Units: TH Theology

TH101: Introduction to Theology
TH101 introduces students to the study of theology as an academic discipline via a structured and principled inquiry into the foundations of the Christian faith, its meaning and fundamental coherence and implications for the life of the world.  Through a study of major biblical narratives and significant moments in church history this unit explores the key theological themes of the nature of God, creation, evil, covenant, sin, revelation, incarnation, resurrection, and church.  The tutorials will focus on contemporary questions related to these themes and will investigate their relevance today via a reflection on various aspects of the experience of God within human experience.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH111/403#: Introduction to the Old Testament
This unit provides an introduction to the literature of the Old Testament. It will give an overview of the contents and major themes of the literature, together with aspects of the historical and cultural setting within the Ancient Near East. Throughout, students will be introduced to methods and issues in the modern study of the Old Testament and available resources.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH121: Introduction to the New Testament
This unit introduces students to the literature of the New Testament. It includes an overview of the contents and major themes of the writings and study of selected passages from within them. The unit also introduces students to the socio-economic, political and wider religious setting of the writings as well as their relationship to the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and of the first century church. It includes a brief overview of the formation of the Canon of the New Testament, the history of its textual transmission, and the story of its interpretation, especially in modern times. The unit offers students an opportunity to learn both the content of New Testament Study and its method, serving both as an introduction to the New Testament itself and as a foundation for further studies in the field.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH132: Irish and Churches in Australia (Double coded with HY132)
This introductory unit to the study of Church history focuses on the experience of being both Christian and Australian. Through a consideration of the history, literature, poetry, theological reflection and devotional practices of Australian Christians, students are introduced to the major themes of Church History.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH141/241: Faith & Culture - Fundamental Theology
As foundational, this unit will focus on the question of the sources of the Christian tradition, particularly upon the nature and locus of revelation, the nature of faith, and the interrelationship between revelation and faith. It will cover such issues as the inseparability of the "God" question and human questions as these are grounded in the universal search for meaning, as in the universality of faith within that search, the relationship between faith and reason, and the nature of revelation as this has been particularly codified in sacred Scripture. Special attention will be devoted to a consideration of how the Bible is to be understood and read as the Word of God.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH151: Liturgy: Work of God and Work of God's People
This unit begins with a foundational theological exploration of how God is revealed in creation and in the incarnation of the Word as Jesus. It demonstrates how this divine revelation corresponds to the human search for meaning through the corporate expressions of identity, bonding and value that we call ritual. Finally, the unit practically applies the theological principles elaborated to a consideration of liturgical participation, its goals and purpose, showing how the planning and preparation of liturgy is built upon the awareness of the capability of the community of faith to receive and to express it's experience of God's presence.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH152: Introduction to Christian Spirituality
The Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant traditions seek to bring men and women through prayer into a living experience of God. This unit examines how a representative group of Christians have struggled to find God in prayer. Opportunities are also provided for the practice of different prayer forms.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH154: Christian Growth I
Our Christian tradition preserves many experiences of, and ways to, God. This unit explores these in the Scripture and sacramental life of the Church. A study of the Old Testament covers such topics as: the Bible as a library, Genesis Book of the nature and development of the main traditions (Deuteronomic, Prophetic, Wisdom), and how the Bible is inspired and true? With the New Testament students are introduced to its development, the Four Gospels, and Paul and his writings. The section on Sacramentality and Life focuses on how God's presence and activity are encountered through creation, people and events on our world. As an incarnational religion, the Christian tradition affirms that we are saved in our humanity. The sacramental practice of the Church over the centuries has mediated to Christians the saving power of divine life. This unit explores the connections between the fundamental experiences of human life and the tradition of the sacramentality of the Church.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH211/525: Pentateuch
An introduction to the Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy), including its composition, traditions and themes. Passages from Genesis and/or Exodus are selected for detailed study.
Prerequisites: Nil, but students are strongly advised to have completed Introduction to Old Testament [TH 111].

