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Bard College Catalogue 2009-2010
2009-2010
Theology
http://theology.bard.edu FacultyBruce Chilton and Nancy S. Leonard (coordinators), Ismail Acar, Daniel Berthold, Richard H. Davis, Elizabeth Frank, Robert Kelly, Jacob Neusner, Aileen Passloff, Kristin Scheible, Peter D. Skiff*, Karen Sullivan
* on sabbatical, spring 2010 OverviewThe Theology concentration enables participants to explore new directions that have emerged since the removal of theology as a dogmatic discipline from most liberal arts curricula. The focus is on how the divine or ultimate is conceived. Two principal approaches to that issue may be combined. The first approach is referential; it begins with the evaluation of texts, works of art, or other aspects of human production that claim to express the meaning and purpose of experience. The second approach is constructive; it involves the investigator in an analysis aimed at evaluating or contributing to religious discourse. While the critical study of religion is designed to describe and analyze religious systems within their historical settings, theology’s purpose is to engage what these systems claim to refer to.RequirementsThe principal issues of theology demand competence in several disciplines. For that reason, the Theology concentration involves courses from every division and competence (in the form of Moderation) in a discipline. By Moderation, a student should have pursued three courses in theology. Moderation in theology is to be associated with Moderation in another discipline or disciplines. By the time the Senior Project is submitted, theology courses from at least two divisions are required. The board for Moderation and the Senior Project shall include at least one member of the theology faculty. During the semester of Moderation, students who wish to concentrate in theology are to participate in a seminar, which the director of the concentration arranges. Students propose appropriate tasks of inquiry in consultation with their advisers. Students deal with properly theological questions in a critical manner and in an overtly pluralistic setting.Poetic Theologies
Theology 201
cross-listed: literature
An exploration of the languages by which the poetic seeks the sacred—to embody, contest, celebrate, and discover it, and to affirm the powers and limits of language. Readings include poems by John Donne, George Herbert, John Milton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, and others; passages from the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels; and work by female mystic poets. Archaeology of the Bible
Theology 212
cross-listed: jewish studies, philosophy, religion
This seminar examines the way the social histories of Israel and the early Church shaped biblical texts. The unfolding of meanings within texts during the whole of their development explodes the claim of a single, exclusive meaning in biblical exegesis. The seminar attends to the variety of meanings inherent within the Scriptures, without limitation to a particular theory of interpretation and with constant attention to issues of historical context. Trading Places: Judaism and Christianity
Theology 215
cross-listed: jewish studies, religion
At the beginning of the common era, Judaism presented a view of God that competed seriously with various philosophical schools for the loyalty of educated people in the Graeco-Roman world. Christianity appeared to be a marginal sect. Later, the Talmud emerged as the model of Judaism, and the creeds defined the limits and core of Christianity. Christianity was the principal religion of the empire, and Judaism was seen as an anomaly, its traditions grounded in custom rather than reflection. Comparing Religions through Law and Technology: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Theology 217
cross-listed: jewish studies, religion
What do religions have in common, where do they differ, and how can we make sense of the points in common and in conflict? The focus of this course is on comparison of the theologies of the three monotheist religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—and of law in Judaism and Islam. Historical Knowledge: Problems in Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Theology 256
cross-listed: jewish studies
Profound controversies regarding the aims and methods of historical knowledge have characterized discussion about the study of Judaism and Christianity since the Enlightenment. The purpose of this course is to enable students to develop approaches to historical study that they believe are viable. Gnostics, Neoplatonists, and Catholics: The First Christian Philosophers
Theology 310
The first Christian philosophers forged new ways of thinking during the course of prolonged interaction with their diverse environments. This course explores how, by the end of the period, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and Catholicism emerged as well-defined positions, and yet continued in dedicated debate, dialogue, and dispute.
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