UMS : Unit: AP1000P

Content

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. Roundedness is considered important: reformist perspectives on reason are appreciated, in their ultimately complementary contribution to Catholic understandings of natural theology. With exploration of a contemporary philosophy with theological implications, the unit broaches René Girard's anthropological theology, and its addressing inter alia of philosophico-theological perspectives on current questions, including issues of gender.

Unit code: AP1000P

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1

Unit discipline: Philosophy

Delivery Mode: Online - Synchronous

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.	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, describe and analyse the issues involved in assessing the theological merits and demerits of the various philosophical positions studied
4.	Describe and analyse 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.

Unit sequence

Foundational unit

Pedagogy

Lecturing, with discussion and a weekly tutorial

Indicative Bibliography

Allen, Diogenes and Eric O. Springsted. Philosophy for Understanding Theology. 2nd ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster-John Knox Press. 2007. (recommended for purchase)
Allen, Diogenes and Eric O. Springsted, eds. Primary Readings in Philosophy for Understanding Theology. Louisville, KY: Westminister-John Knox Press, 1992.
Beilby, James K., ed. For Faith and Clarity: Philosophical Contributions to Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006.
Bonsor, Jack A. Athens and Jerusalem: The Role of Philosophy in Theology. Marwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993.
Brown, Colin. Philosophy and the Christian Faith: a Historical Sketch from the Middle Ages to the Present Day. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1980.
Copleston, F. A History of Philosophy. Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1962-1977.
Craig, William Lane, and J.P. Moreland, eds. The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology. Chichester, UK; Malden, MA: Wiley- Blackwell, 2009.
Gill, Jerry H. Faith and Philosophy: A Historical Orientation. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2021.
Gilson, Etienne. God and Philosophy. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 1941.
Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. 4th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, 2001; or 3rd. ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co, 1999.
Palaver, Wolfgang. René Girard's Mimetic Theory. Trans. Gabriel Borrud. Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2013.
Vesey, Godfrey, ed. The Philosophy in Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989.

Assessment

Type	Description	Word count	Weight (%)
Essay	2000 word essay	2000	50.0
Written Examination	2 hour written examination	2000	50.0

Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 16 Aug, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-08-16 12:58:07 +1000