TH212/515/615: Psalms and Wisdom
As a study of Israel's worship and wisdom, this unit examines the history of the Jewish temple, Israel's liturgical feasts and the book of Psalms. It also considers the emergence of the wisdom tradition of the Old Testament. The unit considers selected passages from the Wisdom books. Selected texts vary from year to year.
Prerequisites: TH111; TH121

TH221: Writings of Paul: Freedom in the Spirit
This unit studies the life and work of Paul the Apostle, his writings and those of the "Pauline school," including the Pastoral Epistles. It examines key texts in relation to the development of early Christianity and its message.
Prerequisites: TH121

TH222: Synoptic Gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke and the Acts of The Apostles
A study of the Synoptic Gospels, of Mark and Matthew, in their witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Attention is given to the continuing quest for the "historical Jesus", to the particular emphases of the different Gospels, and to the life of the earliest Christian communities.
Prerequisites: TH121

TH223/523/623: The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles
A study of Luke's gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. The unit examines both the ministry of Jesus and the beginnings of the Christian community as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Prerequisites: TH121

TH224/524/624: Scripture and Morality
This unit reflects on the changing role of Scripture in Moral theology and examines how moral thinking developed in the early Christian Church. Having grounded Christian morality in the Beatitudes and the Great Commandment, the course explores the relationship between an ancient text, regarded by Christians as inspired and normative, and contemporary ethical issues including justice, feminism, capital punishment, violence, land rights, sexuality and the body and ecological issues.
Prerequisites: TH101 and TH121 or TH111

TH231/371: Early Church History: The Story Begins (Double coded with HY251/351)
This unit introduces students to the life of the early Church, not simply as something significant in its own right, but also for the foundations it laid for the later development of Christianity. It examines the way in which the early Church related to the Jewish tradition, the Greek and Hellenistic framework of much of the life of the day, and the power of the Roman state and how, within that environment, shaped its own varied tradition. It looks at the spread of the influence of the Church, sometimes in alliance with secular power structures, sometimes in protest against them. It shows how a Christian understanding grew of the nature of God, the Holy Trinity, the relations between divinity and humanity in Christ, and of the importance of seeing God's purpose in the world.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH233A/333A: The Medieval Christian Experience: (Double coded with HY212/312)
The rich diversity which marks the medieval articulation of the Christian vision is examined in this unit. The artistic and devotional inheritance of the Middle Ages is set within the context of the Medieval Church's urgent need for institutional and theological reform.
Prerequisites: TH132

TH234/332/532: Modern Church History (Double coded with HY238/338)
The French Revolution and the Enlightenment mark a turning point in the Churches' relationship with European culture and political thought. This unit reviews how the Missionary movement, Fundamentalism and the revival in biblical, theological and liturgical studies influenced the Church's' relationship with the modern world.
Prerequisites: TH132

TH235/335 Reformations: Churches in the 16th Century (Double coded with HY217/317)
Our contemporary religious landscape is still marked by the creative, yet destructive, upheavals experienced within the cultural, theological and devotional life of the sixteenth century Church in Europe. This unit examines that abiding inheritance and pays particular attention to the Eucharistic disputes of the Reformation period.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH242/542/642: Christology
This unit introduces students to the kinds of questions that arise concerning the person, life, work and significance of Jesus Christ. It considers answers offered in the Christian tradition, and the present state of Christological discussion. It will cover the Jesus tradition in the New Testament, some types of New Testament Christology, the question of the historical Jesus, controversies in the early church and at the time of the Reformation, and a survey of contemporary Christological scholarship.
Prerequisites: TH101, TH241

TH242E: Christology (For Education students only)
Unit content as above. This unit is specifically for students of the School of Education.

