boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
graduate program
theology
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welcome to graduate theology
B
oston College offers exceptional resources
for Catholic and ecumenical study of
all fields of theology. The Theology
Department provides students with the knowledge
and skills necessary for reasoned reflection on
their own values, faith and tradition, as well as
on the religious forces that shape our society and
world. Boston College offers unusual resources
for a Catholic and ecumenical study of all of
the areas of theology. Not only is the Theology
Department considered one of the foremost such
departments in the country, but the city of Boston
is one of the richest environments in the world
for the study of theology.
Seminary. This consortium offers complete
cross-registration in several hundred courses,
the use of library facilities in the 10 schools, joint
seminars and programs and faculty exchange
programs (bostontheological.org).
program
overview
Ph.D. Program
The Boston Theological Institute (BTI), a consortium of theology faculties primarily in the
Boston-Newton-Cambridge area, has as its constituent members the following institutions:
Andover-Newton Theological School, the Boston
College Department of Theology, the Boston
College School of Theology and Ministry, Boston
University School of Theology, Episcopal Divinity
School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
Harvard Divinity School, Hebrew College, Holy
Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary and St. John’s
The goal of the doctoral program in theology is the
formation of theologians who excel intellectually in the
church, the academy and society. It is confessional in
nature and envisions theology as “faith seeking understanding.” Accordingly, the program aims at nourishing
a community of faith, scholarly conversation and research and teaching centered in the study of Christian
life and thought, past and present, in ways that contribute to this goal. It recognizes that creative theological
discussion and specialized research today require serious
and in-depth appropriation of the great philosophical
and theological traditions of the past, as well as ecumenical, interdisciplinary, inter-religious and cross-cultural
cooperation.
contents
Students in the doctoral program focus their studies in
one of five major areas—Historical Theology/History
of Christianity, Systematic Theology, Biblical Studies,
Theological Ethics or Comparative Theology. The faculty
in each major area determine requirements regarding
course distribution, language requirements, comprehensive examinations and minors. A minimum of two
years of full-time course work is normally required. Doctoral students in our program typically serve as teaching
assistants during their second and third years in our program and as teaching fellows during their fifth year.
AreAs of speciAlizAtion
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Program Overview
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Faculty
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Courses
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Outcomes
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Academic Resources
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Student Life &
Campus Resources
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Admission & Financial
Information
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The Historical Theology/History of Christianity (HT/HC)
area studies past theological reflection on the faith and
practice of the Church, with a particular focus on early
and medieval Christianity. The HT/HC area strives to
appreciate these theological expressions both within their
immediate historical contexts (social, cultural, institutional) and within the broader trajectories of theological
development in the Christian tradition.
Proceeding from the conviction that faith and reason
are complementary, the program explores the contributions of philosophical thought, both past and present.
It includes a strong social ethics component as well
as offerings in other areas of applied ethics. The exploration of contemporary ethics is set in a critical, historical
perspective and encourages attention to the global and
multicultural character of the Christian community.
Systematic Theology is the contemporary intellectual reflection on the content of divine revelation as an inter- related
whole. The Systematics faculty seeks to develop the student’s ability to treat theological material systematically
and constructively; that is, according to a method that
attends to the coherence and interconnectedness of the
elements of the Christian tradition. The necessary role of
historical, dogmatic and descriptive theological activity is
thereby acknowledged.
Comparative Theology prepares students for careful
theological reflection, usually from a Christian perspective, on non-Christian religions in their particularity
and on their significance for theology. Comparative
Theology entails the study of one or more religious
traditions in addition to one’s own, as well as critical
reflection on one’s own tradition in light of the other
tradition or traditions. Students are expected to acquire a
significant understanding of a major non-Christian
religion as well as a critical method used in the study
of religions; for example, philosophy of religion, comparative religion or history of religions.
The Systematics area attends to the systematic and
constructive elucidation of the Christian faith within a
contemporary setting. Systematic theology emphasizes
the inter-relationships that exist among central theological
themes and topics while being sensitive to the sociocultural contexts and dynamics within which these issues
emerge.
