Systematic Theology Courses

SYS 511 Fundamental Theology and Biblical Hermeneutics Required Theology I

An examination of major themes in fundamental theology, namely: religious experience and the question of God; revelation; faith and its expression in creeds and doctrines; Tradition; Scripture; magisterium. Envisioned outcomes: an understanding of the individual teachings and the unified vision of Dei Verbum and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; the establishing of a common theological foundation and vocabulary for the further study of systematic theology at Kenrick School of Theology; an appreciation for the role of culture in the transmission and interpretation of revelation; a critical appreciation of the difficulty of belief in contemporary culture; an understanding of the challenges of the new evangelization, a preliminary grasp of methodological issues in various specialty areas of theology, especially in the theory of interpretation. Format: lecture and discussion. Brennan; three semester hours

SYS 512 Christology and Soteriology Required Theology II

An examination of the doctrinal theology of the central mystery of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ. After a review of methodological considerations, an historical approach begins with New Testament Christology, continues with Christology in the Tradition, focusing on patristic-conciliar and medieval Christology, and concludes with the Christological teaching of the contemporary Magisterium, especially as presented by the International Theological Commission and the writings of Pope John Paul II. Envisioned outcomes: a knowledge of the foundations of Christology in the sources, both scriptural and historical; an overview of the development of subsequent Christological thought to the present time; an understanding of the contemporary Magisterium’s contribution to Christology; an appreciation of Christology as the lynchpin of theology; a growing ability to reflect on the Christological foundation of priestly identity, ministry, and spirituality. Format: lecture and discussion. Gresham; three semester hours

SYS 513 Ecclesiology and Ecumenism Required Theology I

An examination of the theology of the Church from a Eucharistic and Trinitarian perspective. Topics include: the mission of the Church and the nature of evangelization; the structures of the Church; the relation of the churches to one another; the magisterium; the necessity of the Church for salvation; the Church as the universal sacrament of integral salvation. Envisioned outcomes: an ability to think theologically about the mystery of the Church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic; a thorough familiarity with the documents of the Second Vatican Council concerning the Church, especially Lumen Gentium, Unitatis Redintegratio, and Ad Gentes; a familiarity with selected current theological approaches to ecclesiology. Format: lecture and discussion. Welch; three semester hours

SYS 514 Anthropology, Sin and Grace Required Theology II

An historical survey of theological reflection on the life of grace in the Christian tradition. An overview of key developments: scriptural sources, especially Paul; patristic sources, including the Greek Fathers; the Pelagian controversy and Augustine’s highly influential response; the theology of Thomas Aquinas; the position of Martin Luther and the response of the Council of Trent; contemporary theologies of grace; the anthropology of the Second Vatican Council’s constitution, Gaudium et Spes. Envisioned outcomes: an ability to distinguish and relate the many layers of theological meaning in the term, “grace”; an appreciation of all grace as a gift of Christ, the New Adam, who reveals man to himself; an appreciation of the fundamental but fragile unity of the human person, and of the restorative, liberative, and elevating aspects of the gift of grace. Format: lecture and discussion. Welch/Staff; three semester hours

SYS 515 Creation and Eschatology Required Theology IV

An investigation in two parts: first, of Christian belief in creation, in the nature and consequences of the fall, and in original sin; second, of Christian hope for an absolute future in the Risen Christ. Topics for part one: creation as the foundation of God’s union with humanity in Christ; biblical traditions about creation and the fall; the themes of providence and petitionary prayer; the angels; contemporary theological reflection. Topics for part two: the nature and basis for Christian hope; death; the immortality of the soul; judgment; the eschatological states of heaven, hell, and purgatory; the consummation of history in the Parousia. Envisioned outcomes, part one: an understanding of the uniqueness of the Judeo-Christian concept of the good creation; an understanding of creation as the result of a free and loving act of the Trinity; an understanding of the effects of the fall from the good creation. Part two: an understanding of the good creation and the whole of history as moving towards finalization in Christ; an understanding of the last things as centered upon Christ, crucified and risen. Format: lecture and discussion. Welch; two semester hours

SYS 516 The Mystery of the Triune God and World Religions Required Theology IV

An investigation in two parts: a survey of the world’s religions, based on the principles of the Second Vatican Council’s document, Nostra Aetate; and a theological exploration of the nature and personal activity of the triune God of Christianity. Envisioned outcomes: a sense of the universality of the phenomenon of religion, and of the convergences and divergences of the beliefs and practices of the world’s great religions; an understanding of the basic principles of an analogical approach to thinking and speaking about God; an ability to use the basic terms and analogies of classical Trinitarian theology; a sense of the historical development of Trinitarian theology and of the methodological issues which that development entails. Format: lecture and discussion. Gresham; three semester hours

