Content

This unit introduces students to the doctrine of God (theology proper) as well as the doctrine of Christ (Christology). It begins with the foundational conviction that God is best and most fully known in the person of Jesus Christ, the Reconciler. It explores the Christian understanding of God as Trinity and considers pre-Christian concepts of God in Greek philosophy and Judaism, God as both hidden and revealed, the ‘early high Christology’ of the New Testament, the definitive debates of the early centuries, and more recent trends such as social Trinitarianism and process theology. The Church’s confession of Jesus Christ as fully human and fully divine is explored as well as the range of representations of Christ within different cultures and systems of meaning. How Christology was shaped under the influence of modernity will be considered as well as the intellectual difficulties associated with belief in God.

Unit code: CT2138B

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Proposing College: Eva Burrows College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Describe the interrelation between the doctrine of God and Christology

2.

Respond to the impact of modernity on belief in God and Christ

3.

Analyse theological literature on the doctrine of God and Christology

4.

Apply insights from the doctrine of God and Christology to Christian faith and practice

Unit sequence

18 points level 1 in Theology, or equivalent

Pedagogy

Asynchronous and synchronous online learning

Indicative Bibliography

Athanasius, On the Incarnation. Trans: John Behr. Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011.

Borg, Marcus and N.T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to Christology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2016.

Colon-Emeric, Edgardo and Mark Gorman, The Saving Mysteries of Jesus Christ: A Christology in the Wesleyan Tradition. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2016.

Douglas, Sally. Early Church Understandings of Jesus as the Female Divine. London: Bloomsbury, 2016.

Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Christology: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2016.

Küster, Volker. The Many Faces of Jesus Christ: Intercultural Christology. New York: Orbis, 2023.

Moltmann, Jurgen. The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

O’Collins, Gerald. Christology: A Biblical, Historical and Systematic Study of Jesus. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009

Williams, Rowan. Christ the Heart of Creation. London: Bloomsbury, 2018.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Forum 1000 20.0
Book Review 1500 30.0
Essay 2000 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 16 Aug, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-08-16 09:33:03 +1000