God in Christian Thought

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This is a course on the doctrine of God in Christian thought. It explores the rich tradition of "God-talk" by Christian theologians, mystics, and philosophers throughout the centuries. Emphasis will be on method (how to speak about that which transcends speech and thought); on the relationship between faith and reason (how revelation is understood and what role philosophy can play); on types of religious experience of God—especially liturgical, mystical, and aesthetic experiences (how they inform our understanding of God); and on ethics (the implications particular understandings of God has for who we are to be and how we are to act). The course is designed primarily as a lecture course with both primary and secondary readings assigned and with ample time for discussion. We shall begin with Tertullian’s question, "What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?" and with the doctrine of the Trinity as formulated and interpreted in the fourth century. We shall then proceed chronologically through major thinkers and movements, focusing on significant paradigm shifts in imaging, speaking about, and experiencing the divine. Close attention will be paid to the details of the texts, understanding them in their historical, cultural contexts. Attention will also be paid to issue of pluralism within Christianity: many of the doctrines of God we shall be studying are very different from each other, so what makes each a specifically Christian doctrine God?