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Christian Moral Action – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dr Stephen Plant explores the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In the first module, we look at the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the historical context in which his theology emerged. In the second module, we delve closer into Bonhoeffer’s theology in an increasingly secular society, and his response to other theologians of his day. In the third module we examine Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on the cost of discipleship, in the context of changing dynamics between the church and Nazi state. In the fourth module, we explore Christian ethics in emergency, before turning to Bonhoeffer’s relevance today in the fifth module. In the sixth and final module, we investigate the role Bonhoeffer played in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, and explore the ethics of his involvement, with note to the relevance of hindsight.
Theology and Gender
Dr Ruth Jackson Ravenscroft explores gender and theology. In the first module we introduce the relationship between gender, feminism, and theology. In the second module, we consider feminist theology in relation to the doctrine of God. In the third module we examine Rosemary Radford Ruether’s feminist theology, before turning to Mary Daly’s theology in the fourth module. In the fifth module we compare and contextualise the feminist theologies of Ruether and Daly. In the sixth and final module, we examine feminist theological engagement with scripture.
The Person of Jesus
Dr James Carleton Paget examines the identities associated with the person of Jesus. In the first module, we introduce the person of Jesus by providing some historical background, and assessing the nature of the documents containing accounts of Jesus. After that we look at Jesus’ authority, with special reference to precedent and the relationship between Jesus’ identity and his authority. In the third module, we examine the wisdom of Jesus by investigating the substance of his teaching. Then we discuss the idea of Jesus as a liberator - both a political liberator and liberator from evil, before moving on to examine Jesus as the Son of God. Finally, we take a look at Jesus’ uniqueness, in terms of his teaching, the hypostatic union, divine revelation and salvation.
The Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Luke
Dr James Carleton Paget explores what Jesus meant by ‘kingdom of God’ and the presentation of the kingdom in the Gospel of Luke. In the first module, we introduce Jesus’ language about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of God in ancient Jewish tradition. In the second module, we explore debates around the temporality of the kingdom in the works of Albrecht Ritschl, C.H Dodd, and Albert Schweitzer. In the third module we come to look at responses of the failure of Christ to return, before turning to look at Luke’s response to imminent hope for the kingdom in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we bring our understanding of the language of the kingdom and Luke’s views on the temporality of the kingdom together, to discuss the nature of eschatological language.
Interpreting the New Testament – Biblical Criticism
Dr James Carleton Paget explores the varieties of New Testament criticism. In the first module, we introduce the study of biblical criticism, and the challenges involved in reviewing scripture in historical perspective. In the second module, we examine source criticism, and look at some of the most famous responses to the ‘Synoptic Problem’. In the third module, we investigate form criticism, before turning to look at the response from redaction criticism in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we make some concluding remarks about the significance of biblical criticism.
The Gospel of John – Prologue
Dr James Carleton Paget explores John 1:1-18 (The Prologue). In the first module, we introduce The Prologue, and the debate concerning the authorship of The Prologue in relation to the authorship of John’s Gospel. In the second module, we unpack John’s presentation of Jesus in terms of his references to the Hebrew Bible, Greek syntax, soteriology, and Christology. In the third module, we examine the Jewish background to John’s Prologue, before looking at the possible Hellenistic/Greek background in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we view John’s Gospel as a polemic based on John’s presentation of the figure of John the Baptist and John’s deployment of citations from the Hebrew Bible.
Messianic Prophecies
Dr James Carleton Paget explores Messianic Prophecies in the context of the New Testament. In the first module, we introduce the function of scriptural proofs, and important citations in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In the second module, we examine the figure of the ‘suffering servant’ in Isaiah, potential allusions to the suffering servant in the Gospels, and whether such allusions are convincing. In the third module, we come to look at the son of David as a messianic figure and the identification of Jesus with David in the Gospels, before turning to debates concerning the messianic secret in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we examine some further citations from Matthew which inform his presentation of the person of Jesus.
The Purpose and Authorship of John
Dr James Carleton Paget explores the purpose and authorship of the fourth Gospel. In the first module, we introduce the questions surrounding the authorship of John, and reasons behind varying historical attributions of authorship. In the second module, we go on to examine the purpose of John, through close textual analysis and reflections about the context in which John might have been writing. In the third module, we come to look at possible audiences of John’s Gospel, before turning to John’s emphasis on Jesus as the fulfilment of scripture in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we return to the purpose of John, with some closing remarks about the significance of delineating an understanding of John’s purpose for proper readership.
Ways of Interpreting Scripture
Dr James Carleton Paget explores a variety of ways of interpreting scripture and a brief history of biblical exegesis. In the first module, we introduce the foundations underpinning the notion of scripture as inspired; both from the text itself and Ancient Jewish thinkers from Alexandria. In the second module, we examine changing attitudes to scripture from the Enlightenment, and growing interests in historical and critical study of the Bible. In the third module, we come to look at Friedrich Schleiermacher and David Friedrich Strauss’ contributions to biblical criticism, before turning our attention to a range of modern interpretations of scripture in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we focus on the significance of Karl Barth’s contributions to the study of scripture, and the challenges which he presents to modernity.
