God: One and Three

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This module will explore historical and contemporary perspectives on what might best be termed 'the mystery of God'. The module will begin with an exploration of God as one, the God revealed to Israel, as recounted in the Book of Exodus, and then continue to a consideration of God: One and Three. The Christian understanding of God as Trinity emerges from the Christology of the New Testament. The module will examine the development in understanding of God as Trinity in the Patristic era, most notably in the texts of the early Councils of the Church, and culminating with the formation of the needs. The trinitarian theologies of some major theologians in the Western tradition, particularly Augustine and Aquinas, will be examined, and the distinct path taken by the Eastern tradition sketched .The rift between Catholicism and Orthodoxy over the filioque clause will be studied, and accompanied by the contemporary ecumenical discussions of it. The work of a number of contemporary theologians, whose work has contributed significantly to the renewal of trinitarian theology in a way that is pastorally enriching, ecumenically sensitive and facilitating of inter-religious dialogue, will form an important part of the course.