various thematic rubrics

(d) To become familiar with the reception history of such arguments through engagement with substantive secondary resources.

Objectives

By the end of this course the student should have:

(a) a good knowledge of some of the most influential and representative texts and thinkers of the period

(b) the ability to contextualize representative texts and thinkers with respect to the larger religious, social, and political movements of the period

(c) skills important for the historical study of religion generally, and for the history of Christianity and historical theology specifically, by assessing different sorts of historical materials, and by analysing the broader context of the period

(d) the capacity to think theologically, holding in view classic texts from the tradition.

The paper will be taught through a series of 16 lectures, 8 tutorials, and 4 classes. The 16 lectures offer thematic coverage and historical contextualization of the complex intellectual developments in theology and religion across the period; the 8 tutorials enable students to explore and interrogate these themes in greater depth through supervised personal engagement with primary and secondary literature; and the 4 classes (led by graduate students and supervised by the post-holder in the area) help students to consolidate their knowledge of the material in preparation for assessment by a public examination of three hours.

2204Key themes in Systematic Theology

Course Description

This course will build on the first year introduction to Christian theology by developing the student’s knowledge in four key and related areas of Christian doctrine: 1. the Trinity; 2. Creation; 3. Christology and Soteriology; and 4. Pneumatology and the Church. It will introduce the student to the ordering and arrangement of the key doctrines in any systematics or summa, the reason for such an ordering and the theological implications. In this way the student will learn the craft of theological thinking. The course will also expose students to different theological approaches to these doctrines and introduce them to the concept of theological method.

Aims

(a) To build on the student’s knowledge of Christian theology(b) To develop the engage student’s awareness of the systematic interrelationship between the

key doctrines(c) To engage students with classic expositions of key doctrines across three traditions of

Christian theology (Catholic, Orthodox and Reformed)(d) To develop the student’s awareness of theological debates between the three traditions on

the key doctrines(e) To develop the student’s ability to think theologically and critically about doctrine.

Objectives


(a) a good knowledge of systematic theology(b) developed an ability to think theologically with an awareness of the theological implications

across a system for a particular emphasis and interpretation of one key doctrine(c) a knowledge of three different traditions of Christian theology, their similarities and

doctrinal differences (d) a knowledge of classic texts in the exposition of the key doctrinal loci.

The following gives an outline of what might be offered:

Weeks 1-2 Doctrine of the triune God - Augustine, section from De Trinitate; John Damascene, section from On the Orthodox Faith; Barth, section from Church Dogmatics I.1; )

Weeks 3-4 Creation and theological anthropology – Aquinas, section from Book Two of the Summa Contra Gentiles; Calvin, section from The Institutes)

Weeks 5-6 Christology and soteriology - Schleiermacher, section from The Christian Faith; Rahner, section from Foundations of the Christian Faith)

Weeks 7-8 Pneumatology and the Church – Melanchthon, Apology of the Augsburg Confession; Bulgakov, The Orthodox Church; von Balthasar, section from Theo-Drama 1.

This relates to the assessment of 1 examination of 2 hours (2 questions related to set texts) and 1 essay of 5,000 words from a set list of essay topics. The delivery will allow for both adequate preparation for a public examination and the tutorial support for an assessed essay.

16 lectures over MT and HT are required to place each of the four doctrinal loci within a broader theological context. They will map out for the candidates how one doctrine relates systematically to another such that the content of that doctrine will impact upon other doctrines in any system. Attention will be drawn to where theological incoherencies can occur. The broad sweep of the lecture course will enable the students to contextualise the in-depth analyses of specific texts. These texts will form the basis for both the questions set for the course work essay and the questions in the examination.

There will be eight classes of no more than 15 students. Multiple classes will be organised according to the number of students taking the course. These classes will be run in part with the help of graduate assistants and/or PDFs. Four will be held in MT and four in HT. Tutorial work for the course essay will take place in MT with a deadline for the submission of the essay on the first Monday of 1 th week Hilary. The four tutorials will focus on structuring, drafting and the completion of this essay, with formative feedback, they will enable the student to further develop skills in essay preparation in advance of the third year dissertation. Candidates will be given a list of essay topics on the doctrines of the Trinity and Creation (covered in the lectures and classes for MT). They must choose one of the essays. The choice will help determine the range of questions they can answer in the written examination.

The final examination will be divided according to the four doctrinal loci with questions relating to the set texts. Candidates will be asked to answer two questions on two different doctrinal loci. Of four doctrinal loci covered in the examination paper, candidates cannot chose to answer a question related to the doctrinal locus of their submitted essay (i.e. if the candidate’s essay in on the doctrine of the Trinity they cannot answer a question in the examination on that doctrinal topic).

2301History and Theology of the Early Church (64 – 337 A.D.)

Course description

Students taking this paper will be able to observe the evolution of Christianity from a community of disciples to an organized Church which spanned the whole of the Mediterranean world. For convenience, the term “Church” in the present rubric embraces all professing Christians in the period from 64 to 337 A.D. though it is expected that students will become aware of the difficulties which attend the use of this term.

Part A consists of the history of the Church as an institution, and of its relations to the Roman Empire, from the death of St Paul (c. 64 A.D.) to the death of Constantine in 337 A.D. Questions will be set on some but not necessarily all of the following: the growth of the church and the meaning of conversion; the relation of Christianity to Judaism; the diversity of early Christian communities; the causes, scope and effects of persecution; patterns of Christian ministry (including the origins of the threefold hierarchy and of the title Papa or Pope); ecclesiastical discipline and the beginnings of monasticism; schisms caused by Judaizers, Gnostics, Montanists, Novatianists and Donatists; the development of orthodoxy and synodical government; the evolution of the biblical canon; the role of Christianity in the Constantinian Empire.

Part B consists of the speculative and dogmatic theologies of this period. Questions will be set on some, but not necessarily all, of the following: Ignatius of Antioch; the Gnostic understanding of creation and redemption; Justin Martyr; Athenagoras; Theophilus of Antioch; Irenaeus of Lyons; Tertullian of Carthage; Clement of Alexandria; Hippolytus of Rome; Origen; Cyprian of Carthage; Novatian; Dionysius of Alexandria; Eusebius of Caesarea; Lactantius; Arius; the Nicene Creed; Athanasius of Alexandria. Candidates will be expected to show some knowledge of a theologian’s intellectual background and the historical conditions which prompted and shaped his activity as a theologian.

Aims

(a) to communicate knowledge of the formative period of Christian history(b) to impart to students an understanding of historiographic method(c) to promote reflection on the relation between history and doctrine.

Objectives

A student who has attended sixteen lectures, and prepared thoroughly for eight tutorials, may be expected:

(a) to have a clear outline narrative of events in the history of the church up to the death of Constantine

(b) to have pertinent knowledge of the history of the Roman empire during this period(c) to have mastered principles of causal explanation in both political and intellectual history(d) to have reflected on the teaching of at least one major theologian and on the genesis of his

opinions.

16 lectures, 8 tutorials: best mode of preparation for the traditional three-hour paper without set texts. Lectures provide narrative, tutorials explore problems.

2302

Medieval Religions

Details awaiting Post-holder appointment.

2303

Early Modern Christianity 1500-1648

Course description

Far-reaching criticisms of the Western Church during the early sixteenth century tore open fundamental disputes about religious authority, the nature of the Church and the essence of theology which inspired both conflict and creativity during this dramatic period in Christian history. The questions arising from this rupture continue to influence intellectual culture and religious commitments in the modern West. This course provides an orientation in the key theological debates and historical conditions which shaped the Reformations in European society, both Protestant and Catholic. It offers an understanding of the late medieval church, exploring its vulnerabilities and strengths, and considering the timing and occasion for the crisis. Students will examine the work and thought of the leading reformers, especially Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, together with the radicals, and the development of the Reformation in local context. Movements of renewal and reaction in the Roman Catholic Church will also be considered, and the question of continuity and discontinuity with earlier reforming currents (Renaissance humanism, for example) will be addressed. There will also be the opportunity to focus more particularly on religious change in the British Isles from the Henrician reforms to the reign of Charles I and the civil wars (largely inspired by religious conflict) which engulfed his kingdoms from 1642.

