Theo 266 Church in the World
Fall 2014
Church in the World: From Benedict XVI to Pope Francis
THEO 266| Fall 2014
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Instructor information |
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Fr. Philipp G. Renczes, SJ
Office: JFRC, 103 Office Hours: M 15:00-16:00
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Phone: (0039) 06 6701 5378 Email: pgrencze@luc.edu
Please email to arrange appointments outside office hours.
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Course description
The course will introduce to both the former and current popes’ theological vision of the Roman Catholic Church in interaction with contemporary thought. It will do so by way of a hermeneutic that parallels Pope Benedict’s central work as theologian, Introduction to Christianity (1968) with successive writings, including Jesus of Nazareth the Encyclical Letters (Deus Caritas Est, Spe Salvi and Caritas in Veritatem, Lumen Fidei) and Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium .A focus will be placed on topics which are situated at the intersection of Church and modernity, such as Christian Faith in dialogue with Atheism/Agnosticism, Catholic Tradition versus Reform in time (Aggiornamento), the Quest for Justice and economy models and Catholic Church and World Religions.
Classes will be a combination of lecture, discussion, papers and exams.
Course objectives
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
(1) analyze and interpret the theological understanding of Joseph Ratzinger’s stances towards the “dialectics of secularization”, in particular his emphasis on the requirement to (re)build relations between Faith and Reason.
(2) form and articulate a personal judgment regarding the points of continuity and change in Ratzinger’s thought over time, in dialogue and dispute with contemporary thought and different theologies.
(3) carefully and intelligently apply key concepts found in theological texts to concrete contemporary issues
Course required text and materials
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Introduction to Christianity (Rome: Ignatius Press 2004)
All additional material (required readings) will be made available through Loyola Blackboard.
Note: Satisfies Loyola's requirement in the Core area of Theological and Religious Studies Knowledge. Also satisfies the Core value of Understanding Spirituality or Faith in Action in the World
Requirements for the course and evaluation
In accordance with the JFRC’s Academic Policies, it is expected that students will attend and participate actively in all class meetings. Absences require prior permission from the instructor or the JFRC direction, or medical certification. Absences beyond two classes will mean an automatic reduction of the final grade. Late arrivals and early departures will also be noted.
Class will consist of an introductory lecture and the discussion of the primary texts and secondary literature assigned for that day. All lectures, except for the textbook references, will be found on Blackboard, most of them in the Rome Center Library. Students must bring the textbook and (digital) copies of the assigned secondary sources to each meeting in order to facilitate class discussion.
The mid-term and final examinations, covering material in the lectures and assigned reading, will each count for one third of the final grade, leaving the last third for a term paper of 6-8 pages plus bibliography. Paper topics must be approved in advance by the instructor. Extra consideration in the final grade will be given to students who demonstrate consistent participation in class discussion.
Grading Scale
A 93-100 C 71-74.5
A- 89-92 C- 68-70.5
B+ 86-89 D+ 63-67.5
B 81-85 D 60-62.5
B- 78-80 D- 57-59.5
C+ 75-77 F below 57
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism in academic work or dishonest examination behavior will result in the instructor’s assigning the grade of “F” for the assignment or examination. Moreover, all instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the Rome Center’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the consideration of additional sanctions.
SCHEDULE OF LESSONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Introduction
1. Introduction to the course; biographical and bibliographical information concerning Joseph Ratzinger.
I. Humanity Facing God in Today’s World
2. “I believe – help my disbelief” (Mk 17,24) – Presuppositions of belief
Required Readings:
“Belief in the world of Today”, Introduction to Christianity (German original 1968), pp. 39-81
“Formal Principles of Christianity – Catholic View” in Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology (German original 1982), pp. 67-84
3. “I believe – we believe” – Faith in a communion of believers
Required Readings:
“The Ecclesiastical Form of Faith”, Introduction to Christianity, pp. 82-100
Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter “Lumen Fidei”, Chapter I - III
4. “I believe – I think” – Christianity as co-existence of faith and reason in regard with God
Required Readings:
“Christianity, the Religion According to Reason", lecture given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the convent of Saint Scholastica in Subiaco, Italy, April 1st 2005 (http://catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0143.html)
“Prolegomena to the subject of God”, “The Biblical Belief in God”, Faith in God Today”, “The God of Faith and the God of the Philosophers”, Introduction to Christianity, 103-161.
II. God facing humanity in today’s world
5. The meaning of “Triune God”
Required Readings:
“Faith in God Today”, “Belief in the Triune God”, Introduction to Christianity, pp. 162-190
Encyclical Letter “Deus Caritas est”, Part 1
III. Jesus Christ
6. The “heart” of Christianity: Jesus the Christ
Required Readings:
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord”, Introduction to Christianity, pp. 193 - 270
Jesus of Nazareth, Foreword and Introduction, pp. Xi-XXiV; 1-8
7. The “beating of the heart”: Jesus Christ according to the Christological articles
Required Readings:
“The development of Faith in Christ in the Christological Articles of the Creed”, Introduction to Christianity, pp. 271-327[R1]
FINAL DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF PAPER TOPICS
8. MID-TERM EXAMINATION
IV. The Church as Temple of the Holy Spirit
9. The dynamic (eschatological) understanding of the Church’s interaction with the world
Required Readings:
“The intrinsic unity of the last statements in the Creed”, “Two Major Questions posed by the articles on the Spirit and the Church”, Introduction to Christianity, pp. 331-359
“The Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Dead”, in J. Ratzinger, Eschatology, death and eternal life, Washington D.C., 1988, 104-161
Encyclical, In Spe Salvi, no. 1-15
10. The Commun(i)al structure of the Church’s interaction with the world
Required Readings:
“The Origin and Essence of the Church” in Called to Communion. Understanding the Church today, pp. 13-45.
Encyclical, Caritas in veritate, no. 21-42, 68-79
Philipp G. Renczes, “Grace reloaded. Caritas in Veritate’s Theological Anthropology” Theological Studies 71/2 (2010), 273-290.
11. The Liturgical and missionary structure of the Church
Required Readings:
“Liturgy and Life: The Place of the Liturgy in Reality” in The Spirit of the Liturgy (German original 2000), 13-61
Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, 1 - 49
12. Israel and the Church
Required Readings:
“Interreligious Dialogue and Jewish-Christian Relations” in Communio 25 (1998): 29-41 http://www.communio-icr.com/
The Sermon on the Mount in Jesus of Nazareth, pp. 64-127.
TERM PAPER DUE on this DATE
13. The Church and World Religions
Required Readings:
“Truth-Tolerance-Freedom”, in Truth and Tolerance. Christian Belief and World Religions, pp. 210-231
“Regensburg Lecture”: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html
14. FINAL EXAMINATION (as scheduled by the JFRC)
Examples of paper topics
Faith and Reason: A Return to an Augustinian Perspective in the Theology of J. Ratzinger
The Mystery of the Eucharist as center of a modern theology
How to speak about God with J. Ratzinger’s theology in today’s world
The significance of the “Regensburg” speech for the interreligious dialogue
Salvation for the World: an analysis of its theological significance
Church Reform: what can Theology do to support it?
Grace: a pervasive theme in Ratzinger’s theology and its relation to the current culture
[R1]Birth and conception ouf of the 3rd volume of Jesus of Nazareth
