Introdcution to Scholastic Theology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The goal of this course is to introduce upper-level undergraduates and master-level students to the methods and procedures, basic literary forms, and main authors of medieval academic ("scholastic") theology, from its rise in the twelfth century to examples of Later Medieval and Early Modern periods. The overview will be provided against the backdrop of medieval intellectual history including the institutional development of medieval universities. We shall read and discuss selected chapters from works by Peter Abelard, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, William of Ockham, Francisco da Vitoria, and a few others, focusing on the texts that address questions of theological methodology, such as the notion of "sacred doctrine" ("doctrina sacra"), sacramental theology, and ecclesiology, particularly on the impact of scholastic discourse on the theological self-understanding of medieval Christianitas. Particular attention will be devoted to literary genres and forms ("sententia," "summa", "distinctio," "quaestio," etc.) as well as to the role that medieval canon law played in the development of scholasticism. We will also discuss the reception of Latin scholastic theology in the Greek East and the impact of Thomas Aquinas on Byzantine theological thought of the Later Medieval period.