Master of Theological Studies

An exploration of the origins of Theology as a discipline, of significant moments in its historical development, of its presuppositions, methods, and the basic questions it seeks to answer.

Introduction to the world religions with an emphasis on Christian faith in interaction with other living faiths.

Survey of the historical evolution of Christianity from its beginnings to the end of the fifth century, with attention to early Christological debates. An examination of church history in the Middle Ages with attention to key figures, movements, and developments in church theology and practice.

An introduction to the writings of the Old Testament through the study of the Pentateuch and Historical Books, with particular attention to their historical and cultural context, the role of the Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist and Priestly traditions, and Deuteronomist History.

An introduction to the study of the New Testament through a critical study of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. Attention to the cultural and religious context of the New Testament and history of the formation of the Gospels; contemporary methods of biblical interpretation.

A Christian theology of revelation: Creation as a locus for revelation; reflection on how God has spoken in the history of Israel; fulfillment of revelation in Jesus Christ; impact of divine self-disclosure in shaping early Christian communities; faith as a human response to divine self-disclosure; implications for understanding the inspiration of Sacred Scripture and the meaning of Tradition; Christian revelation and other world religions.

The self-disclosure of the mystery of God throughout history. Theological reflection on the mystery of God the Trinity; the caring God; the question of the suffering and compassionate God; the human experience of God; speaking of God in the context of contemporary culture.

Understanding Jesus of Nazareth, his identity, message and mission. Jesus the Messiah, Saviour, Lord, High Priest, son of Mary and Son of God. Theological interpretations of his death, resurrection and exaltation.

The church as a sign of communion and salvation in service of the human community. Catholic ecclesial self-understanding, the unity of the Christian churches, structuring of ministries, the laity, and diversity of life within a world church. Contemporary crises in the church.

An introduction to the field of ethics within theology. Historical development of ethical approaches within theology. Constitutive elements of moral existence. Moral existence and Christian faith.

Exploring the nature of Christian spirituality, its definition, foundation, diverse expressions; major periods and movements of Christian spirituality; the importance of spirituality for theological reflection and personal integration.

Exploring the dimensions of human experience in terms of the common prayer of the Christian community through a consideration of sacred time, space, symbols, language and music; Jewish origins of Christian worship; the history of the Western liturgy. The structure and dynamics of the eucharistic liturgy, the liturgy of the hours, the liturgical year, and inculturation.

An introduction to feminist perspectives and methods of interpretation and their application to the study of the Christian tradition. The contributions of major feminist theologians; issues in contemporary debate.
Prerequisite: THO 3166.

Exploring the systematic understanding of the incarnation of God in Jesus the Christ, including the unity and diversity of Christologies in the New Testament; the development of the Christological dogmas; history of theological reflection on Jesus; modern Christologies; Christ and contemporary culture.

A historical exploration of the emergence of Christianity as a worldwide faith with an emphasis on the modern period. The changing face of Christianity, with attention to the changing demographics diverse “families” of churches and the developments in differing geographic regions.

Christian faith in a world of religious pluralism; church and state; freedom of religion; differing approaches to the secularity and secularism. Dialogue between faith and science, faith and atheism.

Exploring theological approaches to the fact of religious pluralism. Historical perspectives on the question of salvation outside the church; Catholic teaching and commitment to dialogue with other faiths; exclusivist, inclusivist and pluralist approaches.

The summative exercise may take the form of a research paper, approximately 40 pages in length, or a creative or community-based project accompanied by a written introduction and annotated bibliography. The summative exercise will be evaluated by both the supervisor, who must be from the student’s research field, and another professor from the Faculty of Theology.

Dialogue as co-constitution of humans thanks to religious faith. Prerequisites and challenges involved in interreligious dialogue: in-depth dimension of faith; necessity of self-criticism; hermeneutic of religious convictions. Orthodoxy and orthopraxis. Harmony, conflict and end of religions.