Aims

(a) To gain an integrated view of the historical and doctrinal developments which led to the break-up of the Western Latin Church and which still shape the contours of Western Christianity

(b) To sample the whole range of the period which extended from the last decades of the undivided Western Church through to the European-wide wars of the early seventeenth century, and to appreciate the extent to which they were the result of religious conflict.

Objectives:

Candidates who have attended 16 lectures on this subject, and prepared thoroughly for tutorials, will :

(a) be able to show an understanding of why the doctrines and institutions of the Western Latin Church proved vulnerable to calls for reform during the period. They should be familiar with the work and thought of the leading magisterial Protestant reformers, and have a sense of what constituted radical theological alternatives.

(b) have been introduced to the developments of the Reformation in European society, together with the renewal which took place in the Roman Catholic Church.

(c) have gained a sense of the slow and untidy growth of confessional identities up to the end of the Thirty Years' War (1648). They will have an opportunity to trace the process by which confessional tensions interacted with power politics to produce this most destructive of Europe‘s wars of religion.

(d) have been introduced to the course of religious change in England from the reforms and legislative acts of Henry VIII up to the downfall of Charles I, and to see how the conflicts which (temporarily) destroyed the monarchy in the Stuarts‘ three kingdoms were triggered

by intra-Protestant quarrels and by Protestant fear of militant Roman Catholicism. They may choose to study this in greater or lesser depth, in balance with the wider European picture.

16 lectures: 'The Reformation in Europe' (8); ‘The English Reformation' (8). The best mode of preparation for the traditional three-hour paper without set texts: Lectures provide narrative, tutorials explore problems.

2304Formations of Rabbinic Judaism

Course description

An analysis of the origins and development of rabbinic Judaism from the first century CE to the early modern period.

Aims

The course aims to acquaint students with the main evidence for the development of rabbinic Judaism in this period and the main factors which influenced that development.

Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be aware of the nature and origin of key rabbinic texts from this period and be able to relate the ideas and attitudes expressed in these texts to the religious lives of Jews in these centuries.

8 one-hour lectures and 8 one-hour tutorials: the lectures provide an overview of the issues and evidence. The tutorials require students to come to grips with key texts and problems of interpretation.

2305Islam in the Classical Period

Course description

The paper covers the historical origins and development of the theology, law and mysticism of Islam, from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries. It will consist of questions on the Prophethood of Muhammad; the Qur’an; the Hadith; Shi`ism; Islamic theology (kalam); Islamic law (shari`a); Sufism (tasawwuf); and classical Muslim authorities. Candidates should be aware of the various interpretative methods relating to Muslim Scripture, the main debates and historical controversies of the Islamic tradition, and of contemporary methodologies in philosophy of religion. References to other religious traditions may be included.

Aims

The paper aims to cover the historical origins and development of the theology, law and mysticism of Islam, from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries.

Objectives

Students will have:

(a) studied questions on the prophethood of Muhammad; the Qur’an; the Hadith; the nature of Shi‘ism; Islamic theology (kalam); Islamic law (shari‘a); Sufism (tasawwuf); and the relationship of Islam with other religions, in particular, Christianity

(b) had the opportunity to learn about the theologies of the Mu‘tazilas, Ash‘aris and Hanbalis; the Sunni law schools of the Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi‘is and Hanbalis; and the major Sufi orders

(c) had the occasion to learn about the various classical Muslim authorities from among the theologians (mutakallimun), jurists (fuqaha’), Sufi masters (mutasawwuf) and Peripatetic philosophers (falasifa)

(d) had an awareness of the various interpretative methods relating to Muslim Scripture, the main debates and historical controversies of the Islamic tradition, and of contemporary methodologies in philosophy of religion and comparative theology as applied to Islam.

8 lectures and 8 tutorials: Lectures serve as supplements to the tutorials.

2306Foundations of Buddhism

Course description

The paper deals with the main doctrines and practices of mainstream (pre-Mahāyāna) Buddhism, as reflected by the surviving literature of the various schools.

Aims

To introduce students to the ideas of early Buddhism in a way which stimulates thought and relates to any knowledge they may already have of other religions.

Objectives

Students who have studied this paper will have:

(a) a basic knowledge of mainstream Buddhism and its doctrines(b) a basic knowledge of the major trends in modern scholarship on the subject(c) written a series of coherent essays on topics central to the subject.

8 lectures and 8 tutorials: the tutorials will enable students to further discuss and analyse the main topics dealt with during the course, thus representing an ideal complement to the lectures. It is hoped that in this way the students will be able to develop a critical perspective on the subject of the paper and the relevant scholarship.

2307Hinduism: Sources and Formations

Course description

This paper offers a thematic and historical introduction to the sources and development of Hindu traditions from their early formation to the medieval period. We will explore the formation of Hindu traditions through textual sources, such as the Vedas, Upaniṣads and Bhagavad Gītā, along with the practices and social institutions that formed classical Hindu traditions. The course will trace the development of devotional and tantric traditions. The lectures will include an introduction to Hindu philosophy.

Aims

To present the history of Classical Hinduism.

Objectives

At the end of the course students will have:

(a) knowledge of the sources and development of Hinduism(b) knowledge about key texts especially the Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā and devotional and

tantric texts (c) ability to critically assess scholarly debates about the origins and development of

Hinduism.

One hour lecture per week (8 lectures) plus one hour tutorials: the lectures describe the history of the development of Hinduism and directly relate to paper 20 that all students take. The tutorials follow the general historical trajectory of the lectures, focussing in more depth on specific topics.

2401Modern Judaism

Course description

Through the use of selected primary texts, including the writings of certain prominent Jewish thinkers from the late eighteenth century onwards, this paper aims to acquaint students with some of the self-understandings of Judaism at critical periods of its historical development. A selection of the different theological responses that have emerged in Modern Judaism will be studied focusing on the theological and practical implications for Jews and Judaism of such topics as: individual autonomy, religious authority, revelation, gender, the Holy Land, and the Shoah. By the end of the course, students should have developed the skills to critically assess the theological development of contemporary Judaism.

Aims

This paper aims to give students some insight into the development of Modern Judaism. It aims to demonstrate how Judaism related to surrounding cultures and especially how it has responded to the challenges of modernity and postmodernism. It seeks to help students to develop a conceptual understanding of the thought and practice that underpin the Jewish worldview and acquire an understanding of Judaism as the historic and evolving religious expression of the Jewish people.

Objectives

(a) The principal desired learning outcome of the course is that students will acquire an understanding of Judaism as a living religion, in a constant state of development as it responds to changing social and intellectual perspectives. Students should have become aware of the complexities of contemporary Judaism encompassing a broad range of affiliations, beliefs, and practices.

(b) They should be aware of the theological development of Judaism from around the time of the French Revolution and onwards and have attained an understanding of the different religious movements that have emerged in Modern Judaism.

(c) They should have attained an understanding of the differing theological viewpoints of some of the major religious leaders associated with the modern religious movements of Judaism, including the work of key contemporary scholars. They should also have become acquainted with and analysed the contents of major historical documents such as the Answers to Napoleon of the Jewish Assembly of Notables (1806) and the various Platforms of the Central Conference of American (Reform) Rabbis.

(d) They should have considered the impact of the Shoah (Holocaust), Zionism and the creation of the State of Israel, and issues such as feminism and environmentalism on contemporary Jewish thought.

It is preferable to study Classical Judaism as a preparation for the study of Modern Judaism.

8 lectures and 8 tutorials: the lectures complement the tutorials. While the tutorials require students to undertake independent research and provide an opportunity for a focused examination of the various topics under consideration, the lectures offer more of an overview and a chance for the study of primary texts.

2402Islam in Contemporary Society

Course description

The paper examines Islam against the background of recent history, including such topics as: Islamic reformism in the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries; various Islamic movements including the anti-Hadith faction and Wahhabism; women and Islam; democracy and Islam; violence and war in Islam; and various modern Muslim thinkers.

