| CODE | HPA5100 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Select Patristic Themes | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Church History, Patrology and Palaeochristian Archaeology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The question of God, the baptismal formula (or confession of faith) was constantly being reinterpreted during the whole of the Patristic era in the light of the ever-changing theological contexts, for instance, the apocalyptic, soteriological, philosophical, and Gnostic. The study-unit aims at showing that, although the Fathers of the Church had, in Sacred Scripture, a common source for their teaching on Christ and His saving work, they still expressed their beliefs in an extremely interesting variety of forms. Their social, cultural and intellectual formation did tell too on their respective approaches to the problem. Personal motivations and aspirations were often heavily influenced and dictated by the needs of the particular church they led, served and wrote for. The study unit aims at a close study of the systematic development of the concept of Church drawn from the writings of the main representatives of early Christian tradition, Fathers of the Church and early Christian writers. The unit will take into consideration the study of the ecclesiological affirmations of the more important of these early Christian writers ranging from Post New Testament times to the end of the so-called Patristic Era, namely up to Isidore of Seville (ca. 560-636) the last of the Western Fathers, and John Damascene (650-749) for the Eastern Fathers. This study unit, however, will conclude with the study of the ecclesiological affirmations of Leo The Great (d. 444), for the west, whereas for the east, with those of the 3rd Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451).The patristic anthropological perspective (to be distinguished from philosophical, social, cultural, and bibucet; consists in the study of the theme of Man in the writings of some of the Fathers of the Church, and/or Early Christian Writers. The survey shall concentrate on the examination of some of the patristic expressions regarding the capacities and destiny of human beings in virtue of their inherent relationship to God, namely, as created and made in the image of God. The unit will therefore aim at a study of the historical development of a theological anthropology. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims at showing that, although the Fathers of the Church had, in Sacred Scripture, a common source for their teaching on Christ and His saving work, they still expressed their beliefs in an extremely interesting variety of forms. Their social, cultural and intellectual formation did tell too on their respective approaches to the problem. Personal motivations and aspirations were often heavily influenced and dictated by the needs of the particular church they led, served, and wrote for. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Read a patristic text in the original language, namely Latin or Greek; - Recognize and assess the importance of a patristic text in the light of a particular era, as well as its historical and doctrinal context; - Restate in one’s own words the general thrust and theme of texts written by the Church Fathers. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Evaluate and synthesize various aspects of Church doctrine as reflected in the writings of the Church Fathers; - Differentiate among different styles and genres among patristic texts; - Rank different forms of emphasis made by the Church Fathers on a particular theological point or on the Christian way of life. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Di Berardino, Angelo, ed., Encyclopedia of the Early Church, 2 vols, Cambridge 1992. - Jurgens, William A., The Faith of the Early Fathers, 3 vols, Collegeville, Minnesota 2015. - Bonnici, Alexander and Caruana Salvino, Patrologija, Vol.1, Malta 2015. Supplementary Readings: - Dal Covolo, Enrico, ed. Storia della teologia, Vol.1, Roma 1995. - Orbe, Antonio, The Theology of the First and Second Centuries, Rome 2012. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: Undergraduate degree in Theology / BA (Hons.) in a Subsidiary area. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Jonathan Farrugia |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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