Course Descriptions

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Old Testament I: A study of the Old Testament books of the Bible comprising the Torah or Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Emphasis will be given to biblical and theological meaning/interpretation. Special attention will focus on the use of modern study materials, techniques, and interpretations while also acknowledging their limitations and the contribution of traditional materials/methods.

Old Testament II: A study of the Historical Books of the Old Testament, including Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. The historical books of the Old Testament cover the life of the Jewish people from the time they entered the Promised Land under Joshua the son of Nun (ca. 1450s BC) to the time of Maccabees (150 BC), which includes the time of the Judges, the Monarchy, the Fall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the Babylonian Captivity, and the restoration.

Old Testament III: A study of the Major Prophets is the focus of Old Testament III; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. This course will present a survey of the history and background of the major Prophets as well as their message to various groups to which they prophesied. The continuity of the Prophets and their message will be emphasized with their historical setting as presented in Old Testament II.

Old Testament IV: A study of the Minor Prophets (the Twelve) and the Wisdom Literature which comprises the Writings or Kethuvim of the Hebrew Bible; including Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. The discussion of each of these books will include a survey of the main theological issues and various approaches for their interpretation.

New Testament I: A survey of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and an introduction to the Acts of the Apostles. Special attention will be given to the interrelatedness of the Synoptics as well as their individuality and the socio-political situation in which they were written. The study of the Acts of the Apostles will focus on its genre as a history of the Apostolic Church. Acts will also be revisited in NT III, when the Pauline corpus will be studied.

New Testament II: A study of Johannine literature, including the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of John. The uniqueness of John’s theological perspectives will be explored as well as how those perspectives informed the theology of the early Church as it was forming, especially regarding Christology. The Epistles will also be examined considering their relatedness to the Gospel and their contribution to theology.

New Testament III: The Pauline corpus will be the focus of New Testament III, with emphases on the historical situation, intended audience, interpretation, theology, and dating of Paul’s Epistles. The epistles studied will include Galatians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians. The Pastoral Epistles of Paul will be studied in New Testament IV.

New Testament IV: will concentrate on the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James, I, II Peter, The Pastoral Epistles (I, II Timothy, and Titus), Jude, and the Revelation of St. John the Divine (The Apocalypse). Emphases will focus on literary genres, interpretation, and theology of each work.

Apocrypha I and II: will focus on the books not normally included in the Canon of Holy Scripture, called the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books, based upon their history, significance, and literary genre. Apocryphal literature forms an important link between the Old and New Testament. Books studied will include I & II Esdras, Tobit, Judith, The Additions to the Book of Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasseh, and I & II Maccabees.

Dogmatic Theology I: An overview of Christian Theology; the beginnings of its development, external factors which shaped the theology of the early Church, the development of the Creeds, early Ecumenical Councils, and an emphasis upon the Doctrine of God and the Holy Trinity, Christology, and Pneumatology. Dogmatic Theology II: A continuation of the development of Christian Theology with an emphasis on its development within Anglicanism. Topics included will cover Creation, Grace and Free Will, Theodicy and the Existence of Evil, the Providence of God, and the Seven Sacraments.

Moral Theology: The study of the imperative of Christian conduct as founded in the moral code of the Old Testament (The Decalogue) through the teachings of Our Lord in the New Testament (Beatitudes) and as found in the witness of the Saints of the Christian Church. Equal emphasis will be placed on the positive method, the scholastic method, and the casuistic method, with special attention given to the Anglican tradition in moral theology and its application to hearing confessions.

Church History I: The study of the founding of the Christian Church from its beginnings to the period just before the Reformation; with an emphasis on the rise and growth of the Church in its cultural, intellectual, and political context. Topics included for study are Jesus and the beginning of the Church, the Sub-Apostolic Age, the Church and the Empire, Heresies and Schisms, the development of the Church during the Third Century, Christological controversies to Chalcedon, Transitions to the Middle Ages, the Eastern Church, Monasticism, and the Glory of the Thirteenth Century Church.