Aims

The paper aims to examine Islam against the background of recent history and contemporary society, from the nineteenth century to the present day, with a particular focus on how Muslims have responded to the challenges of the modern world.

Objectives

Students will have:

(a) studied the impact of colonization on Muslim religious discourse and Islamic reformism in the nineteenth century and beyond

(b) had the opportunity to be acquainted with various modern Muslim thinkers and a range of topical debates, including the anti-Hadith controversy; the nature of Wahhabism; the ethics of war and/or jihad; the Muslim discourse on feminism; the Islamic discourse on politics, state and democracy; and the anti-Sufi trend

(c) had an awareness of the various Islamic movements in the modern world and their respective counterparts in the classical period, and the diversity of religious developments in contemporary Muslim societies.

Candidates who wish to take this paper must also take paper 2305, Islam in the Classical Period.

8 lectures and 8 tutorials: lectures serve as supplements to the tutorials.

2403Buddhism in Space and Time

Course description

This paper deals with Buddhism as it developed and changed in space and time. The first part of the course will be devoted to the main doctrines and schools of Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle) Buddhism. The second part will discuss the transmission and transformation of Buddhism in some of the main areas where it continues to exist in the modern world.

Aims

To give students some appreciation of the various forms that Buddhism has taken during its transmission throughout Asia.

Objectives


(a) a sense of the ways in which Buddhism has varied in space and time(b) a basic knowledge of Buddhism as a phenomenon in world history(c) a basic knowledge of the major trends in modern scholarship on the subject(d) written a series of coherent essays on topics central to the subject.

The tutorials will enable students to further discuss and analyse the main topics dealt with during the course, thus representing an ideal complement to the lectures. It is hoped that in this way the students will be able to develop a critical perspective on the subject of the paper and the relevant scholarship.

2404Modern Hinduism

Course description

Taking up from where Classical Hinduism left off, this paper traces the development of Modern Hinduism from the pre-modern period (around the sixteenth century) through to modernity. The course will examine later Hindu scholasticism, social stratification (caste), the nineteenth century Hindu Renaissance, regional traditions, modern gurus and contemporary Hindu politics.

Aims

To develop the history of Modern Hinduism.

Objectives

At the end of the course students will have:

(a) knowledge of how Modern Hinduism developed (b) knowledge of the wider society, especially caste, in relation to Hinduism(c) knowledge of some regional traditions (such as Kashmir and Kerala)(d) ability to critically assess social scientific accounts of Modern Hinduism.

Candidates who wish to take this paper must also take Hinduism: Sources and Formations (paper 2307)

One hour lecture per week (8 lectures) plus one hour tutorials. The lectures describe Modern Hinduism and directly relate to paper 2307 that all students taking this paper must sit. The tutorials follow the general historical trajectory of the lectures, focussing in more depth on specific topics.

2405

Science and Religion

Details awaiting Post-holder appointment.

3101The Hebrew of the Old Testament

Course description

This third-year paper provides an opportunity for students who have previously learnt the basics of Biblical Hebrew to deepen their knowledge of the language and to apply this to further set texts. Candidates are advised that this is not a beginner’s level course, but is designed for those who have successfully completed the first-year paper in Biblical Hebrew (and may have offered Hebrew gobbets in one or both of the second-year Old Testament papers) or who undertook the Biblical Hebrew course as a second scriptural language after Prelims (and have passed a suitable collection paper at the end of that course), or those who have attained a similar level of Hebrew from other study.

The textual focus is on Exodus 1–3, 2 Samuel 11–14, and Proverbs 7–9. The examination will include passages from these chapters for translation and comment, as well as questions on Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax, and simple English prose sentences for translation into Hebrew.

Aims

To enable students to read Biblical Hebrew, and to study selected portions of the Hebrew Bible.

Objectives


(a) have a good grasp of Biblical Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary(b) be able to read selected passages of the Old Testament in its original language(c) be able to translate the set texts, and to comment intelligently on matters of linguistic and

textual interest.

Candidates for this paper will normally have taken the first year course in Biblical Hebrew (1002).

8 classes on Hebrew Syntax and Composition; 24 classes on set texts (8 on Exodus, 8 on Samuel, 8 on Proverbs). Languages and set texts are best taught in classes.

3102Paul and the Pauline Tradition

Course description

This third-year paper is intended to offer students the opportunity to engage in advanced undergraduate work in Pauline studies and to apply and refine the historical, literary and theological interpretative skills they have begun to learn.

Set texts for this paper are Romans 5-8; 1 Corinthians 5-7; Ephesians 1-3 in Greek. In English, Romans 5-11; 1 Corinthians 1-7, 15; and Ephesians.

Aims

To enable students to obtain a sound grasp of Paul’s life and letters, a detailed knowledge of Pauline Theology with special reference to Galatians, Romans, and Ephesians, and to have a broader understanding of the theological, ethical, literary and historical problems raised by studying the Pauline corpus in the New Testament.

Objectives


(a) an awareness of the distinctive features of selected Pauline epistles (b) an ability to comment on selected texts in translation and also, optionally, in the original

Greek (c) acquired knowledge about the relation of the prescribed texts with other biblical texts,

particularly other writings in the Pauline corpus (including Hebrews) and Acts as well as some understanding of Pauline theology and of the theology of other writings in the Pauline corpus

(d) a basic knowledge of the historical contexts of the prescribed texts in Judaism and early Christianity, and of the social setting, organization, and ethical practices of the Pauline communities

(e) a basic knowledge of their contribution to later Christian theology.

Candidates may find it useful to have completed the second year paper on the Gospels in preparation for this paper. In Trinity term in their second year, candidates must declare whether they intend to take English or Greek text classes.

8 lectures; 4 tutorials; 4 text classes (x 1hour): Lectures provide a general framework for understanding Paul and the Pauline tradition.

3103Further Studies in Old Testament (A)

Course Description

Each candidate concentrates on one particular subject-area chosen from a number of options. The options offered may vary from year to year, depending on the availability of particular academic staff and the interests of the cohort of students coming forward. Among the range of topics which may be available are:

Religions and Mythology of the Ancient Near EastArchaeology in Relation to the Old TestamentWorship and Liturgy in the Old Testament

Aims

To enable students to deepen their knowledge of critical issues in the study of the Old Testament, by offering a more specialised focus on particular topics.

Objectives


(a) gained detailed knowledge about and understanding of particular topics in the study of the Old Testament

(b) developed their interpretational skills and their awareness of the wider context of the Old Testament in the history of ideas

(c) reflected upon the current state of Old Testament and cognate scholarship and future possibilities for research.

The paper is normally taken by, but is not restricted to, students who have successfully completed at least one of the second-year papers in Old Testament.

8 or more lectures and/or classes in one term each lasting one hour; 8 or more tutorials and/or seminars in one term or spread over two terms each lasting one hour or ninety minutes. Lectures provide an introduction to new material; classes explore the interpretation of key texts; tutorials explore specific topics in greater depth.

3104Further Studies in Old Testament (B)

Course Description

Each candidate concentrates on one particular subject-area chosen from a number of options. The options offered may vary from year to year, depending on the availability of particular academic staff and the interests of the cohort of students coming forward. Among the range of topics which may be available are:

Prophecy in the Old TestamentWisdom Literature in the Old Testament and ApocryphaApocalyptic in the Old Testament and Intertestamental Literature

Aims

To enable students to deepen their knowledge of critical issues in the study of the Old Testament, by offering a more specialised focus on particular topics.

Objectives


(a) gained detailed knowledge about and understanding of particular topics in the study of the Old Testament

(b) developed their interpretational skills and their awareness of the wider context of the Old Testament in the history of ideas

(c) reflected upon the current state of Old Testament and cognate scholarship and future possibilities for research.

The paper is normally taken by, but is not restricted to, students who have successfully completed at least one of the second-year papers in Old Testament.

