Topics in Systematic Theology:
Doctrine of the Incarnation and Christology
This class is being offered in the Spring of 2005
David Dault
- Instructor
This is an online resource for students participating in the class.
Click here
to go to the American Baptist College website for information about the school and enrolling in the course
TH 302 Syllabus
TH 302 Midterm Study Guide
- NEW - Posted 2.19.05
I have not posted the final exam study guide,
because the way I am structuring the final exam, I do not think you will need one. Trust me. Do not panic!
TEXTS FOR THE CLASS:
E.R. Hardy, ed.,
Christology of the Later Fathers,
The Library of Christian Classics Series, Volume 3, published by Westminster / John Knox Press
A
Bible,
your choice of version or translation (but no paraphrase Bibles, please!)
The online texts as listed below, to be printed by you
It is expected that you will have assigned texts read before class, as we will discuss them on the day shown.
Some tips on reading academic texts
To print the online texts
I would recommend going to the 'File' menu and selecting 'Print Preview' - you should then see the text laid out properly for standard paper. Look to make sure words aren't being cut off on the edges in the preview. From there you can press 'Print' and all should be well. If cut-offs are happening you will need to find out how to adjust that particular machine's settings, or another option would be to 'Select all' in the edit menu, and copy and paste the text into a Word document and print from there.
Week 1
Introduction and Overview
Old Testament Backgrounds
- Isaiah 44 and 53, Genesis 3, Exodus 40, Deuteronomy 12
Intertestemental Backgrounds
- text,
The Wisdom of Solomon
Week 2
The Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle to the Hebrews
The Gospel of Mark
Week 3
The Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of John
Gnostics and Marcionites
- Justin Martyr
- text,
Dialogue with Trypho
Week 4
Tertullian
- text,
Against Hermogenes and On the Flesh of Christ
Origen
- text,
Commentary on John
Introduction to
Christology of the Later Fathers
Week 5
St. Athanasius, "On the Incarnation of the Word"
(in
Christology of the Later Fathers
)
The Arian Controversy
The Council of Nicea
texts, "The Nicene Creed" (handout), "The Letter of Eusebius of Caesarea Describing the Concil of Nicea" (in
CotLF)
Week 6
Alexandria and Antioch
- the beginnings of the Nestorian controversy
Gregory of Nanzianzus, "The Theological Orations,"
(in
CotLF)
Gregory of Nyssa, "An Answer to Ablabius: That We Should Not Think of Saying There Are Three Gods" (in
CotLF)
Week 7
- Current Week
The Councils of
Constantinople
(381),
Ephesus
(431), and
Chalcedon
(451)
Nanzianzus, "Letters on the Apollinarian Controversy"
and
Nyssa, "An Address on Religiouos Instruction"
(both in
CotLF)
Theodore of Mopsuestia,
- text,
On the Incarnation
Week 8 - MID TERM EXAM
Review Session
Midterm
No Class Friday
- Dault at a conference
Week 9 - SPRING BREAK
Week 10
Augustine,
text,
On the Trinity
Maximus the Confessor
Anselm of Canterbury,
text,
Cur Deus Homo
Week 11 - GNL LECTURES
Abelard
Lectures on Wednesday Morning
NO CLASS - Good Friday
Happy Easter
Week 12
Thomas Aquinas,
text,
On the Sentences (Selections)
Thomas Aquinas,
text,
Summa Contra Gentiles IV (Selections)
Martin Luther,
text,
Disputation on the Divinity and Humanity of Christ
Week 13
Council of Trent
John Calvin, text,
The Institutes of the Christian Religion,
Book II Chapter 14
The Quests for the "Historical Jesus"
Week 14 - SENIOR EXAM WEEK
Karl Barth
Rudolf Bultmann
Black Liberation Christologies
Week 15
Feminist Christologies
Womanist Christologies,
text, Kelly Brown Douglas,
Postmodern (Anti)Christologies
Week 16 - FINAL EXAM FOR EVENING CLASS
Final Things
Exam Review
No Class on Friday
Week 17 - FINAL EXAM FOR DAY CLASS
Many thanks to J. Patout Burns and Brad Peper of Vanderbilt University for assistance in preparation of the above texts
For Further Reading
- If you want to continue thinking about the issues raised in this course, the following books may be helpful to you:
Bart D. Ehrman,
The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture,
Oxford University Press, 1993