TRS5312 - Christology 1-451 AD: Jersusalem to Chalcedon

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

(1) Demonstrate a knowledge of different New Testament christologies and how these have developed from New Testament times to the late twentieth century
(2) Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Christological doctrines within the New Testament period
(3) Demonstrate an awareness of the contribution made to the development of Christology through the Apostolic Fathers and Patristic writers of the first five centuries of the Christian Church
(4) Demonstrate an understanding of Christological heresies, from Arius to Nestorius
(5) Critically evaluate the creeds and definitions of the first four Ecumenical Councils and show understanding of their historical context

Content:

The following topics relevant to an understanding of Christology will be covered:
• the significance of Christology within the Christian tradition
• post-enlightenment attitudes to the Bible and the person of Jesus
• the quests for the historical Jesus in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
• the doctrine of the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus in the synoptic tradition
• the distinctive christologies of Paul and John
• the Christology of the Apostolic fathers
• the debates concerning Arius, Athanasius and Apollinarius;
• the Cappadocian Fathers
• Theodore of Mopsuetsia
• Nestorius and Cyril of Alexandria
• Eutyches and Leo the Great
• the doctrinal formulations of the Ecumenical Councils from Nicaea to Chalcedon

Learning and Teaching Information:

The course will be taught in plenary sessions which will make use of a blend of teaching and learning methods. These will normally include: lecture-style presentations by the tutor; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; formal assessment by presentation to the rest of the group; other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity will be given; and learning will be supported where appropriate by VLE and other electronic resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing will be embedded in the learning and teaching process throughout the module; and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans and feedback on the Semester 1 essay. During Semester 2 students will further develop their research skills by preparing a research proposal / essay plan.

Lecures/Seminars
Contact hours 40
Number of groups 1

Assessment: