TRS5312 - Christology

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the Christological debates in the first five centuries;
Show critical appreciation of the role of the historical, cultural and religious context to these debates and to the evolution of the Christian Creeds;
Demonstrate the importance of Christology within Christian theology and trace the development of different approaches to the Medieval and Reformation periods;
Critically evaluate the creedal and conciliar statements from the New Testament up to and including Chalcedon;
Show awareness of how Christology may be disclosed, such as in the Scriptures, in theological writings, in liturgy and through artistic representation in different cultures.

Content:

This module introduces the doctrines about Jesus Christ developed by the church in the first five centuries, and discussion of their visual representation. It introduces students to the major ecumenical debates of the first five centuries and sets them within their religious and socio-political context. It also considers how the Chalcedonian Definition was understood in the first millennium.

Subject content will include:
• The significance of Christology within the Christian tradition
• Review of Christology in the New Testament (e.g. titles of Jesus, Cosmic Christology)
• The development of Christology in the theological debates of the Ecumenical Councils, the major schools (especially Antioch and Alexandria) and protagonists (e.g. Arius, Athanasius and Apollinarius, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Nestorius, Cyril of Alexandria, Eutyches, Leo the Great)
• The varied reception of Chalcedon in the first millennium (e.g. Syriac Christology, Chinese Christology, Islamic Christology)
• Representations of traditional Christology (such as iconography, film, and other art forms).

Learning and Teaching Information:

Learning and teaching takes place in plenary sessions and using blended learning. It may also include group activities and also opportunities for individual help through face-to-face meeting or online means. Scheduled learning activities are varied and include include: lecture-style presentations by the module tutor or occasional guest speaker; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; debates; and other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Students receive guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity and learning is supported by the VLE (Moodle) and sometimes by readers and other resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing is integral to the learning and teaching process in each module and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans if requested.

Lecture
Contact hours: 20 hours

Intended Group size: 20

Seminar, group work, tutorial, etc.
Contact hours: 20 hours
Intended group size: 3-20

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Further details relating to assessment
Portfolio consists of several exercises contributing to analysis of a text

Assessment: