TRS 128
The Trinity
Instructor: Dr. Anne M. Carpenter
E-Mail: ac42@stmarys-ca.edu
Overview
Materials
This course is dedicated to exploring the history and thought of the Christian
doctrine of God, that is, the Christian belief in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer
Karl Rahner, The Trinity
Neil Ormerod, The Trinity: Retrieving
Western Tradition
Requirements
This class consists in a mixture of lecture, class discussion, presentations, and
papers.
Evaluation
Your grade will consist in the following:
(1) Attendance
(2) Participation
(3) Presentations
(4) Quizzes
(5) Essays
Milestones
02.19.14
First Quiz
03.03.14
Second Quiz
03.21.14
First Paper Due
04.07.14
Third Quiz
04.30.14
Fourth Quiz
05.19.14
Final Paper Due
Special thanks to my colleague, Dr. Tom Poundstone, who helped me to shape my syllabus.
The Trinity
1
Department Learning Outcomes
1.
2.
3.
Demonstrate an understanding of the Christian theological tradition through an exploration of specific topics in theology
Demonstrate an ability to employ contemporary theories and methods of theology and/or religious studies in analyzing
religious beliefs, texts, and/or practices;
Demonstrate an ability to explain, analyze, and evaluate multiple informed perspectives in debates about theological
issues;
Theological Explorations Learning Outcomes
1.
2.
Demonstrate an understanding of one or more aspects of Christian tradition and/or another religious tradition or
traditions, acquired through focused study in a sub-field of theology or religious studies; and
Demonstrate an ability to explore religious questions from a believer’s point of reference and from the critical perspective
of the academy.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to…
1.
Describe the history of the development and controversy over the Christian theology of the Trinity, especially through the
first four ecumenical councils.
2.
Articulate the major philosophical innovations that theologians accomplished in order to express a theology of the Trinity,
both in Greek Platonic and Latin scholastic reflection.
3.
Describe and reflect on the importance of worship in driving both the controversy over God and the resulting theology of
the Trinity, and how worship remains important into the present age.
4.
Summarize and respond to one of the major critiques that modern theology offers to “classical” theologies of the Trinity.
Accommodations
Reasonable and appropriate accommodations for individuals with qualifying disabilities are extended through the office of Student
Disability Services. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services at (925) 631-4358 to set up a
confidential appointment to discuss accommodation guidelines and available services.
Additional information regarding the services available may be found - See more at: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/node/3342
Attendance
Daily attendance and engaged class participation are necessary for learning in this class. Attendance will be determined in the first
few minutes of class. If you arrive late, check with me after class to make sure I’ve marked you present for at least part of the class.
If you miss class entirely, be sure to send me a note. As for what you missed, always check with your classmates.
Beginning with the fourth absence, one third-of a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade from the class, i.e., an “A-“
will be lowered to a “B+,” a “B” to a “B-,” etc. An additional third will be taken off for the fifth absence. Any more than five
absences – for any reason – will result in automatic failure for the semester regardless of academic performance on tests and papers.
(These deductions are automatic and only taken after your grade for the semester is calculated.) If you need to miss this many
classes for medical reasons, you should consult the college’s guidelines for medical withdrawal.
If, on the other hand, you achieve perfect attendance, you may submit a short, one-page reflection paper and have your
participation score boosted by a third of its total at the end of the semester.
The Trinity
2
Participation
Class participation will be based on your involvement in classroom discussion, your work with your classmates, conversations with
the professor, and the quality of your other efforts. If you achieve perfect attendance, your participation score will be boosted by a
third of its total at the end of the semester.
Discussions and Assignments
I will be requiring two presentations from you on readings that we do in the class, determined through a sign-up sheet I will hand
out to you (see below). Through these assignments, you will help to facilitate discussion and understandings of our various
challenging readings in class. I will be posting an outline of this small presentation assignment on Moodle.
Exams (?!)
There will be NO EXAMS IN THIS COURSE! I love experimenting with new teaching strategies, and it seems to me that exams
often stress out students for no reason and fail to assist them in learning, especially in theology. So, this semester, there will be no
exams. Instead, we will have class discussions, presentations, and essays. We will also have a few quizzes on vocabulary that is
important to the subject of the course.
