Courses
The following advanced seminar courses are special topics that are not described inside the undergraduate or graduate calendars. For the regular course descriptions, please refer to the official graduate calendar.
Fall 2023
THEO 605
Methods in Biblical Studies (3 credits)
This course focuses on tools and methods employed in biblical studies and ancient literature related to the Bible (up to 600 CE). Synchronic and diachronic approaches are discussed but the course focuses primarily on diachronic methods (form and genre criticism, comparative method, etc.) Students are trained to develop skills in analyzing texts using biblical methods.
THEO 645
Forgotten Scriptures: Scrutinizing Christian Apocraphal Literature (3 credits)
A number of texts about Jesus, his family and his disciples did not find their place in the Christian Bible. These texts are the so-called Christian Apocrypha, which will be the subject matter of this course. These fascinating and enigmatic writings include Gospels, such as the Gospel of Peter or the Gospel of Mary, Acts of the Apostles, like the Acts of Philip or the Acts of Thomas, Apocalypses, like the Apocalypse of Peter or the Apocalypse of Paul, as well as accounts of visions, such as the Sibylline Oracles, the Vision of Esra, the Ascension of Isaiah, and texts about the death and afterlife of major characters, like the Dormition and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc. These texts, under explored until recently, witness of the diversity of Christian history, theology, and literature and shed light on aspects of Christian culture and visual arts, which have been forgotten and neglected for centuries.
Winter 2024
THEO 651
Universalist Eschatologies (3 credits)
This course explores expressions of Christian belief in universal salvation (or apokatastasis) from the patristic era to the current day, focusing on theological, biblical, and philosophical arguments for this view, alternative views such as “annihilationism”, as well as criticisms and rebuttals of universalism from the perspective of Christian faith.
THEO 627
Questions in Old Testament Research: Prophetic and Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible (3 credits)
This course introduces the prophetic, wisdom, and deuterocanonical books of the Hebrew Bible. Topics discussed are literary genres, historical contexts, and theological themes, as well as the phenomenon of prophecy in the ancient Near East, the historical settings for the biblical prophetic and wisdom literature, the language, and the message of these biblical books.