TH243: Anthropology: Human Being within the Mystery
In the context of the contemporary world, this unit seeks to develop an understanding of the biblical view of humanity as created and in a relationship to God, a relationship that is broken by sin/alienation and renewed through the person and work of Christ. It explores such issues as the creation of human beings in the image of God, nature and grace, the significance of Jesus Christ as the New Adam. It will also consider the mutual implications of a Christian anthropology and the findings of the human and social sciences as these bear upon such contemporary questions as humankind’s relationship to political life, to the environment, and the equality of the sexes.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH245/406#: Introduction to Sacramental Theology
This introductory unit to the study of the sacraments begins with the primacy of the theology of the Paschal Mystery, with the perspective of Christ being sent by the Father and his sending of the Spirit to be with the Church for all time. On the cultural level, the place of sign and symbol in ordinary life is developed to show the human encounter with the life of the Risen Christ in his Spirit comes about through the patterns of symbolic action we call ritual within the lived and living tradition of the Church. Beyond the treatment of the general principles of the sacramental life of the Church, each of the individual sacraments is studied in the categories of Christian Initiation, Sacraments of Reconciliation and Healing, Sacraments of Mission and Commitment. As well, the general area of the traditional use of created matter in the sacramentals and the role of Blessings are highlighted.
Prerequisites: TH101

TH246/546/646: Eschatology: The Living Hope of Christians
In its exploration of the Christian estimate of the 'after-life', the unit discusses the nature of Christian hope and the meaning of death for a Christian, the fact and mystery of resurrection and heaven, the understanding of hell's eternity and of purgatory as an ecumenical problem, and the final destiny of the "Person-in-Cosmos".
Prerequisites: TH101or TH241

TH247: Fundamental Moral Theology
This course will attempt to deal with the meaning and structure of the Roman Catholic moral tradition. The areas to be studied will include: history and development of moral theology, the Christian conscience and its formation, discipleship and sin, magisterial and authority, use of Scripture in moral theology, natural law, the role of moral principles and norms in contemporary moral theology. This component establishes the links between Christian beliefs and moral decisions and introduces the student to major themes in moral theology that will be further developed in Christian Moral Thinking [TH344].
Prerequisites: TH101

TH248/407#/248E: Sacraments of Initiation (TH248E for Education students only)
This unit studies the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist within the Catholic tradition. It considers the anthropological roots of ritual and examines the Jewish and Christian origins of the ritual practices in the contemporary church. Tracing the influence of historical development and their pastoral and theological consequences in different moments of the Church's life. The unit shows how these impact upon the celebration of the Eucharist, Baptism, confirmation today.
Prerequisites: None

TH251/408#: Praying the Church's Year
This unit examines the seasons and feasts of the Church's Liturgical Year and explores how these interact with the cycles of nature and of the human heart. It develops a theology of Christian festive celebration and reflects on pastoral implications for praying the church's year.
Prerequisites: TH151

TH252/409#: Shaping and Celebrating the Church's Public Worship
This unit focuses on the centrality of liturgy in the life of the Christian community. It explores the nature of public prayer as ritual and seeks to develop a theology of celebration. It discusses issues related to the planning and shaping of liturgy so that the assembly is led into 'full, conscious, and active participation'.
Prerequisites: TH151

TH255/580: Pastoral Theology Foundations I
This unit examines the nature of pastoral care, its relationship to pastoral theology and the theological and psychological foundations of pastoral ministry. It looks at Jesus as a pastor, develop some working assumptions and suggests a suitable contemporary model of pastoral theology. The unit explores the psychological role and theological significance of the emotions, especially the negative emotions, eg fear, guilt, shame, anger. There are also processes for developing self-awareness together with a method of theological reflection.
Prerequisites: TH101 or TH154

TH256: Christian Growth II
Personal development has different aspects. This unit deals with the foundations of understanding oneself, God and our relationships with others. It looks at Psychology --- the place of self-image and self-esteem, the need to love and be loved, the qualities of human love, and the psychological structure of the human person. Theology and Spirituality are investigated, how we experience and use images of God, Jesus and God's gift of grace, responding to God and nourishing that relationship through our basic stance. The Moral Life examines the use of our freedom, who I am called to be and how to live, knowing what is right and wrong, the role of conscience and the modern experience of sin.
Prerequisites: TH154

