This unit will introduce students to representative examples of Christian literature from the beginning of the Christian movement to the Middle Ages. The focus will be upon the study of these texts in their living theological and cultural setting. Students will also be required to experience some contemporary expressions of these texts; e.g., attend an Eastern Christian Liturgy.

Prerequisites

none

Requirements

• two hours of lectures per week and six seminars during the semester.
• the equivalent of at least 6 hours of ‘practical work’ (e.g. attend Eastern Christian Liturgy)

Assessment

Bibliography

• Clement, Olivier. The Roots of Christian Mysticism: Text and Commentary. Translated by Theodore Berkeley. London: New City, 1993.
• Costello, Stephen J., ed. The Search for Spirituality: Seven Paths Within the Catholic Tradition. Raheny: Liffey, 2003.
• Cunningham, Lawrence S., and Keith J. Egan. Christian Spirituality: Themes from the Tradition. New York: Paulist, 1996.
• Harmless, William. Mystics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
• Holder, Arthur, ed. Christian Spirituality: The Classics. New York: Routledge, 2010.
• Raab, Christian, and Harry Hagan, eds. The Tradition of Catholic Prayer. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007.
• Rolheiser, Ronald. Longing for the Holy: Spirituality for Everyday Life. Newark, NJ: Renew International, 2009.
• Williams, Rowan. The Wound of Knowledge: Christian Spirituality from the New Testament to St John of the Cross. Oxford: Rowan and Littlefield, 2003.