What if you have to put together a syllabus for a course called "Eastern Christianity: Spirituality and Theology"? It would have between 10 and 14 sections. What would you include? Work from the assumption that the students have already taken early church history and thus know the basics of the first 5 centuries and the Christological and Trinitarian debates. This is a seminary-level course being taught to people training for the ministry.
Also, what books would you use?
I look forward to hearing your ideas! Please feel free to paste the above question on your blog for your readers as well.
Salam,
Abu Daoud
7 comments:
What book would I use?
I'd use the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and then with a red pen and a smug attitude I would scratch out all those clear and well-defined doctrines and replace them with the word mystery.
When do you need this by?
Fr Greg, it's nothing urgent, so take your time.
Fourteen phrases are enough... Why on earth do You need fourteen chapters!?
Lucian, well, it's for a seminary, and 14 phrases won't cut it! The 14 chapters/units represent 14 (or so) 90-minute lectures with the accompanying reading.
I teach an undergraduate introductory course on Eastern Christianity and its encounter with Islam. For the part on Eastern Christianity, I use David Bell's new book *Orthodoxy: Evolving Tradition* (Cistercian, 2008). Previously I used Kallistos Ware's classic, *The Orthodox Church*. My course, alas, operates in very confined circumstances, so in the month that I have, I only have time to concentrate on basic doctrine (as formulated by the 7 Ecumenical Councils), liturgy (I make the students visit an Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church for a Divine Liturgy), and icons.
Hi Adam, this could be very helpful to me, though I would want to take it out beyond the 7 Councils. Would you mind sending me syllabus and any lecture notes you have? I know Ware's book, but not Bell's. Thank you!
Abu Daoud
winterlightning (a+) safe-mail (d0t) net
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