8 or more lectures and/or classes in one term each lasting one hour.8 or more tutorials and/or seminars in one term or spread over two terms each lasting one hour or ninety minutes. Lectures provide an introduction to new material; classes explore the interpretation of key texts; tutorials explore specific topics in greater depth.

3105Further Studies in New Testament (A)

Course description

These third-year papers facilitate further study of topics related to the New Testament. Each candidate concentrates on a particular subject-area chosen from a number of options, though a candidate may also offer a second option (in such cases, the candidate offers this option as two papers, with separate assessment for each of the options chosen). Among the range of topics which may be available are:

New Testament TheologyStudy of a New Testament Book

Aims

To enable students to deepen their knowledge of critical issues in the study of the New Testament, by offering a more specialised focus on particular topics.

Objectives


(a) gained detailed knowledge about and understanding of particular topics in the study of the New Testament

(b) developed their interpretational skills and their awareness of the wider context of the New Testament in the history of ideas

(c) reflected upon the current state of New Testament and cognate scholarship and future possibilities for research.

This paper is normally available to students who have successfully completed the second-year paper on the Gospels

8 or more lectures and/or classes; 8 or more tutorials and/or seminars: this relates to the assessment of 1 examination of 2 hours and 1 essay of 2,500 words on a topic of the candidate’s own choosing. The delivery will allow for both adequate preparation for a public examination and the tutorial support for an assessed essay. MT of the third year is the only option for courses involving essays assessment because the HT of that year will be taken up with dissertation.

3106Further Studies in New Testament (B)

Course description

These third-year papers facilitate further study of topics related to the New Testament. Each candidate concentrates on a particular subject-area chosen from a number of options, though a candidate may also offer a second option (in such cases, the candidate offers this option as two papers, with separate assessment for each of the options chosen). Among the range of topics which may be available are:

The Afterlife of the New TestamentThe Old Testament in Early Christianity

Aims

To enable students to deepen their knowledge of critical issues in the study of the New Testament, by offering a more specialised focus on particular topics.

Objectives


(a) gained detailed knowledge about and understanding of particular topics in the study of the New Testament

(b) developed their interpretational skills and their awareness of the wider context of the New Testament in the history of ideas

(c) reflected upon the current state of New Testament and cognate scholarship and future possibilities for research.

This paper is normally available to students who have successfully completed the second-year paper on the Gospels

8 or more lectures and/or classes; 8 or more tutorials and/or seminars: this relates to the assessment of 1 examination of 2 hours and 1 essay of 2,500 words on a topic of the candidate’s own choosing. The delivery will allow for both adequate preparation for a public examination and the tutorial support for an assessed essay. MT of the third year is the only option for courses involving essays assessment because the HT of that year will be taken up with dissertation.

3201Analytic Philosophy and Christian Theology

Course description

Candidates will be expected to answer questions on main doctrines of Christianity, drawing on the work of analytic theologians. Candidates will be expected to exhibit some familiarity with the views of these writers and the characteristic questions they ask and answer about these doctrines.

Aims

To enable students - many of whom will not have had prior exposure to analytic philosophical theology - to reflect critically on main areas of Christian theology using some concepts and techniques of analytic philosophy.

Objectives

Students who have studied for this paper will:

(a) have some detailed knowledge of main Christian doctrines.(b) have some detailed knowledge of some of the specified texts.(c) be able to reflect philosophically on the coherence and plausibility (or not) of major Christian

doctrines.

8 lectures, 8 tutorials, 4 classes: this relates to the assessment by a three hour examination.

3202Post-Kantian Philosophical Theology

Course description

The course examines some of the key figures, texts and topics in continental philosophy of religion since Kant. It will explore why and how this kind of philosophy is understood by its practitioners as historically situated and the implications of this for its overall character and approach. It will introduce particular movements, themes, and currents such as idealism, critique, reductionism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, existentialism, deconstruction, the death of God, and the end of metaphysics.

Aims

Students taking this course will become familiar with the broad development of continental philosophy of religion since Kant.

Objectives

For students to acquire some of the basic concepts and textual skills necessary for further study in this area and be challenged to engage some of the central philosophical and theological questions addressed in the course.

8 lectures, 8 classes, 4 tutorials: this relates to the assessment by two extended essays. MT of the third year is the only option for delivering courses involving assessment by essay because HT of that year will be taken up with writing the dissertation.

This course will be delivered by 8 lectures in the MT, 4 tutorials prior to the submission of the assessed essays at the beginning of the HT and 8x 1 ½ hour classes (4 held in MT and 4 in HT). Assessment will be by two summatively assessed essays of 2,500 words each (1 from a list of prescribed topics and the other chosen by the candidate in consultation with their tutor or course leader) and a 2 hour examination.

The 8 lectures will provide an historical survey that locates the particular philosophers and philosophies examined in the set texts. The texts themselves will be treated in the classes (4 held in the MT and 4 in the HT). Tutorial work for the course essays will take place in MT with a deadline for the submission of the essays on the first Monday of 1st week Hilary. The four tutorials will focus on structuring, drafting and the completion of this essay, with formative feedback, they will enable the student to further develop skills in essay preparation in advance of the third year dissertation. Candidates will be given a list of prescribed topics for one of the essays and chose a further topic those philosophical movements, and themes treated in the MT. Candidates will be reminded that they cannot repeat work done for the essays in answering two questions in the final examination.

3203Ethics II: Religious Ethics

Course description

This course is designed to introduce students to the ethics of a non-Christian religion (its concepts, variety, history, major figures, and some of its classic texts), to the critical comparison of different religious ethics, and to the analysis of practical issues in politics and economics.

Aims

The aim of the Religious Ethics paper is to introduce students to the ethics of a non-Christian religious tradition, to its critical comparison with Christian ethics, and to the analysis of practical issues in the fields of politics and economics in terms of either Christian ethics or a non-Christian religious ethical tradition or both.

Objectives


(a) principal concepts and methodological issues in a non-Christian tradition of moral thought(b) how to relate non-Christian moral concepts and sources to Christian moral concepts and

sources(c) concrete issues in the light of Christian and non-Christian religious moral sources and

concepts(d) how to marshal relevant material in support of an argument.

In the course of demonstrating the above, the course also aims to enable candidates, secondarily, to demonstrate some understanding of:

i. the moral thought of relevant major figures in the history of a non-Christian religious ethical tradition

ii. the internal variety of this ethical traditioniii. the relation of this ethical tradition to major schools of Western moral philosophy

(e.g., those of Aristotle, Kant, and Utilitarianism) and to current intellectual trends (e.g., political liberalism, feminism, postmodernism, human rights discourse).

8 lectures, 8 classes & 4 tutorials: the course aims to cover a lot of theoretical, practical, and historical territory, as well as to induct candidates into careful comparative analysis of two religious ethical traditions. Candidates will be prepared for the two parts of the examination paper by introductory lectures on “A [Muslim or Jewish or Hindu etc] Vision of Moral Life” and 2 tutorials on concepts and methods, followed by classes on concrete moral issues in political and economic ethics. Further tutorials will be devoted to the compulsory essay.

3204Philosophy of Religion

N.B. This paper belongs to the Philosophy Faculty: it is the same as Philosophy Paper 107

Course description

This course includes an examination of claims about the existence of God, and God’s relation to the world; their meaning, the possibility of their truth, and the kind of justification which can or needs to be provided for them; and the philosophical problems raised by the existence of different religions. One or two questions may also be set on central claims peculiar to Christianity, such as doctrines of the Trinity, Incarnation, and Atonement.

Aims

To introduce students to the question of faith and to help them engage with a range of beliefs.

Objectives


(a) principal concepts and methodological issues(b) concrete issues in the light of Christian and non-Christian religious concepts(c) how to marshal relevant material in support of an argument.

8 lectures, 8 classes & 4 tutorials: the course aims to cover a lot of theoretical, practical, and historical territory, as well as to induct candidates into careful comparative analysis of various religious traditions.

