PhD Course Descriptions

COURSE DESCRIPTION
As George Florovsky well noted: “The New Testament is an accomplishment or a consummation of the Old. Christ Jesus is the Messiah spoken of by the prophets. In Him all promises and expectations are fulfilled. The Law and the Gospel belong together. And nobody can claim to be a true follower of Moses unless he believes that Jesus is the Lord. Anyone who does not recognize in Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed of the Lord, does thereby betray the Old Dispensation itself. Only the Church of Christ now keeps the right key to the Scriptures, the true key to the prophecies of old. Because all these prophecies are fulfilled in Christ. The Old Testament is copiously quoted by all early writers. And even to the Gentiles the message of salvation was always presented in the context of the Old Testament. This was an argument from antiquity. The Old Covenant was not destroyed by Christ, but renewed and accomplished… The Old Testament as a whole was regarded as a Christian prophecy, as an “evangelical preparation”.
The Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition provides a general overview and a primary understanding of New Testament. The Book of Genesis is well connected to the Book of Revelation. The first Chapter of Genesis is well connected to the first chapter of John etc… (too many periods)
St John of Damascus has defined the Tradition of the church as the “boundaries put up by our Fathers”.  Earlier even, St Athanasius of Alexandria spoke of the “Tradition from the beginning” and of the “faith of the universal church, which the Lord gave, which was preached by the apostles and preserved by the Fathers”. 
These words express the essence of our faith as “apostolic”, “ orthodox”  and “patristic”, a faith rooted in holy scripture and Holy Tradition, an inseparable component of which are the works of the Holy Fathers.
In this course, for this year, a special emphasis will be placed on the Book of Genesis interpreted by some Antiochian Fathers such as:
1. John Chrysostom – who was born in Antioch and became Patriarch of Constantinople – (Homilies on Genesis‎, Synopsis on Genesis).
2. John of Damascus on Creation and Paradise from the Orthodox Faith.
3. Theophilus of Antioch on Genesis 1-11 from Letter to Autolycus.
4. Ephrem the Syrian on Creation.

Students will make a seminar presentation on an approved topic, and the course will conclude with a research paper on The Knowability of some aspect of the Book of Genesis in one (or from one) of the writings of the Saints below: 
1. John Chrysostom
2. John of Damascus
3. Theophilus of Antioch
4. Ephrem the Syrian

