Bachelor in Theology - Year 1

Plato ranks as one of the most important thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition. This module introduces the student to some of the fundamental ideas that inform his works as well as guiding the student through some developments in his presentation of these ideas.

Christianity is an historical religion; it’s a religion about an historical event: Jesus' life, death and resurrection. But there may be conflicts between the pastoral and the historical points of view.

The present course covers the beginning of the modern period, from the 16 th to the 18 th century. This period, especially the 16 th century, is a turning point in the history of Western culture.

Distinctions need to be made regarding the subject of moral theology : first – as distinct from moral philosophy or ethics; second – as distinct from other theologica l studies.

Section I. What is Theology?
Section II. Theology as Science and Wisdom
Section III. Theological Principles and Methods
Section IV. The Sources of Theology
Section V. The Subject-matters of Theology

An Introduction to the Prophetical Phenomenon

The prophets understand themselves as inspired by God and claim that what they say is word of God. This is obvious from the very frequent formula they use « Thus speaks the Lord »...

This course introduces some of the key elements in Aristotle's thought. It will consider, among other things, Aristotle on language, logic, “first philosophy” or “wisdom”, and effective choice and action. In the appendices, Aristotle on language and logic in the Organon, on nature in the Physics, on “first philosophy” or “wisdom” in the Metaphysics, and on effective choice and action in the Nichomachean Ethics will be considered.

The name which designates the book has not always been the same through the centuries. The name « Tobiah » in English or « Tobie » in French comes from the Latin Vulgate which gives the same Latin name, Tobias, to the father and the son. It has been used in the past decades but is generally no longer in use.

According to Balthasar, in God, there is a triple k enotic intra-trinitarian relationship. The first kenosis consists in the Father dispossessing himself of his divinity and giving it to the Son. This divine act brings about the procession of the Son as the second possibility of being in one divine nature. The second kenosis comes about from the fact that the Son can be consubstantial with the Father only in his own self-emptying. The response of the Son to this substantial possession of the divinity is an eternal eucharistia which is as disinterested as the original gift of the Father. Proceeding from the two as their sub sistent ‘We’ is the Spirit who can be God only in his sealing as ‘Person’ this identical self -emptying in the Father and the Son since he is the proclamation and effusion of the love of the Fa ther and the Son. This makes the third kenosis. In sum, the Father’s kenosis to the Son, a nd the kenosis of the Father and the Son to the Holy Spirit correspond to the very essence of G od which can only be love.

The course aims at furnishing the student withe the appropriate tools for a meaningful of the Biblical text, with particular reference to its spiritual, liturgical and pastoral context. The course will further aim at providing a basis familiarity with, and a critical assessment of contemporary exegetical methods.

Etymologically, the word "Epistemology", from the Greek, means the science of knowledge. It is an investigation of knowledge and its problems. A synonymous term is Criteriology which again from the Greek means to distinguish or judge. It deals with testin g knowledge to find truth or detect error.

The modern epistemological problem has two aspects:

1. The opposition between science and philosophy or truth and error. We find this basically in Descartes and Kant.

2. The conflict between science and science or that of contemporary and classic physics and not an opposition between science and philosophy or truth and error.

All the Bibles, either Hebrew or Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox, agree on the first part of the Biblical Canon, that is the Pentateuch. The relationship of the Pentateuch to the rest of the Bible is unique and special since the events it tells are central to the foundation of the people of Israel.

In this course we look at the Hebrews’ arrival in the Promised Land and continue right up to the end of their existence as an independent nation when disaster overwhelmed them.

This journey of discovery is inspired by the German scholar, Martin Noth, who in 1943 ce advanced the theory that a number of Old Testament books originally made up one larger work. The books in question were Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. There is certainly a continuity of theme and style to be found in these writings. The biblical author clearly gathered together some pre-existing traditions, placed them skillfully within his own constructed framework, and added bridging material to give the appearance of a unified text. The older material was used to convey a particular understanding of Israel’s history.

In contemporary terms, the overarching agenda of a biblical author is called a 'meta-narrative'. This term is used to describe the framework within which much of modern history is told. Recognition of such meta-narratives is one positive feature of the post-modern age in which we live today. In recognising the over-arching concerns of the Deuteronomist historian, we must be aware of our tendency to impose or substitute other meta-narratives onto the text, meta-narratives such as ‘salvation history’, ‘covenant theology’, ‘messianic progression’ or others.

Deuteronomy has been looked at briefly as a whole. In its depiction of the Hebrews’ journey through the wilderness, it set the scene and supplied the basic theological vision which animated and shaped the presentation of the rest of the material. It seems clear that the first three chapters of Deuteronomy have been added specifically to make it an introduction to this period of history taken as a whole. It is in these first three chapters that the crucial issue of the people’s fidelity to Yahweh is raised – crucial because it is the condition of their continued possession of the promised land.

We derive our inspiration from at least two distinct traditions: the Jewish and the Christian. It is important that we should be aware of this! A whole set of questions are implied here. What is the relationship between God and the Jewish traditi on, God and Jesus, God and the church?

The Creed (divided in 12 parts) I. Introduction II. I believe – we believe III. In one God, the Father Almighty IV. The Maker of Heaven and Earth V. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ VI. By the power of the Holy Spirit he was incarnate… VII. For our sake He was crucified… VIII. He rose again on the third day… IX. He ascended into heaven… X. He will come again in glory to judge… XI. I believe in the Holy Spirit… XII. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church Conclusion

This course is divided into six sections. The first section – What is Philosophy? – deals with the problems surrounding any definition of the discipline and looks at various ways of thinking about it. The second section – Why Study Philosophy? – distinguishes some general types of reasons, and then examines reasons for studying philosophy. Section three looks at the relationship of philosophy to theology. It distinguishes different ways in which they might relate, and gives a historical survey of that relationship. Section four – Main Areas of Philosophy – introduces the main branches of the subject and gives a preliminary account of them. Section five, Presocratic Philosophy, looks at the earliest Greek philosophers and at how philosophy developed from myth. It examines two key issues: the problem of ‘appearance and reality’ and the problem of ‘the one and the many’. The final section introduces the student to Socrates. It presents the life and death of this iconic figure and examines the political intrigue surrounding his death and his own account of his philosophical vocation.

The term ‘anthropology’ is derived from two Greek words: ἀνθωπος (anthrōpos) and λογος (logos). The former (anthrōpos) refers to ‘man’ in the generic sense, that is to say, it means ‘human being’; the latter (logos) signifies ‘discourse’ or ‘science. Philosophical anthropology is thus concerned with a philosophical account of the mystery of the human being. Naturally, the history of philosophy has produced a wealth of approaches and an abundance of profound insights concerning the human being. It has also given rise to numerous errors in this regard.
This course will engage the question of how we are to construe the relationship that obtains between body and soul/mind. Rather than adopting a purely historical approach, beginning with Aristotle,
the text begins with an exposition of three different contemporary treatments of this issue before proceeding to expound important aspects of Aristotle’s and St. Thomas Aquinas’s metaphysics of human nature.