Theology and History of Religion
Survey of Eastern Christian Tradition (REL-01)
Lecturer: Oleh Kindiy, PhD
Credits: 3 credits / 90 academic hours (30 classroom hours)
This course offers a survey of theological, historical and cultural specificity of the Eastern Christian Churches (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic). Thematic approach covers such topics as Eastern Christian Scriptural Tradition, Liturgy, Soteriology, Spirituality, Eschatology, and Theology of Creation.
Spirituality of the Christian East (Evagrius, Maximus, and Gregory Palamas) (REL-02)
Lecturer: Oleh Kindiy, PhD
Credits: 3 credits / 90 academic hours (30 classroom hours)
The goal of the course is to familiarize the audience with the depth and wealth of the Eastern Christian Spirituality through the texts of several outstanding theologians of the Byzantine period. Evagrius Ponticus, Maximus the Confessor and Gregory Palamas represent a synthesis of traditions of the eremitic Fathers, who lived in Egyptian and Palestinian deserts, and the high ranking intellectuals of Constantinople.
Eastern Orthodox Theology of the 20th Century: Neopatristic Synthesis and Sophiology (REL-03)
Lecturer: Roman Zaviyskyy, PhD
Credits: 2 credits / 60 academic hours (16 classroom hours)
The Greek-Catholic Church after the Second World War: from the liquidation to the legalization (REL-04)
Lecturer: Svitlana Hurkina
Credits: 2 credits / 60 academic hours (16 classroom hours)
The course examines the history of the Greek Catholic Church in the second half of the 20th century. The main focus will be given to the case of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the Soviet Union, which underwent liquidation on the institutional level by the Soviet authorities, went through the persecutions of its clergy, religious and believers, survived through the “catacomb” way, and developed a strong movement for its legalization, which succeeded. For comparison we will look at the cases of the Greek Catholic Churches in Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia.
Eastern-Christian Theology of Icons (REL-05)
Lecturer: Taras Tymo, PhD
Credits: 3 credits / 90 academic hours (30 classroom hours)
This course examines theology and history of pictorial art in the Eastern Church. Considerable emphasis is given to the Eastern Christian understanding of the role of the icon in liturgy and private prayer. A comparative study is made between the main trends of Eastern and Western religious pictorial art.