This unit explores the philosophical underpinnings of some key theological turns in Christian history. Variants of Platonism provide the background against which the Hellenistic elements in the New Testament can be interpreted; subsequent Platonist developments inform Augustine s thought, and thereby, much later, Luther’s. Similarly, Aristotle sets the scene for Thomas Aquinas; Kant for Schleiermacher and the nineteenth century liberal theologians; Hegel, in a different way, for Kierkegaard and Barth; Heidegger for Bultmann and Rahner. The unit gives the student an engagement with the philosophers concerned, both in their own right and as they provide a background for scriptural and theological contemporaries and successors.
Unit code: AP1000P
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 18.0
Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1
Unit discipline: Philosophy
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this unit is running1. | Explain the difference between philosophical and theological approaches to exploring truth |
2. | Discuss the ways in which the particular philosophers studied have extensions of their philosophical claims that are essentially theological |
3. | Identify and describe the issues involved in assessing the theological merits and demerits of the various philosophical positions studied |
4. | Describe the relationship between the philosophers studied and the theological responses and reactions they generated in others |
5. | Outline the ways in which secular-philosophical and religious-theological currents have flowed together in Christian history. |
Lecturing, with discussion and a weekly tutorial
Allen, Diogenes and Eric O. Springsted. *Philosophy for Understanding Theology. 2nd ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster-John Knox Press. 2007. (recommended for purchase)
Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Written Examination | 2 hour examination |
0 | 50.0 |
Essay | 2000 word essay |
2000 | 50.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 1 Aug, 2019
Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:49 +1000