St. Mary's Seminary

Though the Patristic Era saw the beginnings of the Church's theological reflection on the sacraments, it was the Medieval Era that saw these reflections reach a clarity that culminated in the sacramental articulations at the Council of Trent. This elective course is for the student who desires to explore in greater detail the works of authors such as Radbertus, Ratramnus, Hugh of St. Victor, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Duns Scotus. Topics to be explored include: the numeration of the sacraments, their relationship to grace, categories of minister and recipient, and how contemporary philosophy influenced these discussions. Finally, the course will look briefly to the East to examine how sacramental theology was being done concurrently as that of the West.