Content

Christians profess belief in a ‘communion of the saints’; believers are united in Christ to the holy ones of all ages and places. This unit investigates how believers have understood the idea of ‘holiness’ through time. How has holiness found expression, how has it been taught and depicted and how is it expressed in contemporary society. Encountering the saints, these models of holiness, is a key focus of the course.

Unit code: DS3216Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Spirituality

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Trace the evolving understandings of ‘holiness’ through Christian history.

2.

Assess the ways in which modern Christianity gives expression to holiness

3.

Read and make critical use of hagiographical texts and other sources

4.

Reflect theologically on the doctrine of the communion of the saints

Unit sequence

Prerequisite of 18 Points of Church History

Pedagogy

An interactive mode lecture, exploratory workshop, series of pre-prepared materials and online resources will be employed

Indicative Bibliography

  • Bartlett, Robert. Why Can the Dead do Such Great Things? Saints and Worshippers from the Martyrs to the Reformation. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.
  • Bingemer, Maria Clara. Saints and Sanctity Today. London: SCM Press, 2013
  • Clarke, Peter, and Tony Claydon (eds). Saints and Sanctity. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2010
  • Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exultate, Apostolic Exhortation, 2018
  • Head, Thomas. Medieval Hagiography: An Anthology. London: Routledge, 2001
  • Le Goff, Jacques. In Search of Sacred Times. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014
  • Sevcenho, Nancy Patteron. A Celebration of Saints in Byzantine Art and Liturgy. Farnham, UK: Ashgate, 2012
  • Wilson, Stephen. Saints and their Cults. Cambridge: CUP, 1985

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Essay (2500 words)

2500 50.0
Essay

Essay (500 words)

500 10.0
Essay

Essay (500 words)

500 10.0
Essay

Essay (500 words)

500 10.0
Essay

Essay (500 words)

500 10.0
Essay

Essay (500 words)

500 10.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 27 Jun, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-06-27 15:13:56 +1000