Theology in the Second Millennium: Engaging with Paradigm Shifts
Students will, by the end of the module, have the opportunity to:
Analyse and assess the formative philosophical, social and cultural influences that shaped the medieval and modern theological perspectives.
Explore in depth significant theological paradigm shifts.
Develop a sense of the different vocabularies and conceptual frameworks of theologies in conflict.
Read, discuss and compare primary and secondary material from the second millennium, analysing and evaluating its significance in the development of Christian Theology.
Identify key social and political implications of shifts in theology and the ethical issues they provoked e.g. Crusades, the Inquisition, religious intolerance.
Debate and reflect in seminar on the on-going influence of key figures and ideas e.g. Aquinas, Luther, Schleiermacher.
Research, write, and deliver concise oral, visual and written expository pieces.
The shift from Patristic to Monastic theology
The shift from Monastic to Medieval University theology
A shift in Medieval University theology e.g. from the use of Plato to Aristotle
The particular approaches of Aquinas or Scotus or Ockham
The shift to Reformation Theologies
The shift through the Renaissance to a new humanism
Enlightenment thinkers and movements e.g. Kant, Hegel, Marx
The shift to Liberal Protestantism e.g. Schleiermacher
The shift to Neo-Orthodoxy e.g. Karl Barth or Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Neo-Scholasticism in Catholic theology e.g. Karl Rahner
The shift to more politically aware theologies e.g. Moltmann, Soelle, Metz, Liberation, Feminist or ecological theologies.