3205Mysticism

Course Description

Candidates will study theoretical issues relating to the definition and interpretation of mysticism as well as important examples of mystical literature and traditions. The paper will be examined by two extended essays. One essay, chosen from a list of prescribed titles, will address theoretical issues; the other will relate to a special topic. Prescribed titles will be published at the beginning of Trinity Term in the candidate’s second year. The subject of the second essay will be chosen by candidates in consultation with tutors, subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Essays Committee. Titles, abstracts and bibliographies should reach the faculty Administrator not later than the end of fourth week in Trinity Term of the candidate’s second year. Essays should be submitted no later than Friday of eighth week of Hilary Term of the candidate’s second year.

Aims

(a) To encourage reflection on the concepts of mysticism, spirituality and religious experience(b) To acquaint students with cardinal texts in one or more mystical traditions(c) To promote inquiry into the relation between mystical thought and historical context.

Objectives

A student who has attended relevant lectures, read primary and secondary texts under academic guidance and done careful research for two essays may be expected:

(a) To be able to offer a reasonable working definition of mysticism and to explain why such definitions are contested

(b) To be acquainted with the writings of significant figures on one or two mystical traditions(c) To be well informed regarding the evolution of at least one such tradition and of the

historical circumstances which conditioned or accompanied the production of major texts in the tradition(s).

Candidates who wish to take this paper will find that having taken the Second Year course ‘Systematic Theology: Key Doctrines’ would be advantageous.

16 lectures: this relates to the assessment by a three hour examination.

3206

Feminist Approaches to Theology and Religion

Course description

Since the second half of the twentieth century, the development of feminist theories and the contributions of feminist thinkers have made a profound impact on every field of theology and religious studies. While some of these fresh perspectives have confronted traditional forms of religion, taking an oppositional stance, others have sought to expand intellectual horizons irrespective of religious commitment. This paper offers the opportunity to examine the range of problems and insights brought to theology and the study of religion by feminist approaches. Guided by tutors from different disciplines within the Faculty of Theology and Religion, students will consider the ways that feminists have re-interpreted, challenged and re-appropriated sacred texts, myths and rituals, and how feminist theory helps us consider the institutions and structures of religions. Students will be encouraged to ask for themselves how far feminism demands reform in the major religious traditions, what structures of knowledge feminist theory aims to challenge, and, ultimately, how successful and legitimate feminist critiques have been. The key secondary literature for this course will include core feminist epistemological approaches, and may incorporate readings in feminist biblical criticism, anthropology of religion, historiography, ethics, liberation theology and the sociology of religion.

Aims

(a) To gain an advanced understanding of the implications of feminist ethics, politics and theory for the study of Theology and Religion

(b) To examine in comparative perspective the contributions made by feminist theorists to different disciplines within the field

(c) To explore fundamental questions about the extent to which religious thought and practice is organised by constructions of gender or binary difference.

Objectives

(a) Students should be aware of the outlines of developments within feminist and gender theory since the 1970s, and be able to comment on their significance for trends within the theological disciplines.

(b) Students will have been introduced to major feminist contributions to biblical criticism, theological ethics, church history, liberationism and the sociology and anthropology of religion.

(c) Students should be able to understand the implications of feminist theory for the study of religion.

(d) Students will be able to trace common themes and concerns among feminist commentators across disciplinary boundaries.

8 classes (x 1½hours) : this relates to the assessment of 1 examination of 2 hours (2 questions related to set texts) and 1 essay of 5,000 words on a related topic of the candidate’s own choosing. The delivery will allow for both adequate preparation for a public examination and the tutorial support for an assessed essay.

3207Contemporary Theology and Culture

Course Description

As a discipline theology is becoming increasingly aware of its composition within specific social, historical and cultural and contexts. Much contemporary theology expresses interdisciplinary interests and emphasises not only its distinctive contribution to aspects of contemporary culture but its relevance for the examination of aspects of the contemporary situation. This paper explores four key areas of contemporary theology’s interdisciplinary engagement with the world. Those areas are: theology and politics, theology and gender, theology and the arts and theology and economics. Two weeks will be devoted in the classes to each of the topics and will focus upon the preparation and discussion of set texts and secondary material. The texts may change from year to year, but the following is suggested as a possibility:

Theology and Politics: After Metz: Week one: Kathryn TannerWeek two: William Cavanaugh

Theology and Gender: Queer Theory: Week Three: Marcella Althaus ReidWeek four: Gerard Loughlin

Theology and the Arts: Film and TV: Week five: Wim WendersWeek six: Terence Malick

Theology and Economics: (Globalisation) Week seven: Max StackhouseWeek eight: D. Stephen Long

Aims

(a) To build on the student’s knowledge of key theological doctrines(b) To engage students with the work of contemporary theologians(c) To engage students with theology executed in different genres(d) To develop skills in identifying and critically assessing a theological position(e) To relate doctrine to a range of social and cultural practices(f) To introduce students to interdisciplinary approaches in theology today.

Objectives


(a) a good knowledge of contemporary trends in theology(b) have a developed awareness of theology executed in different genres(c) engaged important aspects of the contemporary scene theologically (d) have a developed awareness of the relationship of theology to other disciplines.

Prerequisites

Candidates who wish to take this paper will find that having taken the Second Year course ‘Systematic Theology: Key Doctrines’ would be advantageous.

This course will delivered by 16 lectures over MT and HT, 4 tutorials prior to the submission of the assessed essay at the beginning of the HT and 8 classes (4 held in MT and 4 in HT). Assessment will be by one summatively assessed essay of 5,000 words and a 2 hour examination.

The 16 lectures over MT and HT are required to place each of the four cultural themes (politics, Gender, Media and Economics) within a broader context. They will map out for the candidates the theological work done with respect to these cultural phenomena. The broad sweep of the lecture course will enable the students to contextualise the in-depth analyses of specific texts. These texts will form the basis for both the questions set for the course work essay and the questions in the examination. There will be eight classes of no more than 15 students. Multiple classes will be organised according to the number of students taking the course. These classes will be run in part with the help of graduate assistants and/or Postdoctoral Fellows. Four will be held in MT and four in HT. Tutorial work for the course essay will take place in MT with a deadline for the submission of the essay on the first Monday of 1th week Hilary. The four tutorials will focus on structuring, drafting and the completion of this essay, with formative feedback, they will enable the student to further develop skills in essay preparation in advance of the third year dissertation. Candidates will be given a list of essay topics on the relationship between politics and theology and media and theology (covered in the lectures and classes for MT). They must choose one of the essays. The choice will help determine the range of questions they can answer in the written examination.

The final examination will be divided according to the four cultural themes with questions relating to the set texts. Candidates will be asked to answer two questions on two cultural areas. Of four cultural themes covered in the examination paper, candidates cannot chose to answer a question related to the cultural locus of their submitted essay (i.e. if the candidate’s essay was on theology and politics then they cannot answer a question in the examination on that topic).

3208Origen

Course Description

Special topics in Systematic Theology and Ethics will enable students to undertake in-depth study of a number of Classic theologians, theological movements or current doctrinal debates. The course will be text based and offerings for theologians, theological movements or doctrinal debates will change from year to year depending upon staff availability and student uptake (at least six under-graduate students are needed before a particular option will run).

Aims

(a) To enable students to specialise in a key theological developments or debates(b) To extend student’s theological knowledge in a particular area of theological study(c) To develop a student’s textual knowledge of a specific theologian, theological movement or

doctrinal debate(d) To develop a student’s skills in identifying and critically assessing a particular theological

position.

Objectives


(a) an in-depth critical appreciation of a particular theologian, theological movement or doctrinal debate

(b) a detailed knowledge of the key texts in the study of a particular theologian, theological movement or doctrinal debate

(c) a detailed appreciation of the cultural, historical and doctrinal context of a particular theologian, theological movement or doctrinal debate.

These are ALL delivered in 8 x 1 ½ hour classes held in the Michaelmas term and assessed by a 3 hour examination paper in which three questions will be answered. The courses are designed around key set texts and the classes will devoted to the critical examination of these texts. Students should already have encountered the theologians or the theological issues in their second year courses and there will be lectures in ‘Key themes in Systematic Theology’ in both MT and HT as well as lectures on ecclesiastical history that will provide further background.

3209Augustine

Course Description


Aims



position.

Objectives






3210Anselm

Course Description

Special topics in Systematic Theology and Ethics will enable students to undertake in-depth study of a number of Classic theologians, theological movements or current doctrinal debates. The course will be text based and the offerings of theologians, theological movements or doctrinal debates will change from year to year depending upon staff availability and student uptake (at least six under-graduate students are needed before a particular option will run).

Aims



position.

Objectives






3211Aquinas

Course Description


Aims



position.

Objectives






3212Luther

Course Description


Aims



position.

Objectives






3213Calvin

Course Description


Aims



position.

Objectives






3214Kierkegaard

Course Description


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position.

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3215Newman

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position.

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3216Dostoevsky

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position.

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3217Barth

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position.

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3218Tillich

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position.

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3219Bonhoeffer

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position.

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3220Rahner

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position.

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3221Liberation Theology and its Legacy


Course Description

In the wake of Gutiérrez's groundbreaking work not only have there been other Latin American liberation theologies and theological responses to the political and economic circumstances in other parts of the globe (such as South Africa), the concept of 'liberation' has been extended to cover issues such as gender, race, sexual orientation and physical impairment theologically. Liberation theology has then fostered a number of other radical theologies while some its fundamental and structuring concepts have received much critical attention. This paper critically examines early liberation theology, the radical theologies it inspired and the critique and response to critique that arisen subsequently.

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position.

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There are no specified prerequisites for this course, although to have taken the Second Year course Systematic Theology: Key Doctrines would be advantageous.

These are delivered in 8 x 1 ½ hour classes held in the Michaelmas term and assessed by a 3 hour examination paper in which three questions will be answered. The courses are designed around key set texts and the classes will devoted to the critical examination of these texts. Students should already have encountered the theologians or the theological issues in their second year courses and there will be lectures in ‘Key themes in Systematic Theology’ in both MT and HT as well as lectures on ecclesiastical history that will provide further background.

3222Yale School of Theology

Special topics in Systematic Theology and Ethics will enable students to undertake in-depth study of a number of Classic theologians, theological movements or current doctrinal debates. The course will be text based and offering for theologians, theological movement or doctrinal debates will change from year to year depending upon staff availability and student uptake (at least six under-graduate students are needed before a particular option will run).

Course Description

The Yale School has been one of the most influential theological movements in late twentieth and early twenty-first century theology. It pioneered a ‘postliberal’ understanding of theology drawing upon methodologies drawn from narrative, metaphor, Wittgenstein’s concept of ‘language-games’ and the moral philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre. This course will examine the foundational works of Hans Frei and George Lindbeck, the work of ‘second generation’ Yale School theologians such as Bruce Marshall, Kathryn Tanner and William C. Placher, and the developments of postliberal theology both in the US and the UK.

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position.

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Prerequisites

None – although to have taken the First Year course Introduction to Christian Theology and the Second Year course Systematic Theology: Key Doctrines would be advantageous.


3223

Radical Orthodoxy

Details awaiting Postholder appointment.

3224Contemporary Trinitarian Debates


Course Description

In the last fifties years of Christian theology the doctrine of the Trinity has received considerable attention from various quarters: the development and critique of social trinitarianism; analytical approaches to the Trinity; and the defence of Patristic metaphysical understanding of the Trinity. At the same time theological research has been concerned with key Trinitarian concepts such as Person, Relation and Act. This paper critically appraises this new theological work.

Aims



position.

Objectives





There are no specified prerequisites for this course, although to have taken the Second Year course Systematic Theology: Key Doctrines would be advantageous.


3225Contemporary Debates on Salvation (Doctrinal topics)

Course Description

The paper explores key themes in Christian understandings of the means and nature of salvation and its implications for the life of the Church- concentrating on theology from 1914 onwards. It explores how revisions, retrievals and (re) constructions of classical Christian doctrines mediate between Scripture and Christian tradition on the one hand, and the challenges of contemporary society and culture on the other. The paper will concentrate on the challenges of modern and postmodern society, and will use recent theological expressions from the across the world in reflecting on understandings of the role of context in the formation and expression of theology. In exploring these themes, attention is given to the way Christian theological reflection relates to the praxis of the Christian community.

Aims

(a) To deepen the student’s understanding of modern theology by focusing on a specific theme

(b) To deepen the student’s understanding of the relationships between central theological themes and their relationship with their social, cultural and religious context

(c) To analyse and evaluate the relative merits and deficiencies of arguments concerning the nature of salvation and the mission of the church

(d) To gain an understanding of the relationship between Christian doctrine and the life and self-understanding of the Christian community.

Objectives


(a) a good knowledge of some of the modern retrievals, revisions and (re)constructions of the Christian understanding of salvation in the global church, with a particular focus on the northern Atlantic cultural context

(b) the ability to understand how these positions relate to the wider cultural and social contexts in which they were developed

(c) the ability to understand the close relationships between the theology of the means and nature of salvation, and the life of the church

(d) the ability to reflect critically on the relationship between doctrines of salvation and Christian praxis.

The paper will be taught through a series of 4 tutorials and 8 classes. The 8 classes help students explore a selection of major theological texts. The 4 tutorials help students analyse the systematic relations and practical implications of the different theological themes. The paper will be assessed by two submitted essays of a maximum of 5,000 words, including footnotes but not including bibliography, and based on tutorial essays (3C).1

1 It is important that the assessment corresponds with the other ‘Doctrinal Topics’ papers and the assessment of this paper may need to be changed accordingly.

3301From Nicaea to Chalcedon

Course description

Christianity is regarded as one of the three great monotheistic faiths. In contrast, however, both to Judaism and to Islam, it teaches (in its traditional form) not only that there is a single God, but that this God is identical with three subjects – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – and that one of these subjects, the Son, became identical with the man Jesus of Nazareth. These are paradoxical doctrines, though defenders of them have sometimes tried to soften the paradox by introducing new formulations. Those who find them unpalatable have argued that they were framed with inappropriate logical or linguistic tools, or that they are products of political intrigue rather than dispassionate reflection. Traditionalists, apologists and critics agree at least on one point – that the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation cannot be understood without some study of the debates which culminated in the endorsement of these doctrines by successive councils in the fourth and fifth centuries of the Christian era.

This paper will give students the opportunity to study in some depth the theological controversies which led to the formulation of the two most important oecumenical documents of Christendom, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 and the Chalcedonian Definition of 451. The first is the foundation of all subsequent Trinitarian thinking, the second affirms the presence of both divine and human natures in the one person of Jesus Christ. Candidates will be expected to have an accurate knowledge of the content of both these documents, to be familiar with the works of the theologians who were most instrumental in bringing about the conciliar definitions and to have studied the historical factors which led to the summoning of church councils and influenced their outcome.

They will also be expected to show an acquaintance with the opinions that the conciliar definitions were intended to exclude, and to be able to say how far the councils succeeded in achieving a consensus. In pursuing the history of the Trinitarian and Christological debates, they will be expected to recognise the causal relation between the “solution” of one controversy and the origin of another. In expounding the teaching of a particular theologian, they will be expected to show an understanding of his fundamental premises, his approach to scriptural exegesis, his intellectual background and any external circumstances which may have coloured his thought or tempered his rhetorical strategies. They will also be expected to have a sense of the relation between doctrine, worship and the Christian understanding of salvation.

Key figures and events on which questions may be asked include: the Councils of Nicaea (325), Antioch (341), Sardica (343), Sirmium (357), Rimini (359), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Ephesus (449) and Chalcedon (451); the Origenist Controversy of the late fourth century; Arius; Alexander of Alexandria; Eusebius of Caesarea; Marcellus of Ancyra; Athanasius of Alexandria; Basil of Ancyra; Hilary of Poitiers; Apollinarius of Laodicea; Cyril of Jerusalem; Eunomius of Cyzicus; Basil of Caesarea; Gregory of Nyssa; Gregory of Nazianzus; Epiphanius of Salamis; Ambrose of Milan; Didymus the Blind; Nemesius of Emesa; Evagrius of Pontus; John Chrysostom; Theodore of Mopsuestia; Theophilus of Alexandria; Jerome; Rufinus of Aquileia; Nestorius; Augustine of Hippo; Pelagius; Cyril of Alexandria; Theodoret of Cyrus; John Cassian; Prosper of Aquitaine; Leo the Great.