The Biblical Studies area focuses on the canonical books of
the Bible, both within their historical and cultural worlds
and in relation to their reception within the Christian
and Jewish traditions. All students acquire a thorough
competency in both the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and
the New Testament, including competency in Hebrew,
Aramaic and Greek. Students may learn other ancient
languages and literatures as their research requires. The
comprehensive exams cover the whole Bible, with
emphasis on either the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible or
the New Testament, and include a specialized exam in an
area of study pertinent to the student’s dissertation.
Theological Ethics includes the ecumenical study of major
Roman Catholic and Protestant ethicists and attends to
the Biblical foundations and theological contexts of ethics.
Like all other areas of theology, Comparative Theology’s
ultimate horizon is knowledge of God, the transcendent
or the nature of ultimate reality; it aims to be constructive theology. The practitioner, while rooted in one
tradition (in this program, normally Christianity),
becomes deeply affected by systematic, consistent
attention to the details of one or more other religious
and theological traditions, thereby informing continuing
theological reflection upon his or her own tradition. It
is this focused attention to the distinctive details of
different traditions that distinguishes Comparative
Theology from the Theology of Religions, but also opens
the possibility of a newly and more deeply informed
Theology of Religions.
In turn, this study is brought into dialogue with
some particular theme or topic of study in Christian
Theology, and articulated in light of a Theology of
Religions. Students in this area are thus prepared to take
up a wide range of research projects and also to teach
one or more religious traditions in addition to chosen
areas of Christian Theology.
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program
overview
M.A. Joint Program in Philosophy
and Theology
If you have questions and interests that lead you into
both philosophy and theology, or would like to deepen
your understanding of each field by opening it to the
other, you might consider pursuing an M.A. in philosophy and theology at Boston College.
Drawing on the resources of major departments and
distinguished authorities in each field, and situated at
the heart of a prominent Jesuit, Catholic university, this
program is structured around distinct concentrations
that address major areas of common concern to the two
fields, and explores their historical, systematic and
disciplinary relations. Students develop a program of
study in discussion with an academic advisor and take
courses in the standard graduate programs offered
by the Philosophy and Theology departments. Concentrations include: Faith, Science and Philosophy;
Foundations in Philosophy and Theology; Medieval Philosophy and Theology; and Philosophy and Religions.
This program is designed to address the various
interests of students who wish to augment graduate
study of philosophy with greater exposure to theology
or graduate study of theology with greater exposure to
philosophy; plan to teach or are currently teaching in
private secondary schools; or simply feel in need of
intellectual enrichment.
faculty profiles
stephen f. brown
Professor
Ph.D., Université de Louvain
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Medieval philosophy and theology, especially 13th and
14th centuries
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Philosophical Debates at Paris in the Early Fourteenth Century
(Brill, 2009).
 Historical Dictionary of Medieval Philosophy and Theology
(Scarecrow Press, 2005).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: An edition of Latin text
of Richard Fishacre’s Commentarium in Primum Librum
Sententiarum (Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2010).
lisa sowle cahill
J. Donald Monan Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Method in theological ethics; New Testament and ethics;
Christology and ethics; ethics of sex and gender; bioethics;
ethics of war and peacemaking; social ethics, common good and
globalization; Catholic social teaching
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Gender and Christian Ethics.” In Cambridge Companion to
Christian Ethics (2nd ed.), ed. R. Gill (Cambridge University
Press, 2011), 103-116.
 Theological Bioethics: Justice, Participation and Change
(Georgetown University Press, 2005).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: A book on fundamental
theological ethics.
jeffrey l. cooley
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Hebrew Bible in its ancient Near Eastern context; calendars;
Sabbath; the intersection of ancient scholarship and literature;
divination in the ancient Near East; myth and method; intercultural contact in the ancient Mediterranean
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East: The Reflexes of
Celestial Science in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite
Narrative. HACL 5, Winona Lake. Eisenbrauns, 2013.
