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STD 401 Theology of Revelation

Winter Semester 2020

Course Outline

Class Start Date & End Date Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Class Meeting Time, Location, and Room Tuesday, 8:30-10:20 and Thursday, 8:30-9:20 St. Francis Room

Course Description The modern problem of the compatibility between an authoritative divine revelation and human knowledge, freedom, and experience. The development of a “theology of revelation” from Vatican I to Vatican II. Revelation and the Enlightenment. Dei Verbum. Jesus Christ as the revelation of God and humanity. Pluralism and the unicity and universality of the Christ event. The Church’s teaching on revelation and faith. The Christian act of faith. The question of truth and of on-going revelation.

Course Objectives a) Intellectual Formation - The course aims to bring the student to a deeper faith understanding

of Jesus Christ as the full revelation of God; to show that the form of revelation can be grasped as true, good, and beautiful by those who are open to it; to expose the elements of the form, primarily those found in the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ and in the Church, his witness in time and space to his crucified form; to explore the dialectic of faith (subjective evidence) and knowledge (objective evidence); to look at revelation through the ages.

b) Cultural Context - The course will promote an evangelical discernment of the ‘signs of the times’ to engage with the reality of cultural diversity in the Church and world, by viewing revelation from both the perspective of Church tradition and that of modernity and post-modernity, the latter with its emphasis on pluralism.

c) Personal and Spiritual Formation - The course shall foster growth in terms of human and Christian maturity by emphasizing the role knowledge and faith play in one’s personal and spiritual growth, both contemplatively and actively, for revelation’s form is the dynamism

Instructors Name: Fr. Dave Norman O.F.M. Office: 2—06 Office Hours: Tuesday, 10:30-11:00, Thursday, 9:30-10:30 or by appointment Telephone: 780-392-2450 ext. 2215

780-476-2338 (Franciscan friary) Email: dave.norman@newman.edu Skype: NA

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behind the prayer life of the Christian and the Christian ethical life; to emphasize the need to portray the form of Christ as a dimension of public witness.

d) Capacity for Ministerial Leadership - The course aims to foster theological reflection on and education for the practice of ministerial leadership in the Church and world by bringing to the fore key representative theologians, as well as different types and methods of theology; the course will emphasize the importance of a personal synthesis and aid in the forming of one so that the student may develop an integrated approach to faith in Jesus Christ, the revelation of the triune God. The course will implement adult learning practices, such as assigned readings and discussion forum sessions.

Course Assignments and Evaluation All written work will be graded on content (50%) and style (50%). For an “A” the written work must be clear, well organized and contain few if any grammatical and/or spelling errors. The difference between an A and an A- is usually attributable to a stylistic deficiency. For a “B” the written work demonstrates a suitably clear presentation of the material and is adequately organized with a minimum number of grammatical and/or spelling errors. For a mark of “C+” or less the writing is not very clear nor are the ideas expressed or organized very well and there are numerous grammatical and/or spelling errors. As regards the synopsis on Rethinking Fundamental Theology, the aim of the assignment is to demonstrate a grasp of the thesis of the book through an exposition of the important points. You may want to summarize the chapters, or you may want to focus on those chapters you consider central to the thesis. Remember, you cannot summarize the content of the book, so you need to discern the most significant aspects. You are invited to give a critique of the book. As for the critique, the first thing I look for is a comment on some of the following: is the book readable; are the ideas expressed clearly; is the topic adequately addressed; does the book miss something that, in your opinion, should have been covered? The second thing I look for is evidence of your own appropriation of the book. How did the book influence your life or work? Did the book contribute to a deepening of your faith understanding?

Textbook Gerald O’Collins’ Rethinking Fundamental Theology: Toward a New Fundamental Theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Recommended Reading Hans Urs von Balthasar. The Glory of the Lord: Volume 1: Seeing the Form. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1982. Dei Filius Dei Verbum Dives in misericordia Dominus Iesus Fides et ratio

Course Requirements 1. For 20% of the final mark compare and/or contrast Dives in misericordia with Dominus Iesus. The

paper must be between 5-6 pages (12 point font, 300 words per page and double spaced). Due date: Tuesday, January 21st at the beginning of class. Late papers will not be accepted.

