Department Chair: Dr. Charles Sommer, sommerc@stthom.edu
The major in theology seeks to instill competency in major topics in the study of Catholicism and in the methods of investigation and research appropriate to the discipline of theology.
Theology plays a particularly important role in the synthesis of knowledge as well as in the dialogue between faith and reason. The study of theology, as part of a liberal arts education, aids the University community in its “constant effort to determine the relative place and meaning of each of the various disciplines within the context of the human person and the world that is enlightened by the Gospel,” and thus in preserving “the sense of the transcendence of the human person over the world and of God over the human person.” (John Paul II, Ex corde Ecclesiae, 16, 19).
Students who successfully complete the major program will be able to: read and use scripture in accordance with theological methods; interpret documents in Church history according to their historical and theological contexts; and assess, from within the ecclesial tradition, arguments in systematic and moral theology. Fulfillment of these objectives will be determined by means of an exit examination.
The school also offers a five–year BA/MA Combined degree in Theology which enables high–achieving undergraduate students to earn both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a streamlined program combining undergraduate and graduate studies. The BA/MA requires 120 undergraduate credit hours and 30 graduate credit hours of study and allows students to take undergraduate and graduate courses concurrently during the senior year. The BA and MA degrees will be conferred only after the BA/MA student completes the 120 undergraduate credit hours and 30 graduate credit hours of study successfully. The undergraduate hours for the Theology coursework are reduced to 36 hours from 42 hours. The chair of the Theology major will advise the student on which courses to take.
Introduction to contemporary biblical studies, including: 1) the Catholic approach to scripture in light of Dei Verbum (e.g., inspiration, revelation, canon, hermeneutical principles and methods of critical analysis, relationships of Old and New Testaments); 2) a survey of the Old Testament in its historical setting, with emphasis on major themes (e.g., covenant, exile, Davidic dynasty, wisdom literature, and messianic prophecies); and 3) a survey of the New Testament in its historical setting (e.g., Christianity’s Jewish and Hellenistic roots, gospel formation, the gospels, Acts, letters, Revelation). NOTE: Students who transfer with 60 or more credit hours and who have successfully completed THEO 1300 or 3300 may enroll in THEO 3310, completing junior–level requirements and receiving upper–division credit. Fall, Spring.
Introduction to contemporary biblical studies, including: 1) the Catholic approach to scripture in light of Dei Verbum (e.g., inspiration, revelation, canon, hermeneutical principles and methods of critical analysis, relationships of Old and New Testaments); 2) a survey of the Old Testament in its historical setting, with emphasis on major themes (e.g., covenant, exile, Davidic dynasty, wisdom literature, and messianic prophecies); and 3) a survey of the New Testament in its historical setting (e.g., Christianity’s Jewish and Hellenistic roots, gospel formation, the gospels, Acts, letters, Revelation). NOTE: Students who transfer with 60 or more credit hours and who have successfully completed THEO 1300 or 3300 may enroll in THEO 3310, completing junior–level requirements and receiving upper–division credit. Fall, Spring.
Studies the Christian vision of man under the light of divine revelation; his creation in God's image and likeness, his ultimate end, and his spiritual and material faculties. Reading focus on the development of Christian anthropology in its historical context, both ancient and modern, as well as the anthropological foundations of moral action, ascetical praxis, and sacramental discipline. Primary source readings will typically be chosen from scripture, the fathers, and recent Magisterium, including documents of the Second Vatican Council, with an eye to comparison and contrast between Christian anthropology and modern and post-modern views of the human person. Key topics may include deification, personhood, freedom, the mind, passions, relationality, or sexuality.
An in-depth study of the major world religions, their historical development, intellectual traditions, and cultural influences. The religious tradition we focus on may vary in any given semester, but will typically be one or more of the following; Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Students should expect substantial comparative reading in the primary sources of the religious tradition being studied as well as from the Catholic theological tradition. The course will generally include a study of the theological and practical problems of inter-religious dialogue, the theology of revelation and the Church, the dialogue of faith and reason, and the nature of mysticism. The course aims to inculcate in students a deep familiarity with the textual sources of major religious traditions allowing for an informed response to contemporary socio-political and theological problems that arise in a religiously pluralist milieu and an authentic understanding of the spirit and goals of inter-religious dialogue.