SYS 517 Mariology Required Theology IV

An overview of the abiding importance of Mary in the Catholic tradition. A theological appreciation of the role of the Virgin Mary in Christology and ecclesiology, especially as presented by Vatican II in its document Lumen Gentium. Format: lecture and discussion. Staff; 2 semester hours

SYS 551 Jewish Civilization

A study of the history of the Jewish people. Envisioned outcomes: an appreciation for the development of the Jewish religion and the Jewish-Christian encounter; an understanding of the evolution of anti-semitism, especially the Holocaust and Genocide, the rise of the State of Israel and the Jewish condition today. Format: lecture and discussion. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 553 Eastern Christianity

A comparison of the negative and positive approaches of eastern and western Christianity to knowledge of God and a discussion of Trinitarian theology emphasizing the doctrine of divine energy. An examination of the themes of creation, sin, and alienation from God contrasted with the Augustinian viewpoint which has prevailed in western Christianity. An exploration of unceasing prayer as a manifestation of the economy of the Holy Spirit within the context of Scripture and Tradition. Envisioned outcomes: an understanding of the Eastern Church’s approach to God and the differences between east and west in the areas of creation, sin and its effects; an appreciation of the eastern contribution to theology. Format: lecture and discussion. Sopko; two semester hours

SYS 554 Protestantism and Ecumenism

A survey of Protestant Christianity in Europe and North America, with attention to the twentieth century development of the ecumenical movement. Sources include the document Unitatis Redintegratio of the Second Vatican Council, the 1993 revised Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the 1995 Encyclical Ut Unum Sint of Pope John Paul II. Envisioned outcomes: an enduring sense of the unity of Christ’s Church amidst the divisions of Christianity; a sense of the historic roots of division; an understanding of the convergences and limits of contemporary ecumenical dialogue; a sense of hope about the power of God’s Spirit to heal and to reconcile the divisions of the Church. Format: lecture and discussion. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 562 Introduction to the Thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar

An introductory survey of the thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most creative theologians of this century. Envisioned outcomes: a familiarity with some of the main themes of von Balthasar’s theological project; a more focused knowledge of the nature and aim of von Balthasar’s trilogy. Format: seminar, with some amount of lecture. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 564 Method in Theology

A careful reading and discussion of Bernard Lonergan’s seminal work, Method in Theology, with supplementary references to Insight and the Collections. Envisioned outcomes: an ability to do intentionality analysis, including a verification of the structure of intentionality in each inquirer; a transcendental understanding of religious experience as the basis for theology; an understanding of a basic set of terms and relations for use in theology; a methodological overview of the development of doctrine and theology, and of the challenge to contemporary theology to mediate the meaning of religion to a post-classicist culture. Format: seminar, with some amount of lecture. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 568 Trinitarian Encyclicals of Pope John Paul II

An in-depth investigation of Pope John Paul’s Trinitarian encyclicals Redemptor Hominis, Dives in Misericordia, and Dominum et Vivificantem. The course will also pay attention to the influence of the theology of Henri de Lubac on the Pope’s thought. Envisioned outcomes: a basic grasp of the Pope’s Christology and Trinitarian Theology; an understanding and knowledge of the Pope’s trinitarian-christological approach to anthropology; an appreciation of how the Pope’s encyclicals build upon the teaching of the Second Vatican Council; a knowledge of the influence of the thought of Henri de Lubac on the thought of the late Pope. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 576 Pneumatology

A study of the history of the development of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the theology of the same, with special emphasis on the magisterium of Pope John Paul II. Envisioned outcomes: an understanding of the basic history of the development of the theology of the Holy Spirit in both eastern and western traditions; an appreciation of the role of pneumatology as foundational for Catholic theology; an appreciation for the theological synthesis of pneumatology in the magisterium of Pope John Paul II, especially as seen in his writings and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church; an awareness of issues in pneumatology requiring further theological and ecclesial development. Format: lecture and discussion. Prerequisites: SYS 512 Christology and Soteriology and SYS 513 Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, and Missiology. Staff; two semester hours

SYS 581 The Teaching Authority of the Church

An in-depth investigation of the doctrinal reality and pastoral practice of teaching authority in the Church. Topics: that basis of teaching authority in the nature of faith and in the incarnational character of the Church; the charism of infallibility; ordinary and extraordinary teaching authority; the gradations of teaching authority and of the corresponding obligation of assent; the limited possibility of dissent. Envisioned outcomes: a familiarity with the Church’s understanding of its authority to teach in Christ’s name; a sense of the complexity of this issue; an ability to assess authoritative teaching for the degree of assent required; a familiarity with contemporary cases in which teaching authority was or is an issue. Format: seminar, with some amount of lecture. Staff; two semester hours