Antropologia teologica 2 RA0404

The student will gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a human being, in light of their own and all of humanity’s relation to God. This will include our own and God’s relation to the whole cosmos and, in particular, to the world in which we live.

Biblical texts for the theology of grace and redemption; Paul’s letter to the Romans as a text of theological anthropology; A further look at the theology of original sin (its New Testament roots, its development in Augustine during the Pelagian controversy, its ongoing effect on the Western tradition); The theology of grace from Augustine to Aquinas; Various ways of describing or classifying grace; justification in Paul, in the Reformers, in Trent and in the context of today’s ecumenical accords; grace, free will and predestination, from the Reformation to our day; faith, grace and works; nature, culture and grace; the operation of grace within and beyond the Church; The anthropological vision of Vatican II in reference to the contemporary world, and in the light of the Church’s tradition. Learning Outcomes: The students will grow personally in their understanding of the relation of every individual person and of all humanity to God, in accordance with the Church’s teaching. Besides encouraging them to deepen their own humanity, this will help them to engage more generously and effectively in their future ministries and commitments. That God is the Lover of Humanity will inspire them to live their lives for the benefit of others, both those who belong to the household of the faith and those who do not.

Textbook: 1. HAFFNER P. Mystery of Creation (Leominster, 1995); 2. KUTTIANIMATTATHIL J., Theological Anthropology: A Christian Vision of Human Beings (Bangalore, 2009); SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Gaudium et Spes. LWF-RCC, Joint Declaration on Justification by Faith of theLutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan 2000); BENEDICT XVI, ‘In the Beginning… Catholic Understanding of Creation and the Fall (London, n.d.-previous edition by Wm. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1995, with author as J. RATZINGER); DUFFY S.J., The Dynamics of Grace (Collegeville MN, Liturgical Press 1993); HAUGHT J.F., Responses to 101 Questions on God and Evolution (New York, 2001); HAYES Z., The Gift of Being: A Theology of Creation (Collegeville, Minnesota 2001); ORMEROD N., Creation, Grace and Redemption (New York, Maryknoll, 2007); SACHS J.R., The Christian Vision of Humanity: Basic Christian Anthropology (Collegeville, Minnesota 1991); SCHÖNBORN C., Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution and a Rational Faith (San Francisco, 2007); WEST C., Theology of the Body Explained: A Commentary on John Paul II’s ‘Gospel of the Body’ (Leominster, 2003); WILEY T., Original Sin: Origins, Developments and Contemporary Meaning (New Jersey, 2002).