The Books Assigned Are Hard To Read
I have assigned books and readings that are in full use by modern scholars of theology, and so they are advanced texts that will be a
challenge for us. This is one reason I try to make my reading assignments short. The choice to use these texts is a deliberate one: I
think you are smart, and I think you can do this. I also think it is important to grow accustomed to reading difficult texts. It is
important not to feel intimidated when you do not know all the words on the page. After the end of this class, it is my hope that
you will never be “afraid” of any book again.
Central Assignments: Two Essays
There will be two short essays for this course. The first essay will be a short essay about yourself, exploring the topic of who you
want to be. The essay asks you to articulate, in clear and fluid paragraphs, who you are striving to be in five years and why. What
does this say about you, where you are at, and how you imagine your future? The grade here will not be an evaluation of your
ideas, but an evaluation of how you express those ideas. It is often most difficult to talk about ourselves to someone who does not
know us well. Here our introduction to good writing will challenge you to be articulate about yourself.
The second essay will ask you to consider the content of this course and to evaluate how another scholar uses it. You will be given
the option of choosing Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Karl Rahner (all texts you will already have for
the class) and evaluating how their ideas are employed by the scholar Neil Ormerod in his book The Trinity: Retrieving the Western
Tradition (another assigned text). Here the challenge will be to understand what we have read in class, and to judge in what ways
Dr. Ormerod understands, or fails to understand, those readings.
For each assignment, I will always give you a rubric and guide to help you.
Central Assignments: Two Presentations
You will be asked to give two presentations in this course to evaluate how well you are understanding the reading, and how well
you can help your classmates understand our readings. I will be handing out a sign-up sheet with all of the class readings listed.
You are to choose two – keep in mind your schedule for the semester – and prepare a presentation on these readings to be given in
front of the class. I will also hand out a rubric and an instruction sheet for your presentations, to help you along with them. During
your presentations, I will be asking the class to fill out short evaluation forms that will be a part of your grade for the presentation
(along with my comments and grading).
The Trinity
3
Classroom Rules
The cardinal rule is simple: respect. I don’t mean respect for myself. If I don’t earn it, I don’t deserve it. What I mean is respect for
your classmates, for the educational process, and for the environment. This calls for a fundamental sensitivity and a basic respect
for politeness and civility, crucial components to an environment which will allow us to have robust and challenging discussions
without offending each other. Here are a few tangible examples:
-
Don’t pack up early. Let me state this simply but directly: it is rude. This rule matters greatly to me. Please don’t create a
situation where I think that I should remind you about it.
No food in the classroom. You may bring a drink, and make sure to clean up when you are leaving the classroom.
Show up on time.
Be prepared for the class.
No Cell Phones, Laptops, iPads, and Other Electronic Devices
Since cell phones and other electronic devices not directly related to classroom learning are distracting to everyone, they are not to
be used during class sessions unless explicit permission has been granted. Period. Please turn off cell phones and put them away
rather than leave them on the desk. I never want to see a cell phone during class. Never. If you can’t live with these restrictions, let
me try to help you find another class. If you do use a cell phone in class without permission, I will send you a warning note via
email. If it happens again, I’ll simply send a note to the Registrar asking them to drop you from the class.
