Time “In Residence”

Time in residence is a requirement for all graduate Theology degrees at Holy Spirit College. To qualify as “in residence,” the candidate must devote an average of fifteen or more hours per academic week to their studies. This requirement will typically be met by enrollment in required program courses.
 

Degree candidates must also meet with their advisor each calendar month throughout the academic year. During thesis writing, M.Th. and Th.D., candidates who are not resident in metropolitan Atlanta may, with the agreement of their advisor, conduct advisory meetings by Skype or other electronic media.

Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.)

THEO 450: Introduction to Canon Law: This course is to provide a basic understanding of the legal system of the Catholic Church (canon law), its origins, and its importance. It will familiarize students with the rules for applying canon law and the sources where such laws can be found. Finally, there will be opportunities to relate universal and particular law to concrete situations and explain the application of the law. (4 credit hours)

 

THEO 525: Logic and Metaphysics: The first part of this course in logic will familiarize students with some basic logical concepts and provide methods to analyze the validity of arguments and to generate basic deductive arguments. The second part of the course dealing with metaphysics will focus on the questions of nature and being (particularly as developed in Aristotle’s Physics and Metaphysics). It will examine the fundamental structures of reality (including the distinctions between substance and accident, matter and form, potency and act, essence and existence) as well as the transcendental properties of being. Emphasizing an Aristotelian-Thomistic approach to physical/metaphysical inquiry, modern and contemporary views of nature and being are both examined and evaluated accordingly. (4 credit hours

 

THEO 535: Fundamental Theology, Protology, and Eschatology: This course will consider human origins and man's final end. It will also consider the possibility of knowing God that arises from man's peculiar status as a created being. It will analyze the development of Christian thought on these themes, giving a strong emphasis to relevant biblical texts. The nature of sin, including both original and actual sin will be explored. It will consider topics including heaven, hell, and purgatory, prayer for the dead, gradations of beatitude, all in the context of God's relationship to man. These questions will be explored in light of St. Thomas' presentation of the topic in the S.Th. Ia Q1, 44-119; IIIa 69-99. (4 credit hours)

THEO 545: Introduction to Sacred Scripture: This course introduces students to the foundations of the Catholic understanding of Sacred Scripture as Divine Revelation and the soul of sacred theology. It considers questions of scriptural authorship, inspiration, and inerrancy, as well as the relationship between the Divine and Human authors, and the reception and transmission of the Bible in the Church. It will consider the relationship between the Old and New Testaments within God's plan of salvation. It will also provide an introduction to methods of scriptural interpretation, including the four senses of Scripture and the historical critical method, considering questions of literary genres and textual traditions. Sources include scripture itself, as well as magisterial and patristic documents, particularly the Constitution Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council. (4 credit hours)

THEO 610: Trinity and Christology: This course will examine the Christian faith in the Triune God, including the historical developments of Christian creeds, major dogmatic controversies, the early ecumenical councils and patristic figures that contributed to the development of Trinitarian theology. It will also consider Trinitarian theology from a synchronic view, reflecting the Catholic understanding of the Triune God and the implications of that understanding for mystical, pastoral, and moral theology. It will also examine the Christian faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God and true man, considering the scriptural texts related to Christ's nature, the development of Christological dogma, major figures and controversies, and the implications of Christological dogma for Christian life. Christ's role as redeemer and the redemptive value of Christ's sacrifice will be explored, together with the questions of justification and merit. These topics will be explored with reference to S.Th. Ia Q2-43; IIIa 1-59. (4 credit hours)
 

THEO 620: Christian Anthropology: This course studies the Catholic doctrine of the human person in his/her relation to God, to nature and to others. It begins with an examination of the doctrines of creation, the ordering of humanity to its divine destiny, the creation of humanity in the “image and likeness” of God, and the historical life of mankind under divine providence. The course then proceeds to discuss the relation of the human person to God, to his or her own nature and to others. Among the theological topics that will be discussed in this section of the course are: man’s nature after the fall, divine and human freedom, divine grace, the relationship of self and others essential to the divine ordering of human life, the supernatural destiny of humanity, death, and last things. In addition to biblical readings, seminarians will be asked to read relevant texts from patristic, medieval and modern writers. These topics will be explored with reference to S. Th. Ia IIae. (4 credit hours)
 

THEO 630: Virtue and Grace: An Introduction to Moral Theology: This course examines the moral life in the light of human reason illumined by faith in Christ – a faith mediated by the Scriptures, the Catholic tradition and the living Magisterium of the Church. It is concerned with the meaning of human freedom and the role of faith and reason in enabling human persons to come to know the truth about what they are to do if they are to be fully the beings God wills them to be. It considers the role of conscience and its relationship with the moral teachings of the Church; the nature of natural law and the way in which this law is “perfected” and “fulfilled” by the “law” of love; sin and vice, grace and redemption. It also examines the vocation of the Christian to participate in Christ’s redemptive work and to overcome evil by putting on Christ. Finally, the course will examine human sexuality, medical-moral ethics and Catholic social teaching in the context of the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II’s Veritatis Splendor is integrated into the course. These topics will be explored with reference to S. Th. IIa IIae. (4 credit hours)
 

THEO 640: Liturgy and Sacraments: The liturgical life of the Church, especially as it unfolds in the celebration of the seven sacraments, will be explored in this course. It will consider the development and theology of Christian liturgy in both East and West, with a focus, however, on the Roman rite. The relation between liturgy and Christian theology and anthropology will be considered, together with the role of liturgy within the life of the believer and the life of the Church. The sacraments will be considered in terms of their foundations as instituted by Christ and as understood through Scripture and Tradition. Questions of minister, recipient, form, matter, and effect will all be examined, together with the relationship between the sacraments, Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, the economy of salvation, and the Church. The Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council as well as Saint Thomas' teaching in the S.Th. IIIa 60-68 will be considered. (4 credit hours)
 

THEO 650: Ecclesiology and Patristics: This course will consider the theological nature of the Church. Preparations for the Church in the Old Covenant will be considered, together with Christ's actions and intention in founding His Church. Patristic texts on the nature of the Church will be considered. The role of the Church in uniting the believer to God will be studied, as well as the unicity and salvific universality of the Catholic Church, and the theological relationship between the Catholic Church and non-Catholics. The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, will be explored in depth. (4 credit hours)

Catholic , Classical & Complete