This course introduces students to the methods and principles that guide the Church’s interpretation of Scripture. Analyzing works of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, recent papal and magisterial documents, and the instructions of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the course forms students to interpret the biblical text in a way that attends to the implications of both its divine and its human authorship.

The purpose of this course is to give an in-depth introduction to the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah. Questions of authorship, dating, and composition will be considered, but emphasis will be given to understanding how these ancient Hebrew texts work literarily. After studying the rhetorical strategy of these foundational narratives and laws, the student will be introduced to the major theological themes found in the Torah and how those these themes have been interpreted in Christian tradition.

This course introduces students to the lives and literature of the biblical prophets. Starting with an introduction to the historical development of the phenomenon of prophecy in Israel and its relation to prophetic activity and writing among other peoples of the ancient Near East, this course will survey the Major and Minor prophets, including Lamentations and Baruch. For each prophetic book, students will consider its historical context, rhetorical goals, literary techniques, critical issues, theological implications, and application to Christian life today. 

Students will examine the historical background, literary provenance, and poetic purposes of the diverse books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Sirach, and Wisdom. In addition to form-critical and compositional concerns, the course will treat the function of the Psalms in the cult of ancient Israel, the social role and development of wisdom literature in the life of post-exilic Judaism, the Christological interpretation of the Psalms in the New Testament, and the use of Psalms in Jewish and Christian traditions of prayer. 

This course analyzes the literary, historical, and theological issues involved with the study of the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. After examining questions regarding the authorship, dating, and context of the Synoptic Gospels, as well as their relationship to one another, it will offer in-depth look at their accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus, with special consideration of Christological titles, miracles, parables of the Kingdom, the Sermon on the Mount, and the eschatological discourses. The course also considers how the Acts of the Apostles continues the story begun in Luke.

The letters of Paul are vitally important sources for Christian theology and the history of the earliest Church. This course surveys Paul’s letters and the book of Acts to introduce the apostle’s life, his letters and their content, and to contextualize them within Paul’s broader theological vision. Students are trained to think through critical issues involved with the study of Paul and his letters, as well as their legacy in Christian theology.

This course examines the literary, historical, and theological issues relating to the study of Johannine Literature. The course begins with an examination of the contents of the Fourth Gospel. After studying key background issues (authorship, dating, provenance, genre, and literary structure), students enter into a close reading of the Gospel. Following this, the course turns to examine the background and contents of the Johannine Epistles, with special attention to the question of the relationship of these letters to the Gospel. 

This course considers the Church’s catholicity and apostolicity in the patristic period, in an approach that is simultaneously historical and theological. Students will attend to historical contexts but also seek to discern how the Church and its members manifest within history the supernatural life that is theirs by the gift of the Spirit (Lumen gentium 7). That life is sustained in varying historical settings by doctrinal fidelity, sacramental communion, and hierarchical politeia—that is, by the “visible bonds of communion” (CCC 815). 

The Church recognizes in the Fathers and Doctors a capacity “to penetrate to the very innermost meaning of the divine word” and celebrates the “almost inexhaustible riches” contained in their works of biblical interpretation (Divino afflante Spiritu 28, 29). Students will gain insight into the hermeneutical principles that animate, guide, restrain, and lend coherence to classical biblical interpretation, and they will consider how these principles might inform and enrich their own efforts to read and interpret Sacred Scripture “in the sacred spirit in which it was written” (Dei Verbum 12).

This course will explore the role of disciplined reflection on the word of God in three key areas: (1) the Liturgy, especially the Eucharistic liturgy, the Lectionary, and the Liturgy of the Hours; (2) the Christian spiritual life, especially the prayerful reading of Scripture known as lectio divina; and (3) the Church’s mission, especially the teaching of theology. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between the interior life and the theological apostolate, as well as the ecclesial vocation of the theologian. 

These courses focus on the “common” or “Koine” Greek of the Septuagint and New Testament, with occasional supplementary exercises drawn from classical authors. After close instruction in the grammar, vocabulary, and syntax of ancient Greek, students will proceed to the translation and analysis of ancient and biblical texts. Our aim will be to read and translate whole passages from the New Testament, along with some passages from the Septuagint and Apostolic Fathers. 

These courses introduce students to the grammar, vocabulary, and syntax of biblical Hebrew. Students will learn the basic differences between Semitic and western languages as well as the proper pronunciation of Hebrew words. By the end of the two-part sequence, students will be able to translate biblical texts with the help of a lexicon.

Students take two elective courses from a slate of regularly-offered exegetical courses on the Historical Books of the Old Testament, Apocalyptic Literature, the Catholic Epistles, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Additional options, with the consent of the program’s director, include advanced courses in theology, directed readings courses, or an independent study dedicated to the writing of a Master’s thesis.

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