UMS : Unit: CT9012Y

Content

This unit assumes the central importance of the doctrine of the Trinity in the Christian Church and undertakes an exploration of the reasons – biblical, theological and patristic – for this high status. It will include an estimate of the weight of its biblical foundations and christological presuppositions against the Jewish insistence that God is one. Through influential theologians and key conciliar statements, the unit traces the major land¬marks in the develop¬ment of the doctrine in both the Greek and Latin parts of the church. It also investigates a range of contemporary exposition of the doctrine in theologians of different traditions and concludes with a study of the trinitarian bearing on some other doctrines and contemporary issues.

Unit code: CT9012Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.	analyse the way biblical material is typically used as support for the Christian doctrine of God as the Holy Trinity
2.	Identify and explain both the unity and the main differences in the Latin and Greek patristic traditions, including the later church-dividing matter of the Filioque
3.	Demonstrate a critical appreciation of various influential writers on the Trinity in the last one hundred years, incorporating Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant theologians
4.	Critically appraise the ways in which the doctrine of the Trinity has influenced developments in Christian spirituality, liturgy, praxis or inter-religious dialogue
5.	Demonstrate development of research and argumentation skills appropriate to study at postgraduate level.

Unit sequence

This unit is generally available as an elective unit in all postgraduate awards.

Pre-requisites: CT8003Y Beginning With Jesus (or equivalent)
Co-requisites: nil

Pedagogy

Weekly inter-active lectures and tutorials, using pre-circulated notes (for lectures; 2 hrs) and assigned reading for tutorials; 1 hr).

Indicative Bibliography

Emery, G. & Levering, M. The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Grenz, Stanley Rediscovering the Triune God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004.
Holmes, S. The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2012.
Hunt, Anne. Trinity. Collegeville, Maryknoll NY:Orbis, 2005.
Johnson, Elizabeth A. She Who Is. New York: Crossroad, 1994.
Kärkkäinen, V-M. The Trinity: Global Perspectives. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
Kasper, Walter, The God of Jesus Christ, New York: Crossroad, 1988.
LaCugna, Catherine M. God For Us. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991.
Moltmann, Jűrgen, The Trinity and the Kingdom of God. London: SCM, 1981
O’Collins, Gerald. The Tripersonal God: Understanding and Interpreting the Trinity. New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999.
Toom, T. Classical Trinitarian Theology: A Textbook. London: T & T Clark, 2007.

Assessment

Type	Description	Word count	Weight (%)
Essay	Major essay 4000 words	4000	50.0
Essay	Early exercise (short) 1500 words	1500	20.0
Book Review	Book review 2000 words	2000	30.0

Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 30 Sep, 2019

Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:49 +1000