2. For 30% of the final mark—a synopsis of 8-9 pages (300 words per page on a 12 point font) of Gerald O’Collins’s Rethinking Fundamental Theology.

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Due date: Tuesday, February 25th at the beginning of class. Late papers will be accepted until March 3rd but will be docked 10%.

3. For 40% of the final mark—a 15 minute oral exam, which will be held on Tuesday, April 14th or a 12 page take-home exam, which will be due at noon on Tuesday, April 14th.

4. Participation in the discussion forum is worth 10% of the final mark. Note: Submissions to the discussion forum must be made before Monday at 23:59. Submissions must be at least 150 words (per submission and not per question) and a minimum of 4 submissions must be made to qualify for participation status in the discussion forum. Students must respond to at least one other response. No late submissions will be accepted for the discussion forum. For Monday, January 13th read my notes on “Dulles’ Models of Revelation.” Discussion forum question: What model would you opt for and why? If no model meets with your favor, what would you propose? For Monday, February 3rd read my notes on “Official Church Teaching on Revelation.” Discussion forum question: What are the ways in which Dei Verbum differs from De fontibus revelationis? For Monday, March 2nd read my notes on “The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part I.” Discussion forum question: Explain the relationship between “form” and our experience of it? For Monday, March 9th read my notes on “The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part II.” Discussion forum question: Given the relationship between knowledge and faith, how would you explain the elements of faith? For Monday, March 16th read my notes on “The Subjective Evidence for Revelation Part III.” Discussion forum question: What do you understand by being “attuned to Jesus” and believing with his “archetypal faith?” Any student who attends the March 20-21 Newman Conference this spring is eligible to submit a reflection paper of 2-3 pages on the content of the presentations. The paper will be worth 3% of the final grade applied to one course in the Winter Semester. Minimum participation consists of attending either the Friday or the Saturday presentations. For off campus students, some of the talks will be available through the NTC website shortly after the event. Students who wish to have their assignment applied to the course of their choice must submit the reflection paper to their professor no later than March 27 at 17:00. Reflections are graded pass or fail. Professors are to forward the names of students who applied for this bonus to the office of the Academic Dean.

Course Schedule I. Introduction A. The Problem of Revelation B. Religion and Revelation C. The Importance of Metaphor and Symbol II. Dulles’s Five Models of Revelation A. Revelation as Doctrine 1. Conservative Evangelicalism 2. Catholic Neo-Scholasticism B. Revelation as History C. Revelation as Inner Experience 1. The Form of Revelation 2. The Content of Revelation D. Revelation as Dialectical Presence E. Revelation as New Awareness

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1. The Anthropological Shift 2. Revelation as Cognitive III. Revelation as an Objective Principle of Theological Insight/Knowledge A. The Concept B. Revelation in Scripture

1. The Old Testament 2. The New Testament

C. Revelation As Understood Throughout (Church) History 1. Up to the Middle Ages 2. From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century

a. Deism 3. 18th Century Rationalism

a. Lessing and Reimarus b. Kant and Fichte

4. Rationalism/Idealism in the 19th Century a. Schleiermacher, Schelling, and Kierkegaard b. Hegel c. Traditionalism, Semirationalism, Fideism, and Modernism d. Contemporary Philosophy

IV. Official Church Teaching on Revelation

A. Comparison between the First and Final Drafts of Dei Verbum 1. The first draft of Vatican II’s Constitution on Divine Revelation—De Fontibus Revelationis (On

the Sources of Revelation) 2. Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution of Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) 3. Commentary on Dei Verbum

B. Vatican I’s Teaching on Revelation 1. The “Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith” (1870) 2. Joseph Ratzinger’s Commentary on Dei Verbum 3. Comparison with Vatican II

C. Conclusion V. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation—Part I A. Human Experience B. The Experience of Beauty and Its Form VI. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation—Part II A. The Light of Faith (Faith’s Form) 1. Pistis and Gnosis 2. Delineating the Form of Faith 3. Elements of the Form of Faith VII. The Subjective Evidence for Revelation—Part III A. The Experience of Faith 1. Experience and Mediation 2. Archetypal Experience a. The Archetype as Model

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b. General Reflections on Archetypal Experience c. Jesus’ Experience of God d. Israel’s Experience of God e. The Marian Experience of God f. The Apostles’ Eyewitness g. The Church and the Christian VIII. The Spiritual Senses XI. The Objective Evidence for Revelation

A. Jesus Christ—Form, Centre, and Norm of Revelation B. Mediation of Scripture

1. Canonicity 2. Inspiration C. On-Going Revelation

General Academic Information

Late Submission Policy.

