EASTERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY LICENTIATE IN SACRED THEOLOGY CONCENTRATION: Director of the STL-ECT Program: Rev. DDr. Yosyp Veresh

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1 INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE CATHOLIC SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY LICENTIATE IN SACRED THEOLOGY CONCENTRATION: EASTERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Director of the STL-ECT Program: Rev. DDr. Yosyp Veresh SCHLOSSGASSE TRUMAU AUSTRIA

2 LICENTIATE IN SACRED THEOLOGY (STL) CONCENTRATION: EASTERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY (ECT) Table of Contents PROGRAM DESCRIPTION CURRICULUM OVERVIEW....4 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS....5 Common Course in Eastern Christian Theology Mandatory Courses... 6 Elective Courses 9 Languages

3 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The STL-ECT (Eastern Christian Theology) is an academic program in theology affording students the opportunity to deepen their understanding and to develop their academic research in the areas that articulate the particular heritage of the Eastern Churches. These Churches enjoy their own liturgical usage, have their own discipline, and inherit a theological and spiritual patrimony, all of which are distinguished through particular historical and cultural circumstances (Lumen Gentium, 23; Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 3; CCEO, canon 28). The integrated study of these components forms the foundation for the curriculum of Eastern Christian Theology. The STL-ECT program is composed from Common Courses, Mandatory Courses, Elective Courses and Tutorials. The Common Courses are mandatory courses chosen from each of the fields of concentration in theology at the ITI and are aimed to study theological matter within the organic unity of theology as a whole. Mandatory Courses are obligatory courses for the area of concentration in Eastern Christian Theology and are focused on the study of the areas of theology that articulate the particular heritage of the Eastern Churches. Elective Courses and Tutorials are focused on particular topics or authors in the field of the Christian East. The Courses, combined with the STL-ECT Common Course, form the core curriculum of this multidisciplinary program, through the study of the five components of the heritage of the Eastern Churches: liturgy, theology, spirituality, discipline and history. The study of these components is considered as indispensable for the full and authentic presentation of the significance of the heritage of the Eastern Churches, always seen as the integral unity and not as a casual composition of separate and self standing disciplines. These particular fields, as stated by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, penetrate and condition one another in turn inside a global vision of divine revelation which encompasses all life and which culminates in the praise of the Most Holy Trinity (Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the CCEO, art. 9). The STL-ECT program is a graduate program (Second Cycle) in theology designed to enable students to participate in theological debate as scholars in their own right. On successful completion of the STL-ECT program, through a number of courses carefully designed and structured, a thesis and lectio coram, an academic degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology is conferred, which enables one to teach in a pontifical graduate institution, such as a major seminary or equivalent school (Sapientia Christiana, art. 50, 1). 3

4 CURRICULUM OVERVIEW Semester 1 Winter Semester Semester 2 Summer Semester Semester 3 Winter Semester Semester 4 Summer Semester Common Course (Scripture) Common Course (Systematic) Common Course (ECT) Byzantine Worship Common Course (Marriage and Family) Mandatory Course Mandatory Course Mandatory Course Mandatory Course The Orthodox Faith in St. John Damascene History of Byzantium Deification in the Eastern Christian Tradition The Sacred Canons of the Patristic Age Elective Course Elective Course Elective Course Elective Course Research, Writing and Project Management Thesis Upper Seminar Thesis Upper Seminar Education, Pedagogy and Communication Requirements for STL program 56 credits of course work (at least 28 credits in area of theological concentration), divided over four semesters: 1. four common core courses 2. six specialized courses and tutorials 3. two electives (the STL-ECT offers each semester several electives in this area of concentration) 4. four thesis and pedagogy courses 30 credits for Thesis of pages, with public defense one-hour lectio coram (lecture to assembled faculty) followed by discussion knowledge of one modern language in addition to one's native language, Latin and Greek, to be determined by examination. Students who have not taken these languages or do not pass the exams will take two semesters of each. (Language study is not included in the 56 credits.) For further information contact Rev. DDr. Yosyp Veresh, Director of the Centre of Eastern Christian Studies (ITI), y.veresh@iti.ac.at 4

