TH 627 - The Virgin Mary in Scripture and Tradition

(3.00 cr.)

Devotion to Mary is an essential element of Catholicism. Students study the Blessed Virgin in Scripture, noncanonical Gospels, the Church Fathers, medieval preachers and theologians, the early modern missions, and contemporary Church teaching. Topics include important Marian doctrines such as the Divine Motherhood, Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, and the Assumption of Mary, as well as more controversial topics such as Mary's mediation of grace and her role in theologies of liberation. Readings include selections from Andrew of Crete, Germanus of Constantinople, John of Damascus, Gregory Palamas, Anselm of Canterbury, John Duns Scotus, Matthias Scheeben, Jean-François Bonnefoy, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Pope John Paul II. Students are expected to write one 20-page research paper or two 10-12 page papers.