Examinees will be required to comment on one of the following texts: The Nicene Creed of 325, Cyril’s Second Letter to Nestorius, the Tome of Leo, the Chalcedonian Definition.

Aims

(a) to furnish students with an outline history of the chief developments in Christian doctrine in the age of the first Christian Emperors

(b) to promote reflection on the genesis of ideas and the nature of theological debate(c) to promote knowledge and understanding of the doctrinal presuppositions which

continue to inform much theological debate and speculation.

Objectives

A student who has attended 16 lectures and prepared thoroughly for classes and tutorials may be expected:

(a) to have acquired a familiarity with the conciliar resolutions of the period and the writings of the major theologians

(b) to have acquired an understanding of the premises of doctrinal speculation and the methods of debate in late antiquity

(c) to be able to reflect on the relation of doctrine to Christian life and hope, both in antiquity and in the modern era.

8 lectures for narrative, 4 classes for set texts, 4 tutorials to explore problems

3302Saints and Sanctity in the Age of Bede

Course Description

England and the English people changed fundamentally during the seventh and early eighth centuries as a direct result of the introduction of Christianity. Missionaries from Rome, Gaul and Ireland brought the pagan, warrior Germanic people of Anglo-Saxon England into contact not just with a new faith but with new cultural forms, including the written word. As a result of these external influences the warlike, aristocratic society of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms developed a rich and innovative culture, producing in the few generations between the 660s and the 730s, works of learning, literature and art which were pre-eminent in Western Europe. This course addresses the significance of these changes through close study of a well-integrated group of original sources, mainly but not exclusively from the golden age of Northumbria. Particular attention will be paid to the writings of the Venerable Bede, setting his historical and hagiographical writing in the context of his biblical exegesis. Students can also study the spectacular manuscript illumination, metalwork and sculpture of the era, almost all of it produced in monastic contexts. This paper offers students the opportunity to reflect in depth on a range of texts which reflect the aristocratic society, learning and culture of early England, and the genesis of English theological writing.

Missions to the English 1. The Roman Mission (Bede, Historia; Gregory, Letters)2. Irish, Franks and others missionaries (Bede, Historia)

Models of sanctity 3. Cuthbert the saint-bishop (Lives of Cuthbert; Adomnan, Life of St Columba)

4. Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow (Historia abbatum, Life of Ceolfrith, Bede homily on Benedict Biscop)

5. Wilfrid, a less-than-saintly bishop (Stephen, Life of Wilfrid; Bede, HE)

Theology and literature 6. Bede the exegete and reformer (extracts: Bede, On Genesis, On the Temple, On Ezra and Nehemiah, Letter to Ecgberht)

7. Aldhelm (Prose, On Virginite, Poetic works: extracts)8. The Dream of the Rood

Aims

(a) to achieve a rounded understanding of the creation of a Christian society in an early medieval culture

(b) to explore how particular political and social structures interacted with this newly unifying ideological force

(c) to engage students with the varieties of Christian literature produced in England in this period

(d) to develop students’ skills in commenting critically on such literary texts(e) to engage with early medieval theological ideas, and with different attitudes towards

sanctity and the miraculous .

Objectives

By the end of this course students should have:

(a) a good knowledge of the history of the origins and early development of the English Church in this period

(b) a developed awareness of the range of literary genres in which Christian ideas were explored

(c) engaged with early medieval theological ideas (d) demonstrated their familiarity with the set texts and ability to analyse them via the

examination.8 classes (90 minutes) focus on the prescribed texts, encourage group discussion of central questions around which the course is structured and prepare candidates for tackling gobbet questions in the examination; 4 tutorials consolidate students’ understanding by writing essays on the wider issues covered by the course as a whole, preparing them for unseen essays in the examination.

3303Faith, Reason, and Religion from the Enlightenment to the Romantic Age

Course Description

Both on the Continent and in Britain, European Christianity at the dawning of the eighteenth century inherited a history of long and bitter theological controversy that had not infrequently spilled over into ‘wars of religion’. Against this backdrop, the advent of the Enlightenment is often recounted as a story of ‘science and secularism’, without attending to the fuller historical dynamics in which many of the leading intellectual figures wrestled mightily with questions about how best to understand the relationship between faith, reason, and social identity in the context of a plurality of traditions within Christianity. From thinkers such as Locke, we inherit the proposal that the requirements of biblical Christianity are simple and few, and that a reasonable understanding of faith promises tolerant agreement among all Christians, and therefore a basis for peace and social stability. Although popular in some circles, such proposals were far from universally persuasive, and by the end of the eighteenth century successive critiques of the supernaturalist doctrines of Christianity – by both ‘cultured despisers’ and earnest Christians alike – had so undermined the reasonableness of Christianity that some such as Schleiermacher maintained Christian faith was to be defended through appeals neither to special revelation nor to rationality, but rather to a distinctive form of religious self-consciousness. The questions arising from these various alternatives continue to animate critical discourse on religion and society even today, and this course enables an understanding of a number of the key intellectual transformations that have proved pivotal not solely for Christianity, but for modern history generally. Candidates will approach the topic through primary texts of historically significant thinkers.

Aims

The aims of this paper are to:

(a) enable an understanding of the key intellectual developments in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that have proved significant both for the history of Christianity and more generally for modern society

(b) analyze and evaluate the relative merits and deficiencies of arguments regarding the relationship between faith, reason, and religious self-consciousness of the representative authors

(c) become familiar with the reception history of such arguments through engagement with substantive secondary resources

(d) build on the student’s knowledge of theology and the history of Christianity.

Objectives


(a) a good knowledge of some of the most influential and representative texts and thinkers of the period

(b) the ability to contextualize representative texts and thinkers with respect to the larger religious, social, and political movements of the period

(c) skills important for the historical study of religion generally, and for the history of Christianity and historical theology specifically, by assessing different sorts of historical materials and by analysing the broader context of the period

(d) the capacity to think theologically, holding in view classic texts from the tradition.

8 classes of 90 minutes each will enable close text-based examination and discussion of the materials, and 4 tutorials provide individual supervision for the research and writing of two submitted essays of 5000 words each.

3304The Renewal of Worship

Course description

The Western Church experienced unparalleled liturgical change during the twentieth century. This paper is designed to introduce students to the study of liturgy with particular reference to twentieth century liturgical renewal, current liturgical trends, and the relationship between liturgy and other theological disciplines.

Aims

To give students a good understanding of the

(a) principal disciplines within the academic study of liturgy(b) role of liturgical worship in a number of different Christian traditions(c) liturgical movement and other worship renewal movements in the twentieth century(d) relationship between liturgy and other theological disciplines(e) relationship between contemporary and early liturgical texts.

Objectives

Having attended the classes and prepared for four tutorials students may be expected to have:

(a) a good knowledge of the relationship between liturgical theology, pastoral liturgy, and the history of Christian worship in the twentieth century

(b) a developed awareness of the role of liturgical worship in a number of different Christian traditions

(c) a critical understanding of the way in which liturgical revision has made use of early liturgical texts

(d) demonstrated their familiarity with the sets texts and ability to make appropriate use of them in the assessed essays.

The course will be taught through eight 90 minute classes, based on prescribed set texts:

1 The Liturgical Movement2 The Renewal of Sacramental Theology 3 The Liturgical Reforms of Vatican II 4 Liturgy and Ecumenism 5 Liturgy and Architecture 6 New Eucharistic Prayers 7 The Charismatic Renewal Movement 8 Liturgy and Mission

4 tutorials for supervised research and writing of two submitted essays.Classes focus on the prescribed texts, encourage group discussion of central questions around which the course is structured and prepare candidates for their tutorials and assessed essays; tutorials consolidate students’ understanding by writing essays on the wider issues covered by the course as a whole, preparing them to engage critically with two topics in the assessed essays.