5 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Common Course in Eastern Christian Theology STL-ECT 602: Byzantine Worship The course is aimed at studying the richness and the theological significance of the liturgical heritage of the Byzantine tradition. After studying the stages of Byzantine liturgical evolution and the spread of the Byzantine Rite, the course gives a general overview to the theology of Divine Worship and a general consideration of the Sacraments. The course culminates in a study of the development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine rite and in a consideration of the Patristic and contemporary commentaries on the Divine Liturgy. This course is also directed toward a rediscovery of the authenticity of the liturgical tradition of one s own particular Church (sui iuris). Primary sources Decree of the Second Vatican Council on the Catholic Eastern Churches, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, (1964); The Congregation for the Eastern Churches, The Vatican, Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1996); St. Maximus the Confessor, The Church s Mystagogy; St. Germanus of Constantinople, On the Divine Liturgy; Cabasilas, Nicolas, A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy. Secondary sources Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy; Irenee- Henri Dalmais, Eastern Liturgies; Robert Taft, The Byzantine Rite; Georges Florovsky, The Worshipping Church in: Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kalistos Ware, The Festal Menaion; The Orthodox Services and their Structure in: Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kalistos Ware, The Festal Menaion; Alexander Schmemann, Liturgy and Tradition, For the Life of the World; Hugh Wybrew, The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. Upon successful completion of this course, students are able to (1) explain the special preeminence of the liturgy in the Eastern Churches as a source of identity; the teachings of the recent documents of the Catholic Church on the reaches of the Eastern liturgical heritage and its role in the Universal Church and in the ecumenical dialogue; the stages of Byzantine liturgical evolution in the liturgical families of the Christian East; the significance of the liturgical cycles in Byzantine Worship; the meaning of the Sacraments of Initiation; (2) analyze the concept of liturgical symbols and symbolism and their interpretation; the meaning of mystagogy ; the texts and symbolism of the Divine Liturgy; (3) critically assess different commentaries on Divine Liturgy. 5

6 Mandatory Courses STL-EASTERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 1. STL-ECT 610: The Orthodox Faith in St. John Damascene The Fount of Knowledge by St John of Damascus constitutes a compendium of Patristic learning on major theological issues. It falls into three parts, philosophical, heresiological and systematic. It embodies the traditions of the Greek Fathers, greatly influenced the Angelic Doctor (and his contemporaries) and has functioned as a standard introduction to theology among the dissident Byzantine Churches from the seventeenth century onwards. St John of Damascus, Writings (CUA 1958) Frederick H. Chase Jr. trans.; St John of Damascus, On the Divine Images (Vladimir Seminary Press 1980); Andrew Louth, St. John Damascene: tradition and originality in Byzantine theology (OUP 2002). The aim of the course is to achieve a thorough knowledge of The Fount of Knowledge by St John Damascene. The approach is to read the text from cover to cover discussing the issues raised by the Damascene and his conclusions as they strike the students and professor. The format of the seminar is guided discussion with occasional excursuses by professor. The class is assessed by a paper and an oral examination. 2. STL-ECT 608: History of Byzantium The History and Culture of Byzantium forms one of the sources of the particular patrimony of multiple Eastern Churches sui juris. The preponderant number of Eastern Catholics belong to this tradition. Adopting a topical and chronological approach this course draws from original texts and modern and classic historiography. Each week is be devoted to one century of the Empire s history. Generally one text in each week is original to the period and one drawn from later historiography. Students should achieve a good structural and basic knowledge of Byzantine History, the world view, culture and achievements of the first selfconscious universal Christian State. Eusabius of Caesaria, Edward Gibbon, Tribonian, Procopius, Slavic Lives of Constantine and Methodius, Photios, Luitiprand of Cremona, Michael Psellus, Anna Comnena, Council of Florence, G. Mousourakis, B. Ward-Perkins, J.M. Wallace-Hadrill, D.M. Nicol, M. Jugie. 6

7 The aim of the course is to provide an overview of the History of the Christian Roman Empire from 312 to 800 and then in its Eastern recension from 800 to 1453 with particular reference to its cultural, theological, legal and institutional development. The format of the seminar is guided discussion with occasional excursuses by professor. The class is assessed by a paper and an oral examination. 3. STL-ECT 601: Deification in the Eastern Christian Tradition Blessed John Paul II in his Orientale Lumen articulates that the theology of deification remains one of the achievements particularly dear to Eastern Christian thought. (John Paul II, Orientale Lumen, no. 6) This course studies the writings of the Eastern Fathers and contemporary scholars on the theme of man s deification. After considering some of the fundamental aspects of man s deification in the doctrine of salvation and in the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments), the course addresses a more detailed study of ascetical and mystical life as it is presented in the Eastern Patristic tradition. The course concludes by considering the tradition of the Jesus Prayer and Watchfulness as presented in the Philokalia. Primary sources selected texts from St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies; St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation; St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 45; St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit; St. Dionysius the Areopagite, The Mystical Theology, The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy (Chapters 1-4); St. Gregory of Nyssa, (selected texts from mystical writings); St. Maximus the Confessor, Commentary on the Our Father, On Love, On Theology, Various Texts; Evagrios the Solitary, On Prayer; Hesychios the Priest, On Watchfulness and Holiness. Secondary sources Tomas Spidlik, The Spirituality of the Christian East: A Systematic Handbook, Chapter Two, Life in God, Chapter Twelve, Prayer; Panayiotis Nellas, Deification in Christ, Part One, The Image of God and the Garments of Skin ; Lars Thunberg, Man and the Cosmos, The Vision of St. Maximus the Confessor, Chapter Five, The Natural-Social Dimension. Upon successful completion of this course, students are able to (1) define and explain the concept of spiritual life in the Christian East; the anthropology of man according to the teachings of the Eastern Fathers; the Christological Aspects of Deification; the understanding of the Ecclesial Hierarchy in the deification of man; the concept of grace in the Patristic teachings; (2) analyze the stages of Christian spiritual life; the deifying influence and efficacy of the Holy Mysteries (the Sacraments); the role of the virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Christian perfection; (3) critically assess the understanding of deification through the Jesus 7