TH301/401/401E/501: Scripture and Church (TH401E for Education students only)
This unit explores the foundations of Christian Faith, tracing the roots of Christian tradition (specifically Catholic the Christian tradition) from Old Testament ponderings and understanding of who God is and how this is revealed; through the New Testament experience/reflection/theology of Jesus, the incarnate Son and Saviour, to the faith communities that grew out of that experience and our connections with them. It considers what the Church is and how we understand God and interpret Jesus in it today.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH311/520/620: The Prophets: Critics of the Status Quo
A study of the history and development of the prophetic tradition in ancient Israel. After a general introduction, the unit considers selected passages from both a major and a minor prophet. The selected texts vary from year to year.
Prerequisites: TH111 and TH121

TH321/422/522: The Johannine Literature
A study of the New Testament writings associated with the name of John, emphasising the background and theological witness to Jesus of the Fourth Gospel, and considering the ongoing development of the Johannine traditions and community in the Epistles of John.
Prerequisites: TH111; TH121

TH333/433/533/633: Friendship: The History and Experience of Christian Friendship (Double coded with HY333)
Friendship has occupied an honoured place in Christian history and spirituality. This unit will examine the significant contribution made throughout the centuries by Christian men and women to our understanding and practice of this 'art of arts'.
Prerequisites: Nil

TH336/536/636: The Patristic Tradition
This unit introduces students to a selection of significant authors and literature from the early and medieval patristic tradition.  After a general introduction to the culture, spirituality and theology of patristic studies, particular themes, authors and texts will be examined.  The course will introduce students to the ancient monastic practices of lectio divina and opus dei.  Each student will be expected to present a seminar on an individual author.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH341: Ecclesiology/Mariology
The formal study of the church begins with the Mission of Jesus sent by the Father for the life of the world and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God being near at hand. The unit explores how, after the reception of the promised Spirit, the early Christian community built up the church as reflected in the Apostolic writings and the witness of the early centuries. It reflects on how the originally established structures and patterns of initiation, government and worship have developed over history in the light of the changing circumstances of the different ages, and what structures the Church might need to develop today if it is to witness effectively to the reality of the Kingdom. The formal declarations of Trent, Vatican I and II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church are closely studied along with the major documents of the magisterium.
Prerequisites: TH101or TH241

TH342/508/608: Eucharist I
This unit analyses the biblical origins together with the historical patterns and devotional forms of eucharistic celebration as these developed in the tradition from the Last Supper to today. The study's focus is on the pastoral consequences for today inasmuch as 'the Eucharist makes the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist'.
Prerequisites: TH141, TH245

TH343: Eucharist II
Builds on the systematic treatment of Eucharistic practice and theology through the ages by its central focus on the liturgy of the Church today. The pastoral issues of celebration and ministry today are examined in light of Church teachings and historical insights from the living tradition of Eucharistic practice. The thrust is on the analysis of the structural elements in our current Eucharistic practice with a view to preparing for celebrating the Eucharist today with the assembly of the Church.
Prerequisites: TH342

TH344: Moral Theology II:Christian Moral Thinking
This component builds on TH247 Fundamental Moral Theology to assist in the understanding of the nature of Christian ethics in relation to philosophical reflection, sacred scripture and the teaching of the Church. As well as further developing themes treated in TH247 this unit will treat proportionalism versus deontology, virtue ethics, conversion, the moral life and spirituality, the role of the Magisterium and the impact of the encyclical Veritatis Splendor.
Prerequisites: TH101, TH247

TH351/552: Ministry of Social Justice
This unit explores the philosophical, theological and spiritual dimensions of justice and a ministry of social justice. It discusses theoretical and practical issues in proclaiming God's justice and in the building of a just society. The discussion of theoretical issues includes the origins and nature of justice in Western philosophical thought, including modern liberalism and the critique of such theories of justice. The discussion of the practical issues includes ecology, refugees, racism, the nature of work, feminism and right to health care etc. Special attention is given to a consideration of contemporary Catholic social thought.
Prerequisites: TH241, TH151.

