Reading Assignments
McGrath:
- Arius on the Status of Christ
- Cyril of Alexandria on Mary as the Mother of God
- Leo the Great on the Two Natures of Christ
- The Chalcedonian Definition of Christian Faith (451) 4.20 - John of Damascus on the Incarnation and Icons
- Thomas F. Torrance on the Incarnation and Soteriology 4.41 - N.T. Wright on History and Christology
- Basil of Caesarea on the Work of the Holy Spirit 3.15 - Augustine on the Holy Spirit
- Cyril of Alexandria on the Role of the Holy Spirit 3.19 - John of Damascus on the Holy Spirit Blackboard - Jaroslav Pelikan on "The Filioque"
ASSIGNMENT DESCRPTION
McGrath Reports (20%). It will be important for students to read and engage the selections from the McGrath reader. For each section of discussion (Nature of Theology, Trinity, Revelation, etc.) you are required to give a 500+ word summary and response. You only have to report on 6 of the selections in any given section (if there are more than 6 listed for that day, e.g., Salvation). To be clear: for those weeks where two topics are covered, two reports are expected.
Consider these questions:
For each numbered reading:
a. Inwhichofthe6categoriesinthehistoryofthechurchdoeseach author fit? These categories are: Patristic, Medieval, Byzantine, Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox. (See the appendix in 5 McGrath or look online to find the time frame and religious tradition of each writer.) Note: Handwritten categories will be counted as wrong.
What are the central theses of the texts at hand? What is the main idea of the passage? Note key terms or issues.
What quote(s) from the reading capture(s) the main idea?