8 Prayer and Watchfulness; (4) present a summary of the teaching on Christian deification of each of the Patristic Fathers which were considered in the course. 4. STL-ECT 612: The Sacred Canons of the Patristic Age: Their Reflection of the Eastern Ecclesiological Tradition and Impact on CCEO Church canons constitute a practical tool for the organization of the Church life. They too always express and implement into practice the dogmatic and theological teaching of the Church as well as ecclesiology. In order to understand the Eastern ecclesiology this course will treat the so-called Sacred Canons which legislate on some Church institutes or canonical structures of the Church. These disciplinary canons compose the ancient law of the Eastern Churches and form the Eastern legislative collections from the time of the Council in Trullo ( ) on where they were officially recognized as the common patrimony of the Eastern Christianity. They also compose the core of the CCEO which according to the Pope John Paul II must be considered to be assessed most of all according to the ancient law of the Eastern Churches (Apostolic Constitution Sacri Canones). These canons have exclusive importance also by being issued at the time of the undivided Church. In order to learn how the Eastern Ecclesiological Tradition is reflected in the Sacred Canons and in CCEO such subjects will be treated: 1) how one becomes the member of the Church (acceptance of the converts and heretics); 2) how the Church lives (Eucharist and priesthood, especially the episcopacy); 3) how is governed the Church (Synodal System of governance; Metropolitan and Patriarchal structures; the Supreme Authority of the Church); 4) How acts the Church (missionary activity and ecumenism). Primary sources some canons related with the ecclesiology taken from the collection called Sacred Canons, which was edited by the Trullan Council ( ); commentaries of the Byzantine Commentators of the XII ct. on these canons; canons of CCEO treating the same matter. Secondary sources studies and articles treating the matters studied in the course. Supplemental optional texts: legislation of the Latin Church which touches on the matters studied in the course. Upon successful completion of this course, student is expected to 1) distinguish the value and the importance of the Sacred Canons for the life of the Eastern Churches; 2) understand the ecclesiological roots of the studied canons; 3) explain how the canons on some structures of the Eastern Churches reveal the Eastern ecclesiology; 4) distinguish the level of the interrelation between the Sacred Canons and canons of CCEO which treat the same 8

9 ecclesiastical institutes; 5) understand and be able to explain the impact of the Sacred Canons on the canons of the CCEO. Elective Courses (since 2010) 1. Anthropology and Spiritual Direction in the Christian East 2. The Ladder of Divine Ascent in St. John Climacus 3. St. Athanasius Contra Mundum 4. St. Thomas Aquinas and the Great Eastern Schism 5. Byzantine Theology: St. Maximus the Confessor 6. Byzantine Theology: St. Gregory Dialogos 7. Byzantine Theology: Gregory Palamas 8. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils 9. Comparative analysis of Sacraments in CIC and CCEO 10. CCEC, Churches sui iuris 11. Christian Marriage and Monasticism in the East 12. Conjugal Life and Eucharistic Purity: The understanding of the concept of married clergy in the Christian East 13. History of the Eastern Slavic Churches 14. Koinonia and the Mission of the Eastern Churches 15. Mariology in Patristic Thought 16. Metanoia: Virtue and Sacrament 17. The Sacraments of Healing in the Byzantine Rite 18. Byzantine Ruthenian Liturgical Chant Languages 1. Greek 2. Latin 3. Hebrew (Modern/Biblical) 4. Aramaic (Biblical/Rabbinical) 5. Syriac 6. Church Slavonic Prepared by: Rev. DDr. Yosyp Veresh Trumau,