Other writings relative to the Book of Genesis from other Fathers could be used for the mentioned purpose (seminar presentation and/or research paper), such as:
1. Athanasius’ Concept of Creation.
2. Augustine of Hippo: Questions on Genesis
3. Tertullian on Creation
4. Ambrose on Genesis
5. Hippolytus on Genesis
6. Basil the Great on Creation
7. Gregory of Nyssa on the Making of Man
8. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on Genesis.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
A study of Maximos’ theology, outlining the unity between Logos – logoi (reasons) and cosmos; the interconnectedness between creation and anthropology as a “portion” of God, and the movement according to his “logos” (reason). In defending the two wills in Christ, Maximos emphasized that nature cannot exist or be recognized apart from its essential activity. Special emphasis will be placed on the fall, the passions and death, and its interrelationship with man’s separation from God. Our salvific relationship with God is founded on the acceptance of God’s providence, and on cooperating (synergy) with God’s plan (oikonomia), and the liberation from our passions and unnatural egoism. The Holy Church in the process of theosis strives to assimilate the faithful to God, and to be contained within the Creator through the purification of the heart, illumination of the nous, and the vision of God (praxis and theoria). Students will make two seminar presentations of two approved topics, and the course will conclude with a research paper on Theosis in Maximos the Confessor, which will serve as the final examination, read and discussed in tutorial-style format.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The aim of this course is to examine the common and different elements in classical metaphysical philosophy and Patristic theology, especially in the 4th century. This is important, because in this century two major trends met each other, one related to Jewish thinking and the other to Greek philosophy. Comparison will be made between Greek classical philosophy, as articulated by Plato, Aristotle, and the Platonic philosophers, and the experience and thought of the Church Fathers, especially of the 4th century, but also extending to Fathers of subsequent centuries, including Dionysius the Areopagite, Augustine, John Damascene, Maximus the Confessor, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory Palamas. Students will make two presentations of an approved topic, and the course will conclude with a Research Paper on “Empirical Dogmatics according to the teaching of Fr. John Romanides”.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
By means of a close reading of texts, with discussion and student presentations, this course will consist of an in-depth study of both the Greek-speaking Fathers and the Syriac-speaking Fathers. Offered in seminar format, a wide range of themes will be covered, including, the spirituality of the heart in the Syriac tradition, the distinction between love and affection, Theosis in an unhellenized Syriac language, the created and the controversy around the uncreated energies in the Syriac tradition, that is, between those who believe in the possibility of “seeing God spiritually”, and those who deny the possibility of seeing God; the relation between the vision of God and worship in the holy of Holies, the heart as the link between the center of the body and the center of the spirit, the Spirit as our inner being, the power of surpassing and the movement in which we submit ourselves unto God, the austere spirit of Syrian Monasticism and its forms, and its missionary activities. Students are encouraged to participate in class by means of questions and comments. Coursework will consist of 1 Project, approved by the professor – 25%; and 1 Final Examination (2 hours, written or 1 hour, oral) – 65%. 10% of the overall grade will be based on effort, and will take into account the student’s overall disposition and attendance.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will continue the investigation begun in Mystical Theology I. The main reason is that the Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition provides a general overview and a primary understanding of New Testament. The Book of Genesis we studied in Mystical Theology I is well related to the Book of Revelation.
The Christology in the Book of Revelation, which emphasizes Christ as the sacrificial Lamb, is the most powerful witness for the power of the Cross in the salvation of the world, as the Church experienced it. The Cross, the Resurrection, the Parousia, all clearly indicate the absolute sovereignty of Christ (cf. I Cor. 11:26).
The Lord Christ, the sacrificed Lamb, leads the struggle with His armies, the Saints of the Church. Their weapon is their faith in the word of God to the point of self-sacrifice. The blood of the Lamb, the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and His Resurrection strengthen them; the victory over the enemy is certain (Rev. 6:2; 12:11; 19:17-18).
The fundamental idea of the Book of Revelation is the belief that Christ is the Lamb, sacrificed for us. Therefore, in this course, a special emphasis will be placed on this Book interpreted by some Fathers such as: Dionysius, Polycrates of Ephesus, Victorinus, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Cyprian, and others.
Students will make a seminar presentation of an approved topic, and the course will conclude with a research paper on The Knowability of some aspect of the Book of Revelation.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course seeks to explore the roots of Orthodox Spirituality and to study the contemporary moral issues from three perspectives: 1) Spirituality/morality in the Patristic tradition; 2) Practicing Patristic morality in modern society; and 3) Facing contemporary moral issues. This course consists, principally, of a close reading of ethical Patristic texts. Students will make two seminar presentations of approved topics, and the course will conclude with a research paper on moral issues, which will serve as the final examination, read and discussed in tutorial-style format.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course aims to illustrate the ways in which the central theological paradigm of the Orthodox Church, that is the Cappadocian Theology, contributed to shaping the theology of the two most significant Orthodox theologians of the 20^th century, namely Fr. G. V. Florovsky and Fr. J. s. Romanides. The whole presentation has been divided in three parts. The first part will be providing an account of both the crucial questions the Cappadocians Fathers (Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa) dealt with and the ways they achieved in the second half of the 4^th century, a period quite crucial for the shaping of Church’s theological testimony from a cultural as well as from church-historical perspective: Christology as foundation of the Trinity dogma (or the Christocentric basis of the doctrine about the Triune God), the role of the Holy Spirit as the third divine Hypostasis in the Revelation of God and in the process of human beings salvation and world’s transfiguration in an eschatological perspective, the unity of the Church as Christ’s body and community of the charismata (gifts) of the Spirit, the relation between the Church’s faith and the theological terminology, the cathartic-ascetical nature of man’s growing in the grace of the Spirit according to the Image of the One of the Trinity, who became flesh. The second and third part is dedicated to a thoroughly analysis of the theological identity of Florovsky’s “historical theology of the Logos’ Incarnation” as well as Romanides’ trajectory of the “ascetical theology of Pentecost’s glorification” under the guidance of the main issues of the Cappadocian paradigm.   
In this way it will be clarified not only the important role which the Cappadocian theology took on in the History of Church’s dogma as well as its inexhaustible dynamic up to our days. Moreover, on the strength of the preceding analysis it will be put particular emphasis on the creative endeavor in which the two great Orthodox theologians of the 20^th century initiated the Orthodox theological “resourcement” of our times by articulating the theological trajectory of the so called “Neo-patristic synthesis”. 

Course Description:
Prerequisite Course (CAN5100)
This course presupposes as a prerequisite CAN5100, which covered: the nature of the canons; gender and marriage issues; and the administration of the Church with a special focus on autocephaly and autonomy. In the introductory course, students learn a methodology for independent study of the canons and their application to the Church’s life. After successfully completing the prerequisite course, the student can construct canonical frameworks, use basic resources, and obtain a critical understanding of:
1.) The definition and theological nature of the canon law.
2.) The main sources of canon law.
3.) Authority within the Church.
4.) The definition of Orthodox marriage and related issues.
5.) The basic canonical sources regarding Church administration.

Seminar Course in Canon Law: The present course will survey current research regarding textual sources, methodologies, tools, and essential concepts of Byzantine canonical scholarship. The aim of this class is to provide the foundation for future advanced study in the field