TH355/553: Pastoral Theology Foundations II
Building on Pastoral Theology Foundations I, this unit examines contemporary understandings of psychological and faith development - from infancy to old age. Attention will be given to pastoral care with and for women and to the influence of the ways a person perceives and experiences the Church. Issues also addressed are: the shadow, animus/anima, stress, self-care, plus ethical and power questions in pastoral ministry. This unit will give emphasis to personal growth with exercises, readings and reflections designed to promote knowledge of oneself and others, particularly within the context of the Christian community.
Prerequisites: TH255

TH368/568/668*: Personal Growth and Integration
This unit explores insights into personal growth and integration from various fields, such as Theology, Spirituality, Psychology, Virtue ethics, Feminist studies. It will examine how these understandings complement and criticise each other yet converge towards forming a contemporary paradigm of 'becoming whole' that is in tune with the Christian view of the human person and of the journey to personal maturity.
Prerequisites: TH154 and TH256 or TH255 and TH255

TH370/470/570: Human Affectivity in Theology and Christian Living
The aim of this unit is to examine the role and significance of emotions and of the 'heart' in Christian Theology and in moral and spiritual living. In the first half, it traces the historical trajectory of the main aspects of human affectivity in Western and Christian humanism beginning with the Scriptures (Hebrew and Christian) and Greek thought and proceeds through authors such as Augustine, Aquinas, Hildegard of Bingen, Ignatius of Loyala, Teresa of Avila, the Metaphysical poets, Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, J.H. Newman, T.S. Eliot and Sebastian Moore. The second part of the unit will make soundings in contemporary writing within and beyond the Catholic tradition concerning the place of affections and the 'heart' in a) personal growth and maturity in human and Christian living and b) how this is modelled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Prerequisites: TH101 or TH141 or TH255 or TH490/590

TH431/531: Discord and Dialogue: The History of The Ecumenical Movement (Double coded with HY334)
This unit reviews the history of Christian disunity and the contemporary search for the restoration of ecclesial communion. The foundational importance of the ARCIC and BEM statements is assessed. Australian ecumenical experience is examined through a consideration of the formation and subsequent history of the Uniting Church in Australia, the National Council of Churches in Australia and the Conference of Churches in Western Australia.
Prerequisites: TH132, TH243

TH441/540/640: Trinity
The unit investigates the biblical witness to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It discusses the development of the conceptuality of the doctrine of the Trinity and some modern restatements of the doctrine. As the key to the 'deep-structure' of all reality, the unit considers the significance of the Trinity in its centrality to Christian life and ministry, as to the life of the world as a whole.
Prerequisites: TH241

TH442: Sacraments of Healing and Reconciliation
The experiences of sin, suffering, illness and death are fundamental to every human life.  The Church's ritual responses to each of these experiences mediate the healing and reconciliation offered to sinners and the sick by Christ the physician of our souls and bodies.  TH442 Sacraments of Healing and Reconciliation traces the biblical foundations, historical development, theological understandings, canonical interpretations and current ritual practice of the church in its pastoral care of sinners and the sick.  Through an in-depth study of the Rite of Penance and the Rites of Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum, TH442 explores the sacramental theology underpinning the church's response to the ongoing individual and communal need for healing and reconciliation in today's world.
Prerequisites: TH241, TH245

TH443/545: Marriage and Orders
Beginning with baptism as the primary source of vocation and mission in the Church, this unit focuses on the sacraments of serving the communion of disciples especially, within the classic tradition, those of marriage and holy orders. Attention is also given to religious life and the ministries of the Church.
Prerequisites: TH241, TH245

TH444/548/648: Marriage and Sexuality
Sexuality is an integral dimension of human life. This unit applies the student's developing understanding of Christian morality to the contemporary experience of marriage and sexuality. The unit includes anthropology of human sexuality, the Christian understanding of marriage, the teaching of the magisterium on marriage and sexuality and the following particular issues: contraception, nonmarital sexuality, homosexuality, divorce, sexuality and HIV/AIDS.
Prerequisites: undergraduate studies in theology