3305

The Second Vatican Council

Course description

The Second Vatican Council was the most significant ecclesiastical event of the twentieth century. It was a radically reforming ecclesiological exercise unlike any other ever seen among councils in the history of Christianity. Of these, there have been 21 ecumenical and general councils in total, not counting small provincial synods. Vatican II was the largest and textually most prolific assembly of Christian prelates and observers ever convoked. It was the most internationally representative, irenic in intention, and ecumenically-minded of any previous council. The majority of its voting participants were not Europeans. Unlike any previous synod, it did not issue a single denunciatory canon. No one was anathematized or excoriated as heretical by any of its decisions. Ceremonials accompanying the Council were televised. For the first time in human history, the workings of an episcopal assembly could be seen around the world by anyone interested to watch. Simultaneously, radio programmes informed an international audience of what transpired during each of the Council’s sessions.

Aims

The main aim of this course is to examine and discuss the origins, events, and consequences of the Second Vatican Council. The course will elaborate the modern historical context of the Council; consider its convocation and planning; examine its principal promulgations; and chart the hermeneutical disputes that arose in its wake as to how its decisions might best be interpreted and implemented. Consideration will also be given to the historical and theological uniqueness of Vatican II in relation to previous councils.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course students will have become:

(a) familiar with the major historical innovations, renovations of theologies, and concomitant religious practices promulgated by Vatican II

(b) aware of significant modern theological and ecclesiastical developments prior to the Council, including the Liturgical Movement; the Modernist crisis; the Ecumenical Movement; the Priest-Worker Movement; and La Nouvelle Théologie

(c) able to discuss critically the principal decisions and consequences of the Council(d) knowledgeable about the central arguments of pivotal conciliar texts.

Of the 16 constitutions, decrees, and declarations issued by the Council, eight weekly classes will discuss in more detail the following eight texts:

1 The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church2 The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation 3 The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy4 The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World5 The Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People6 The Decree on Ecumenism7 The Declaration on Religious Liberty 8 The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions

Each of these will be discussed in relation to the Reformation; Tridentine theologies; the French Revolution and the Enlightenment; and the history of modern ecclesiology.

3401The Nature of Religion

Course description

By examining the main classical and contemporary approaches to the study of religion, candidates are required to engage critically in examining the comparative study of religions, the relations between religious belief and religious practice, and the central roles of myth, symbol, and ritual in theoretical discussions of religion over the course of the 20th century.

Aims

The aim of this course is to enable students to take an informed view of the place of religion in the modern world.

Objectives

By the end of this course candidates should:

(a) have acquired a good knowledge of the main classical studies in the field of the Study of Religions

(b) be aware in a general and accurate way of both the main attempts to define religion and the problems of defining it. They should also understand the difference between defining religion as a universal phenomenon and locating religions in particular cultural contexts

(c) be aware of a number of major debates in the field of religious studies, e.g. the outsider/insider problem, religious pluralism, the construction of identity, gender issues, religious violence, post-colonialism, and the benefits and limits of comparison

(d) be enabled to make critical use of these theoretical discussions in their study of different religions.

16 lectures and 8 tutorials: the tutorials aim to enable students to engage with theories covered in lectures

3402Psychology of Religion

Course description

The paper will cover theories and empirical evidence pertaining to different aspects of religious experience and behaviour. The emphasis is on psychological findings about human spirituality and the relevance of psychological methods to understanding religious phenomena such as conversion, prayer, mysticism including their normal and abnormal manifestations. Origin and development of religious concepts are considered throughout the course as a key characteristic of human nature and a basis for different cultural and educational influences on spirituality and religion across life-span and across diverse cultures.

Aims

The course aims to provide an overview of the main issues in psychological study of religion that reflects contemporary developments in psychological research and theory. It also aims to stimulate an interest in psychological findings about religion and encourage the perception of scientific psychology as relevant to explaining religious experience as such.

Objectives

On completion of the course of lectures and tutorials, students will have:

(a) Been introduced to the main psychological accounts of religion and spirituality as distinct from those offered by other disciplines

(b) Become aware of the main methodological developments in modern scientific psychology and of their relevance to critical appraisal of the early and non-psychological accounts of religion and spirituality

(c) Acquired s more complete understanding of specific religious phenomena and critically examined the usefulness of the empirical approach to religion and spirituality

(d) Enriched their transferable skills to other domains by handling information from a variety of sources.

An interest in interdisciplinary perspectives on religion is desirable.

8 lectures are designed to introduce students to the core issues and questions on the main topics in the field and 8 tutorials are opportunities to study in greater depth the selected topics as well as focus on the questions of particular interest.

3403Sociology of Religion

Course description

This course will enable candidates to acquire an understanding of the major figures in the development of the sociology of religion, with particular reference to Western Europe, North America and other regions as announced.

Aims

To develop a critical understanding of how religion relates to contemporary societies.

Objectives

Students who take this paper will:

(a) achieve an understanding of the major figures in the development of the sociology of religion

(b) become familiar with contemporary sociological discussions and acquire a critical understanding of the major debates in contemporary sociology of religion

(c) become aware of how sociological models of and theories about religion may be usefully brought to bear on issues in the modern world.

8 Lectures (Religion and Society in the Contemporary World) introduce students to the core issues; 8 tutorials are used to study selected topics in greater depth as well as focus on questions of particular interest.

3404Further Study in Science and Religion


3405Further study in Judaism

Course description

Students write a dissertation on a specific aspect of Judaism. The title of the dissertation must be approved by the Faculty Board by 7th week of MT in the third year of the course.

Aims

The course aims to provide students with an opportunity to study in depth a specific aspect of one of these religions.

Objectives

Students will have acquired by the end of the course a good understanding of the specific issue on which they have chosen to write their dissertation. They will also acquire transferrable skills for the collation, analysis and presentation of evidence and arguments in an extended piece of scholarly writing.

Prerequisites

Students must have taken a course in Judaism in their second year before they can take this course.

8 tutorials (individual). The choice of subject for the dissertation will be specific to each student, and the best way to provide guidance will be through individual tutorials.

3406Further study in Islam

Course description

Students write a dissertation on a specific aspect of Islam. The title of the dissertation must be approved by the Faculty Board by 7th week of MT in the third year of the course.

Aims


Objectives


Prerequisites

Students must have taken a course in Islam in their second year before they can take this course.


3407Further study in Buddhism

Course description

Students write a dissertation on a specific aspect of Buddhism. The title of the dissertation must be approved by the Faculty Board by 7th week of MT in the third year of the course.

Aims


Objectives


Students must have taken a course in Buddhism in their second year before they can take this course.


3408Further Study in Hinduism

Course description

Students write a dissertation on a specific aspect of Hinduism.

Aims


Objectives


Students must have taken a course in Hinduism in their second year before they can take this paper.

8 tutorials (individual): the choice of subject for the dissertation will be specific to each student, and the best way to provide guidance will be through individual tutorials.

3409Studies in the Abrahamic Religions


3410Varieties of Judaism, 100 BCE-100 CE

Course description

The course examines the evidence for different kinds of Judaism in the late Second Temple period, and its immediate aftermath.

Aims

The course aims to acquaint students with the primary evidence for the nature of Judaism in this period and to develop an informed and critical approach to the interpretation of that evidence.

Objectives

By the end of the course, students should have a good knowledge of the main trends in Judaism in this period and an ability to analyse ancient evidence, particularly from the set texts prescribed, to understand the nature of different varieties of the religion.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites.

Mode of delivery8 lectures (1 hour) and 8 tutorials (1 hour).

Rationale for mode of delivery

The lectures provide an overview of the issues, and proposals for solution of some central problems. The tutorials require students to come to grips with some of the set texts and to learn how to approach these texts as sources for religious history.

Preferred timing for delivery

Lectures HT; tutorials preferably after the lectures, but can also be in HT.

Available annually? Yes

Mode of assessment: 3-hour examination.

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