Taught by Prof. Daniel Rhodes

Apocalypse and empire: these two are tied together like rival twins. Where Empire seeks to order and dominate the world, Apocalyptic resists that imperial domination. Rather than a flight from reality or detachment from the real world, apocalyptic pokes holes in the empire’s claim to eternality, posing a theo-political vision that puts in question the imperial order and its rule.
Students will investigate apocalyptic literature and its theological outlook as a means of resistance to empire in a diptych manner—looking on one side to the Jewish and Christian apocalyptic discourses that emerged amid the hegemony of the Roman Empire and on the other side at apocalyptic theologies amid a new empire of global capitalism.
When visiting Rome, the Eternal City and the heart of the Roman Empire, we will encounter the vestiges of the old empire and visit sites of early Christianity. We will study ecclesial landmarks built during the Christian era after the Western Roman Empire’s fall to contemplate how the decline of apocalyptic views coincided with the Church’s establishment and emergence of this new, ecclesial order. Students will also study and reflect on theologies of resistance and transformation amid the contemporary, new empire of global capitalism, investigating how apocalyptic might function not as a discourse of doom and gloom but as a proclamation and praxis of hope. Instead of the end of the world, the apocalyptic may herald the renewal of the world by an end to the dominion of empire.

Course Objectives:
Students in this course will:

1. Gain a basic understanding of and the tools for interpreting apocalyptic literature in Scripture within its context and the development of the genre;
2. Develop a critical, theological analysis of empire from an apocalyptic outlook, drawing connections between these texts of Scripture and current events and structures;
3. Experience and critically reflect upon the material ruins and the current structures of the ancient city, integrating both personal and spiritual consideration with theoretical analysis.

Taught by Prof. Michael Canaris

This course introduces some of the traditions, ideas, and people that have shaped the historical development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the present day, with special attention being given to the perennial issues and concerns that continue to drive the development of doctrines, their role and limits, and their connection to spirituality. The dynamics between the church's teaching voice and the reception (or non-reception) of its formulations will be tied to specific site visits, historical landmarks, and interpersonal dialogue with ongoing thought-partners and experts around the eternal city, which represents in many ways the beating heart of the universal Catholic church.