CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE
TRS 260:04
G-23 Pangborn
Spring Semester, 2009
Tuesday and Thursday: 11:10 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
Professor: Rev. Chorbishop Seely Beggiani
Office Hours by appointment Phone: Home: 202-723-8831
E-mail:
Course Description
An introduction to Christian theology that focuses on the context and lived
practices of Christians throughout the ages. Major figures and doctrines will
be covered in relation to the cultural frameworks in which they arose.
Beginning with Jesus and those of the first century who witnessed to him, the
course will conclude with an examination of the Second Vatican Council and
the questions that arise for authentic faith in contemporary culture.
Textbooks
1. The New American Bible (Oxford University Press)
2. The Christian Theological Tradition (Second Edition), Catherine A. Cory and
and David T. Landry, eds. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2008)
3. Readings in Christianity (Second Edition), Robert E. Van Voorst, ed.
(Stamford, CT: Wadsworth, 2001)
Note: The textbooks are available at the Catholic University Bookstore on campus.
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Syllabus
Note: NAB = New American Bible
CTT = The Christian Theological Tradition
RC = Readings in Christianity
I. Religious Experience and Conversion
1. Purpose and Organization of the Course; Introduction to Conversion and Faith
(Jan. 13) Reading: CTT, Ch. 1: Introduction.
2. Religious Experience (Jan. 22)
Readings: NAB: Gen 12: 1-9; 18: 1-15; Ex 3; 1 Kings 19: 9-18; CTT, Ch. 16:
“Mysticism in the Middle Ages;” RC: “Mystical Views of Christ,” pp. 140-43;
“Catholic Reform Mysticism,” pp. 198-200.
3. Religious Conversion (Jan. 27)
Readings: NAB: Acts 9: 1-30; CTT: ch. 10, Augustine of Hippo; RC:
“Augustine’s Conversion,” p. 100; “Faith as Ultimate Concern,” pp. 286-7.
II: The Christian Experience of God: Jesus and the Early Witnesses
4. The Bible: The Structure of the Old and New Testaments; Inspiration;
Inerrancy, and the Canon (Jan. 29)
Readings: CTT, Part I: “The Old Testament;” Part II: “The New Testament;”
RC: “The Scripture Canon in Formation,” pp. 75-76.
5. The Old Testament I: Creation and Covenant; The Prophets and Later Judaism
(Feb. 3)
Readings: NAB: Gen.: 1-3; Exod.: 19, 20, 24; CTT: Ch. 2, The Primeval Story; Ch.
3, Gods Covenant with Israel; Ch. 4, Judges, Prophets, and Kings;" Ch. 5:
Second Temple Judaism; NAB: “The Importance of Story,” pp. RG 7-15; “The
Pentateuch,” pp. RG 16-32. “The Prophets,” pp. RG 229-30.
6. The New Testament (Feb. 5)
Readings: CTT: Ch. 5 “Second Temple Judaism;” Ch. 6: Jesus and the Gospels;
NAB: Introductions to the Gospels, pp. RG 314-17; 331-35; 345-50; 364-69; (New
Testament section:) 1-7; 65-68; 95-97; 145-47.
7. The Teaching and Significance of Jesus (Feb. 10, 12)
Readings: NAB: The Gospel of Mark; Mt 5-7; Mt 25:31-46; John 1:1-18; Phil 2:5-11;
Col 1:1-23.
FIRST EXAM – Feb. 17
8. The Early Church (Feb. 19)
Readings: NAB: Mt 10:1-15; 16:13-20; I Cor 12-15; 1 Tim 3: 1-13; CTT: “ch. 7:
“Apostolic Missions;” RC: “The Two Ways,” pp. 97-8.
FIRST PAPER DUE – Feb. 26
9. The Worshiping Community; Prayer and the Sacraments (Feb. 24, 26)
Readings: NAB: Jn 3: 1-15; Mt 28: 16-20; Acts 2: 42-47; 1 Cor 11: 17-34,
CTT, Ch. 6: “Baptism and Eucharist in the New Testament Traditions;”
RC: “Ancient Christian Service, pp. 78-9; “Baptism in the Second and Third
Centuries,” pp. 79-80; “The Eucharist,” pp. 80-1; “A Pilgrim Nun Worships in
Eastern-Rite Jerusalem,” pp. 81-83 “The Jesus Prayer,” p. 132; “The First Eucharist
Debate,” pp. 134-5; “Eastern Orthodoxy as Expressed in Its Eucharist,” pp. 291-294.
III. The Formation of the Christian Tradition
10. Personal Witness: Martyrdom and the Establishment of Christianity (Mar. 10)
Readings: RC: “The Martyrdom of Peter and Paul Recollected, p. 66; “Roman
Investigation of Christians,” pp. 66-67; “Martyrdom of a Young Christian Woman,”
pp. 68-9; “The Great Persecutions,” pp. 70-1; “The Victory and Conversion of
Constantine,” pp. 71-2; “The Edict of Toleration,” pp. 72-3; “Theodosius’ Prohibition of Worship of Roman Gods,” pp. 73-4.
11. The Creeds and Councils (Mar. 12, 17)
Readings: CTT: ch. 9, The Age of the Imperial Church; RC: “The Ecumenical
Creeds,” pp. 91-2; “The Arian Controversy,” pp. 92-4.
12. The Eastern Churches (Mar. 19, 24)
Readings: CTT: ch. 11: Eastern Christianity; RC: “East and West Formally
Separate,” pp. 121-3; “The Iconoclastic Controversy,” p. 127-9; “Orthodoxy and
Roman Catholicism Move Closer,” pp. 310-11.
