The Eastern Church: Theology and History

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course provides an overview of the variety of the Eastern rite Churches belonging to different cultural traditions of Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean world. The students will be introduced to the theological views and liturgical life of the Eastern rite Christians, i.e., Orthodox, Oriental and Eastern Catholic, and their fascinating history. In the second part of the course we shall explore the Byzantine rite Churches in more detail, and discuss the challenges their theology and history present to the Christian world at large. Special attention will be given to Slavic Christianity and especially Russian and Ukrainian religious history. Reflection on the diversity of Christian traditions will lead to important insights into theological topics of central importance for today such as theology of culture, ecclesiology, sacramental theology and theology of history.