TH445/549: Bioethics
This course will examine in particular how the Roman Catholic tradition enables one to identify and respond to ethical issues raised by the use of modern medical technologies. Areas to be studied include Christian Meaning of Healing and Suffering, Principles of Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence and the application of the Principles of Double Effect and Totality. Particular issues would include Health Care Rights, Reproductive Technologies, Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatments and Euthanasia.
Prerequisites: TH247

TH490/590: Theology of Today for Adults of Tomorrow
This unit is designed to help participants explore, understand and integrate theological approaches to central aspects of Christian faith. These are examined in the light of cultural shifts and new paradigms in the Church and in the world. Special emphasis is given to relating religious experiences of childhood and children to empirical research and theology.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH514: Theology of Leadership (Double-coded ED5507/6507)
This unit will be of value to all those professional and practising leaders who deal with the demands of their mission. This will have particular reference to non-profit organizations. While the world of work creates its own demands, many feel people strive to balance their personal and spiritual needs with the requirements of leadership. This unit will investigate the Christian understanding of leadership in a values-based, ethical milieu and will allow participants to explore and articulate their leadership in a Christian perspective. The context of the starting point is explicitly Christian. The Old Testament contains some powerful models of leadership, some of which are developed and/or critiqued within the New Testament heritage. Further reflection by the Church in its continuing search to better understand human nature and Revelation has added to and nuanced this Scriptural traditio n. Writers of our times have also contributed to this reflection and their thinking and reflection will be explored in the light of the Church's understanding.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH544: Mystery of Christ 4: Church and Sacraments
In the Jewish-Christian tradition celebration is a technical phrase that links up past , present and future, all being seen as facets of the self-revelation of God. Beginning with mystery as the root meaning of sacramentality, this unit traces the self-revelation of God in salvation history through Christ, through the Church, and through sacramental rites. The unit will make connections between the transcendence of God as beyond human experience, and the immanence of God, as being within human experience. It links the 'now not yet' notion, the notion that we already share God's life imperfectly [in sharing the humanity of Christ], but not yet fully, which is the hope to which Christian faith directs us. Using interdisciplinary insights from contemporary social science, the unit illustrates the perennial value of the lived tradition of the Church which is traced as the reflection of God's presence in our world. It develops the powerful potential of symbol and ritual as the entry point of the sacred, that point of meeting which is the goal of religion: to bring together the vision of faith and the meaning of life. This is a compulsory unit for the MATS course.
Prerequisite: Nil

TH555: Foundations of Moral Theology
This unit deals with the relationship between a person's Christian faith and the concrete decisions and choices one makes in life.  This unit will explore the meaning and structure of the moral life in the Catholic tradition - especially in the renewal of moral theology which has been underway since Vatican II - with a principal focus on developing the student's personal capacity for moral reflection.  It involves four modules: I The Nature and Meaning of Moral Theology; II The Human Person and the Moral Life; III Sources of Moral Knowledge; IV The Meaning of Moral Behaviour.
Prerequisite: Nil

THS259: Canon Law I
The initial purpose of this introductory unit is to provide sufficient historical material to acquaint students with the key concepts of Church Law as they have developed to the present time. The unit offers an overview of the geography of the Code of Canon Law of 1983 with a view to understanding how the canons developed and how they may best be understood and applied. The remaining lectures are devoted to discerning and understanding the more significant sections of the Code especially as they relate to the nature and structures of the Church.
Prerequisite: TH101

THS359: Canon Law II
Canon Law II builds upon understandings established in Canon Law I. Its purpose is to equip those who undertake it with a deeper awareness of the nuances of Canon Law, especially with a view to ministry. The unit deals with further aspects of Book II of the Code including the Canon Law relating to Associations of the Faithful, Consecrated Life and the Canon Law of Marriage. It puts forward a definition of Marriage enriched by Conciliar teaching which includes the requirements for a valid Marriage. Matrimonial impediments, appropriate norms for marriage preparation and factors relating to marriage annulment are dealt with at some depth. The Law on Temporal Goods is covered as is the law on Procedures.  The aim of the unit is to ensure that those who undertake it develop a proficiency in understanding Canon Law within a pastoral context.
Prerequisite: TH259