Assignment Weights
200 points (20%)
100 points (10%) – 25 points each
350 (35%)
…150
…200
350 (35%)
…150
…200
1000
Participation/Attendance
Quizzes (4)
Presentations (2)
…Presentation 1
…Presentation 2
Essays (2)
…Essay 1
…Essay 2
TOTAL
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
100-93%
92-90
89-87
86-83
BC+
C
C-
82-80
79-77
76-73
72-70
D+
D
DF
69-67
66-63
62-60
59-0
Assignment/Reading List
02.10
02.12
02.14
02.17
02.19**
The Trinity
Introduction/Syllabus
Biblical Roots (handout)
Deut 6:4-5; Mt 11:27, Mt 28:16-20; Jn 1:1-18; Eph 3:14-19
Philosophical Roots (handout)
God is One, Good, True, Beautiful
Historical Context: The Council of Nicea, Constantinople (handout)
Asking Questions
4
02.21
02.24
02.26
02.28
03.03**
03.05
03.07
03.10
03.12
03.14
03.17
03.19
03.21**
03.24
03.26
03.28
03.31
04.02
04.04
04.07**
04.09
04.11
04.14
04.16
04.18
04.21
04.23
04.25
04.28
04.30**
05.02
05.05
05.07
05.09
05.12
05.14
05.16
The Trinity
Jean Leclercq, “The meaning of life” (handout)
Online Quiz: Beginning Vocabulary
The Holy Spirit
Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit: Chapters 1, 6, 9-10
Distinction and Unity in God
Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit: Chapters 16-18
God as Mystery
Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit: Chapter 20
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: 46-48, 50-51
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: “The necessity of contemplation”
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: The axiomatic unity of the ‘immanent’ and
‘economic’ Trinity
Online Quiz: Vocabulary, Concepts
Augustine, On the Holy Trinity: summary of main argument (handout)
Augustine, On the Holy Trinity: psychological analogy (handout)
CLASS CANCELLED
Thomas Aquinas: God’s existence, simplicity, goodness
Writing Workshop: First Essay
Thomas Aquinas: Person
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: Problems With the Concept of Person
Thomas Aquinas: The Father
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: The Father’s Role
Thomas Aquinas: The Son
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: The Son’s Role
First essay due (through Moodle)
Thomas Aquinas: The Holy Spirit
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: The Spirit’s Role
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: The isolation of Trinitarian doctrine Hans
Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: contemplation, totality
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: contemplation, liturgy
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: contemplation, freedom
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: contemplation, eschatology
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: a systematic summary
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: consequences for deeper understanding
Quiz: Vocabulary, Concepts
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: The Word Made Flesh
Karl Rahner, The Trinity: The Incarnation as ‘instance”
NO CLASS – EASTER BREAK
NO CLASS – EASTER BREAK
NO CLASS – EASTER BREAK
NO CLASS – EASTER BREAK
Flannery O’Connor, “Temple of the Holy Ghost”
John Wesley, “On the Trinity”
Neil Ormerod, The Trinity: Introduction
Christian monotheism and its opposition to violence (Part 1)
Quiz: Vocabulary, Concepts
Christian monotheism and its opposition to violence (Part 2)
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: Triune life
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: Word and transformation
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer: The Word as judgment and salvation
Karl Barth on the Trinity
Class Combined Project: Responding to a Video on God
Writing Workshop: Final Essay
Final Essay due Monday of Finals Week: 5/19/14
5
Six Reflections on Grading
First, though effort is noted, appreciated, and admired, grades are based on achievement, not effort.
Second, I am opposed to the idea of extra credit.
Third, I view final grades like the financial statements on which CEO’s are required to sign. My signature on the grade sheet is my
certification to the world that you have demonstrated a particular level of competency. To give a student a higher or lower grade
than what she or he has demonstrated would be an act of fraud on anyone who might ever look at that transcript. As a result, there
are no courtesy grades. Your grade in this class serves as my certification that you understand the material and have demonstrated
that at a particular level.
Fourth, I view the meaning of letter grades in their traditional sense: “A” reflects exceptional academic performance; “B” reflects
very good academic performance; “C” indicates satisfactory academic performance; “D” is marginal academic performance,
deficient in several areas; “F” does not merit academic credit.
Fifth, when I grade essay assignments, for example, I begin by presuming your grade is somewhere between a “B-” and a “C+”. To
the extent that it is above average, the grade it deserves climbs the scale. I don’t begin by presuming the paper is an “A+” which
then needs to have every point deduction accounted for. I will always give you a rubric so that you know what above satisfactory ©
would look like, and what above average (B or A) work would look like.
Sixth, I strongly support the Academic Honor Code. Sometimes it takes true courage, but academic integrity is what is called for,
period. Learn to face the blank page, and encourage your friends to do the same. Take pride in your own words and your own
work. That is the best method for true academic growth.
The Honor Code
As a Christian institution committed to the care and education of the whole person, Saint Mary’s has an obligation to embody and
foster the values of honesty and integrity. Saint Mary’s College expects every member of its community to show and adhere to the
Academic Honor Code. According to the Code, “Academic dishonesty is a serious violation of College policy because, among
other things, it undermines the bonds of trust and honesty between members of the community.” For more information, please
consult the Student Handbook at http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/your-safety-resources/student-handbook.
The Trinity
6