Course Descriptions

(Dr. Jared Goff)

This introductory course will examine the foundations of Christian dogma. The course will explore divine revelation, the mystery of the Triune God, creation and anthropology, the person of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the nature and mission of the Church, the Church's eschatological dimension, and the Church's ethos as it encounters our civilization and relates its doctrinal beliefs to the world. Students will engage in the following:

• The basic themes of dogmatic theology from Trinity, creation, and the incarnation, to grace, sacraments, and the last things.
• The ranking and interrelationship among the various magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church, as well as the levels of solemnity among the dogmas and the doctrines within Eastern Orthodoxy.
• The nature of the papacy and its function within the Catholic communion and according to Eastern Orthodox theories.
• Infallibility and inerrancy as applied to Scripture, Church, and Fathers.
• The manner or methods available for solving theological puzzles.
• The nature of loci theologici or authoritative texts and teachers in relation to human reason and secular sciences.

(3 hours; 1 semester)

(TBA)

This course will concentrate on the texts and doctrines of the pre-Nicene Fathers, from the death of the apostles to Nicaea I and its aftermath. This course will provide an overview of both the theological thought of the Fathers of the Church (patristics in the strict sense) and their life and writings (patrology). The rich ethnic and cultural diversity of early Christian thought will be highlighted through study of primary sources. Students will learn the following:

• Exegesis of primary texts from patristic authors representing a variety of themes, not to coincide with patristic readings in DT 100, 103, & 104.
• Modes of interpreting patristic authors for contemporary purposes and within their own historical context.
• A range of patristic concerns, from Biblical exegesis, hymnody, and liturgical compositions to dogmatic and moral treatises.
• Familiarity with representative Fathers of the Greek Church, or Latin authors who exercised an influence on the Eastern Church.

(2 hours, 1 semester)

(Jeff Mierzejewski)

This multidisciplinary course is devoted to the history, structure, performance, and teaching of a particular tradition of Christian church singing, the prostopinije or "plain chant" of the Carpathian Mountains in Europe. The class will make use of the approaches of ethnomusicology, liturgical theology, and ritual studies in understanding how this complete system for the congregational singing of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy came into being and evolved over time. In the course of the semester, students will have an opportunity to learn the essentials of Eastern Orthodox liturgy, as well as fundamental techniques and considerations for field work. The ability to read music is helpful but not required.

(3 hours; 1 semester)

(Fr. David Petras)

This course is a survey of the theology of liturgy from a practical viewpoint. The rituals (gestures) and prayers (words) of the Divine Liturgy, the Presanctified Divine Liturgy, and Vespers with the Divine Liturgy are described in detail, as a corporate service of priests, deacons, servers, cantors, and congregation. The rationale of this ritual is then discussed from a theological and historical perspective. The student then can learn not only the "how to" but also the "why" of the words and gestures we use. The expected outcomes of the students are:

• To enhance the service of priests, deacons, servers, cantors, and congregation.
• To progress to a better integrated presence in the liturgical worship of the Byzantine Catholic Church in America.

(2 hours; 1 semester)