MARIOLOGY I

Catalog description

This course will encompass a theological synthesis concerning the person and role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, as contained in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and as authoritatively articulated by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Meriting particular accentuation will be the four existing Marian dogmas; the fifth Marian Doctrine of Our Lady’s Spiritual Motherhood; examples of Contemporary Mariology; the principle expressions of authentic Marian devotion (i.e., Rosary, Scapular, Consecration); the Church’s official perspective on Marian Private Revelation, and a historic synthesis of Church approved Marian apparitions. (Variable credit) THEO 531 MARIOLOGY II Mariology II, grounded upon the historical, dogmatic, doctrinal, and devotional content presented in Mariology I, expands the theological exploration of Marian truth and love in the life of the Church, with particular emphases in the following areas (Variable credit): I. The Mariology of the Second Vatican Council: Developments and Controversies; II. Biblical Mariology: Extended commentaries on Principal Marian Passages; III. Great Figures in Patristic Mariology; IV. Great Figures in Medieval Mariology; V. Great Figures in Modern/Contemporary Mariology; VI. Contemporary Marian Apparitions: Ecclesial Norms of Evaluation and Updates from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and local diocesan authorities, e.g., Fatima, Medjugorje, Our Lady of America, etc. THEO 533 AUGUSTINE This seminar is a systematic engagement with the theology of St. Augustine. We will give special emphasis to Augustine’s early theology, studying his intellectual appropriation of the Christian faith within the context of his philosophic formation. We will study Augustine’s early dialogues and treatises to better understand his doctrine of God and the soul as well as his newfound confidence in the authority of Christ, the Christian Scriptures, and the Catholic faith. We will delve into the fina l and less studied books of the Confessions as well as his great treatise on Christian hermeneutics, De Doctrina Christiana. Finally, we will conclude our seminar by engaging a selection of Augustine’s expositions on the Psalms, focusing on the ecclesiology that animates his largest work, the Enarrationes in psalmos.