The first part of the course makes a historical and systematic survey of the theology of revelation (not the New Testament book, but the self-disclosure of God to humanity) and its development from: Scripture, the Church Fathers, the age of the Enlightenment, the advent of the Church Councils, with particular focus on the Christ-event and on Dei Verbum, and from theological reflections by contemporary theologians regarding the words and deeds of God in the Son and the Spirit, disclosed to and received by the world, and proclaimed in the words and deeds of the Church as a community constituted by the constantly revelatory Trinity. The course will also include a discussion on religious pluralism and the unicity and universality of the Christ-event in a multi-creedal, multi-cultural world, including the question of ongoing revelation. The second part of the course studies and analyzes the notion of faith beginning from the Scripture, the Church Fathers, pertinent theologians and Church councils. It will conclude with a discussion on the crucial dynamic of faith and grace in the life of the individual, and more importantly, in living as community, as Church.
Fundamental theology endeavors to study the foundational reality of Christianity and theology, which is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. This revelation seeks a response of faith from the human addressee. Part I begins with an overview of the treatise on revelation, and examines successively: revelation as occurrence; revelation as doctrinal and historical; revelation as mystery; credibility and the signs of revelation. Part II considers the biblical foundation of the profoundly human experience of religious faith. This is followed by a rather rapid survey of faith in the history of dogma and theology. The course ends with a theological reflection on the paradoxes of faith.
This course is interdisciplinary in nature as it explores the intricately intertwined relationship between REVELATION (Gods Divine Act of Self-disclosure) and FAITH (Human-beings experience and response) which are considered as foundational reality of Christianity and Theology. In other words, everything about Christianity latches on these two principles and, for that matter, every discipline in theology depends on these two intimately linked doctrinal tenets. Thus, this will be an endeavor to survey and reflect upon the Biblical basis, historical development and systematic articulation of the treatise on revelation vis-à-vis the actual practice of faith in conversation with the contemporary world marked by plurality and profoundly impacted by securalization while engaging pertinent theologians and other authors who have dealt with these issues.