13. Monasticism and Religious Life (Mar. 26)
Readings: CTT, ch. 9: "Monasticism and the Ascetical Movement; ch. 13,
Christianity in the Early Medieval Period;ch. 14 "Reform within the System: New
Religious Orders;" ch. 20 "Pre-Tridentine Reform;" RC: “The Beginnings of
Monasticism,” pp. 83-4; “Benedict’s Life and Miracles,” p. 117; “The Organization of
Monastic Communities,” pp. 126-7; “Establishment and Rules of the Jesuit Order,” pp.
182-3.
SECOND EXAM Mar. 31
14. Scholasticism and St. Thomas Aquinas (Apr. 2)
Readings: CTT, ch. 15: “Thomas Aquinas;” RC: “Scholastic Argument On Proving
the Existence of God,” pp. 135-8; “The Relationship of Faith and Reason,” pp. 138-9.
15. The Reformation (Apr. 7, 14)
Readings: CTT, ch. 18: Martin Luther; ch. 19: Other Protestant Reformers; ch. 20:
The Catholic Reformation; RC: “A Critique of the Church’s Ills, pp. 164-5; “Sermon
for the Sale of Indulgences,” p. 165; “Luther’s Protest Against Indulgences,” pp. 166-7;
“Luther Defies Charges of Heresy,” pp. 167-8; “The Peasants’ Revolt," p. 168-70; "The
King of England Becomes Head of the Anglican Church,” p. 172; “Luther Reforms the
Mass,” pp. 179-80; “Breaking Down the Barriers of Reform,” pp. 187-8; “Conflict
over Justification,” pp. 188-90; “A Summary of Zwinglilan Belief,” pp. 190-1; “Calvin
on Predestination,” pp. 195-7; “The Creed of Trent,” pp. 197-8; “Truce Between
Protestants and Catholics,” pp. 207-8; “The Heidelberg Catechism on the Roman
Mass,” pp. 208-9; “Lutheran-Catholic Agreement on Justification,” pp. 317-19.
IV. Christianity and Modernity
16. Modernity (Apr. 16)
Readings: CTT: “The Modern Period; ch. 17: The Renaissance; ch. 22: Modern
Challenges to Christianity; RC: “The Visions of Fundamentalism and Modernism,”
pp. 283-4.
17. The Churchs Response to Modernity (Apr. 21)
Readings: CTT, "Catholic Social Teaching;" RC: “The Roman Catholic Church
Confronts Secular Thought,” pp. 255-6; “Papal Infallibility Decreed,” pp. 231-2.
SECOND PAPER DUE Apr. 23
18. The Second Vatican Council (Apr. 23, 28)
Readings: CTT: ch. 24: Christianity and the Contemporary Situation;" RC: “A
Second Vatican Council Sampler,” pp. 277-8.
19. Christianity and Culture (Apr. 30)
Readings: RC: “Christian Morality in Diverse Cultures,” p. 98; “Christianity and
the Fall of Rome,” pp. 106-7
FINAL EXAM May 7: 10:30 a.m -- 12:30 p.m.
Requirements: Participation, Papers and Exams
1. Participation involves two aspects (10% of grade)
Active presence and attendance at the weekly lectures and discussions. Active means listening and taking notes, formulating questions related to the readings and lectures, etc. Part of your participation grade is dependent upon your consistent attendance at class. Class begins promptly at the stated time.
2. Papers (30%).
Further directions for each individual paper will be given in class in advance of the due date
of the paper. The papers explore different ways in which you learn about religion and
Christianity and are intended to encourage informed and critical thinking about the way they
are presented. In the 2009 Spring Semester the first paper will focus on the Bible and the
second on recovering your family religious heritage.
A. Reflection upon the Bible: Exegesis (15%) Paper Due: Feb. 26. You will write a five- page, double-spaced typed report on a particular passage of the Bible. You will take a brief passage from a list of passages from the Gospel of John, and by using the introductions, explanatory notes, and cross-references in the New American Bible: 1) show how the passage has its roots in the Old Testament; 2) show the relationship of the passage to the other Gospels; 3) show your knowledge of the historical situation of the original writers; 4) show how the footnotes in your copy of the Bible are useful for understanding the text chosen; 5) raise the issue about what the passage means to Christians today.
B. Family Religious Heritage (15%) Paper Due: Apr. 23. You will write a five-page double-spaced typed report on you own religious heritage. You will be expected to interview members of earlier generations of your family about their religious background, upbringing, and affiliation. You will then be expected to do library research about the origins and distinctive practices of this religious group or institution. A minimum of three substantial articles or books should be consulted. Catholics might be particularly interested in religious traditions and practices known to your parents and/or grandparents that they found particularly significant and about the impact of great changes that have taken place in the last forty years. Non-Catholics might ask about and study the historical origins and distinctive practices of their communities and heritages and about changes that have occurred in recent decades. Those with no or little religious background may use a religious tradition of their choice, but must interview a currently practicing member of that tradition.
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3. Examinations (60%)
Feb. 17, Mar. 31, May 7 (each 20%). These in-class examinations, without notes or books, will be conducted at the time of class for a fifty minute period regarding the first two exams and for two hours regarding the final. They will deal with the lectures and the readings.
Grading
On what scale will you be graded? Grading is more an art than a science. As yet, there is no standard grading scale that correlates numbers and letters in the different schools of the University. Therefore, the number and grade correlations here may or may not coincide with other courses in the University.
Scores and Grade Correlations
A = 90-100 [A- = 90-92; A = 93-100]
B = 80-89 [B- =80-82; B= 83-86; B+ =87-89]
C= 70-79 [C- =70-72; C=73-76; C+=77-79]
D = 65-69
F = 64 or below
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