Extensions will be granted for such reasons as sickness, death in the family, or other extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, late papers for the February 25th assignment will be docked 10%. Late papers will not be accepted for the first assignment or for the final take-home exam

Course Attendance

No credit will be given for a course if the student has been absent, for any reason whatever, from one-third or more of the lectures and/or seminars scheduled for the term. Likewise, no credit will be given if term assignments or other assignments are or remain incomplete.

Leave of Absence and Policy for Incompletes

Extensions to an incomplete grade may be granted in extenuating circumstances, but may not exceed 16 weeks following the end of the course. Students who fail to complete course work by the agreed deadline will have a grade assigned which is based on work completed.

Academic Integrity

Acts of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) are subject to an appropriate penalty. The grade “F” may be assigned to a student guilty of such acts by the professor of the course in which the infraction occurred. A second offense against academic integrity renders the student liable to automatic dismissal from NTC. Further details are available in the Student Handbook in the Academic Misconduct Policy.

Academic Grievances

Students may appeal grades received; the procedure is outlined in the Student Handbook in the Grade Appeal Policy. For other grievances, students will refer to the Student Grievances Policy also outlined in the Student Handbook.

NOTE: The GPA is computed on the basis of cumulative grade point (letter) values, not percentage values. All courses are included in this calculation except those exceeding degree requirements and/or received as transfer credits from other recognized institutions.

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Grading System

Undergraduate Studies C.Th., Dip.Th., B.Th.

Graduate Studies M.T.S., M.Div., M.Th., G.C.C.S.A., M.R.E.

Grade Meaning

Grade Grade Point

Grade Meaning

Grade Grade Point

Excellent A+ A A-

4.0 4.0 3.7

Excellent A+ A A-

4.0 4.0 3.7

Good B+ B B-

3.3 3.0 2.7

Good B+ B B-

3.3 3.0 2.7

Adequate C+ C C-

2.3 2.0 1.7

Adequate C+ C C-

2.3 2.0 1.7

Marginal D+ D

1.3 1.0

Fail F 0.0 Fail D+ D F

1.3 1.0 0.0

Written Assignments - Style and Format

Newman Theological College requires that all written work be submitted in acceptable academic format and style. Please note the following regulations:

Regulations Research papers, book reports, article summaries, reflection papers, and essays should be double-spaced, printed on one side only, and submitted on white, 8.5” x 11” paper. A standard type style, such as Times New Roman, with a 12-point font size, must be used. The instructor will specify the most recent edition of the style manual to be used:

Kate Turabian, “A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations” (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

Joseph Gibaldi & William Achters, eds., “MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers” (New York: Modern Language Association of America).

American Psychological Association “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” (Washington: APA Publications).

Copies of these standard references may be purchased in the NTC bookstore.

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Ignorance of standard form is not considered an acceptable excuse for deviation from required standards of format and style.

Academic Regulations

The following Academic Regulations are located in the Academic Calendar for your reference: Changes in Registration: Add/Drop/Withdraw Notice Course Work Final Examination Schedule Incomplete Grade Policy Inclusive Language

Related Academic Matters

The following Related Academic Matters are located in the Academic Calendar for your reference: Grade Reports & Posting Glossary of Academic Terms

Other Related Policies

The following policies are located in the Student Handbook for your reference: Academic Misconduct Policy Grade Appeal Policy

Recording of Lectures

Audio or video recording of lectures, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior consent of the instructor. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).

Student Accessibility Services:

If you have special needs that could affect your performance in this class, please let me know during the first week of the term so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you are not already registered with Student Services, contact Doreen Bloos at 780-392-2450 ext. 2212; Email doreen.bloos@newman.edu .