Church History II: Church History II is a continuation from the point that Church History left off; pre-Reformation to the Present, with an emphasis on the history of the Anglican Church; both in England and in the American colonies. Topics include The Great Schism, the Renaissance and the Christian Faith, the Continental Reformation, the English Reformation, the Counter Reformation, the Enlightenment, the rise of Protestant Liberalism, the Oxford Movement, and Global Christianity in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

General Liturgics: A study of the organization and celebration of Christian worship and the Sacraments with special emphasis on the Anglican tradition. This course will also have a practicum component in which students prepare and rehearse aspects of Christian worship.

Historical Liturgics: The history and development of the worship of the Christian Church throughout the Ages with a special emphasis on the liturgical history and development of the Eucharist.

Deacon’s Liturgics: An in-depth course dealing with the liturgical functions of a deacon and a practicum of those roles in parish and pastoral settings.

Altar Liturgics (the Eucharist): An in-depth course in the mechanics and spiritual disciplines of celebrating the Holy Eucharist. The final will be a “rehearsal” Eucharist under the supervision of a candidate’s mentoring priest. A knowledge of both Prayer Book Rubrics and Missal Rubrics must be demonstrated.

The Prayer Book: A survey of the contents, development and usages in the Book of Common Prayer.

Spiritual Discernment: A challenging course of reading, discussion and essay responses to help the student discern whether he has a vocation to the diaconate or the priesthood.

Spiritual Formation I: A course in the study of processes and practices by which the student may progress in their spiritual/religious life with an emphasis on specific techniques of prayer, meditation, spiritual disciplines and practices, and an examination of the spiritual lives of the Saints. The goal is for students to develop within themselves Christ-like lives and to be further formed in Christ’s image and likeness.

Spiritual Formation II: A continuance of Spiritual Formation I with special emphasis on English Spirituality and the works of Anglican writers and theologians, including the works of Fr. Martin Thornton.

Homiletics: A study of the proficiency and art of writing homilies to preach in the Christian worship setting. Students will become engaged with the biblical text(s) and will be taught both the technicalities and ethos of preaching the Word of God. Students will be required to preach homilies of their own composition several times during the semester.

Pastoral Theology: A course in practical theology or the care of souls, as applied to parish and personal life. Topics will cover pastoral care, ethics, apologetics and extra-parochial ministry. Canon Law: The history and development of Canon Law from the primitive Church through the Seven Ecumenical Councils in the Eastern and Western Churches to the present; including Anglican and American modifications. Special emphasis will focus on the history and Canons of the Anglican Province of Christ the King.

Patristics I, II: A two-semester study of the Ecumenical Documents of the Faith, the Early Church Fathers and their influence on the development of Christian Doctrine. The course includes an in-depth study of the Creeds and both the Christological and Theological controversies of the first seven centuries of the Church.

Ecclesiology: An in-depth study of the Church from Pentecost to the present with special reference to the Church as the New Israel, as ecclesia, and as the Body of Christ; emphasis will be placed on the organic rather than the organizational nature of the Church, including the mission, ministry, Sacraments, and marks of the Church, and the place of Anglicanism within the Catholic continuum.

Ecclesiastical Polity: The government, organization, and Order of the Church with emphasis on the Biblical basis for and the historical development of the three-fold Apostolic ministry within Anglicanism, along with a comparative study of the government and ministry of major Christian denominations.

New Testament Greek I, II, III, IV: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to and make them proficient in the reading and understanding of the koine Greek in which the early biblical books were written. Mastery of the Greek alphabet and the reading of the Greek New Testament are two of the main objectives of the course.

Ecclesiastical Latin I, II, III. IV, V, VI: These courses are offered so the student may become proficient in reading and translating selections from the Latin Vulgate, the prayers of the Medieval Latin Liturgies and the later writings of the Western (Latin) Church as its many aspects developed and were translated from the Eastern or Greek-speaking Church.

Church Music I, II: These courses will be offered as an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the traditional music of the Anglican Church; using the 1940 hymnal and the classic choral repertoire; including plainsong and Anglican Chant. Church music informs and enriches the liturgy where time and eternity meet. The Chapel at St. Joseph’s lends itself to the practical aspects of this course.