 “Celestial Divination in Ugarit and Ancient Israel: A
Reappraisal.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 71 (2012), 21-30.
 “Astral Religion in Ugarit and Ancient Israel.” Journal of Near
Eastern Studies, 70 (2011), 281-87.
 “The Story of Saul’s Election (1 Sam 9-10) in Light of
Mantic Practice in Ancient Iraq.” Journal of Biblical Literature,
130 (2011), 247-61.
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boyd taylor coolman
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
RESEARCH INTERESTS
History of Christian theology, particularly in the medieval
period; life and thought of the Victorines in the first half of the
12th century and in developments in early 13th-century scholastic
theology at the Universities of Paris and Oxford
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Hugh of St. Victor’s Influence on the Halensian Definition
of Theology.” Franciscan Studies, 70 (2012), 367-84.
 “Victorine Mysticism.” In The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to
Christian Mysticism, ed. J. Lamm. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012),
251-66.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: “Knowledge, Love, and
Ecstasy.” In Thomas Gallus in series Changing Paradigms in His
torical and Systematic Theology, eds. S. Coakley and R. Cross
(Oxford University Press, forthcoming)
m. shawn copeland
Professor
Ph.D., Boston College
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Theological and philosophical anthropology and political theology; African and African-derived religious and cultural
experience; African-American intellectual history
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Ed., Interreligious Hermeneutics (Wipf & Stock, 2010).
 The World Market and Interreligious Dialogue (Wipf & Stock,
2011).
 Ed., Interreligious Dialogue and Cultural Change (Wipf & Stock,
2012).
 Ed., Women and Interreligious Dialogue (Wipf & Stock, 2013).
 Ed., The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Methods in comparative
theology.
john a. darr
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
The New Testament, specifically, the Gospel of Luke and the
Acts of the Apostles; literarycriticism and theory; Biblical
characters and characterization; synoptic relations
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “‘Vivre pour raconter’: point de vue critique et éthique lucanienne.” In Regards croisés sur la Bible: Études sur le point de vue
(Éditions du Cerf, 2007).
 “Belittling Mary: Insult, Humiliation and Early Developments in Mariology.” In From the Margins 2: Women of the New
Testament and Their Afterlives, eds. C. Joynes and C. Rowland
(Sheffield Phoenix, 2009).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being (Fortress Press, 2010).
 The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille: The
Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality (Paulist Press, 2009).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Living to Tell the Tale: The
Ethics of Reading Luke-Acts
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Book-length manuscript on
the cross of Jesus of Nazareth and a theological commentary on
the Book of Jeremiah.
Assistant Professor
catherine cornille
Professor and Department Chairperson
Newton College Alumnae Chair in Western Culture
Ph.D., Catholic University of Leuven
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Theology of religions; the theory of interreligious dialogue;
concrete questions in the Hindu-Christian and BuddhistChristian dialogues; and the phenomenon of inculturation and
intercultural theology
doug finn
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Historical development of Augustine’s theology of the Holy
Spirit in relation to his conception of the church as both an
institution and a sacramental reality
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Hegel.” In Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of
Augustine, ed. K. Pollmann (Oxford University Press, 2013).
 “Sympathetic Philosophy: The Christian Response to Suffering according to John Chrysostom’s Commentary on Job.” In
Evil and Suffering in the Patristic Period, Holy Cross Studies in
Patristic Theology 3, ed. B. Beck (Baker Academic, forthcoming).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Augustine’s Trinitarian theology and ecclesiology; scriptural exegesis in John Chrysostom
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faculty profiles
richard r. gaillardetz
roberto s. goizueta
Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology
Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Ph.D., Marquette University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ecclesiology, Vatican II, ecumenism, authority and ministry
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Christ Our Companion: Toward a Theological Aesthetics of
Liberation (Orbis Books, 2009).
 “Christ of the Borderlands: Faith and Idolatry in an Age of
Globalization.” In Religion, Economics, and Culture in Conflict
and Conversation, eds. M. O’Connell and L. Cassidy (Orbis
Books, 2011).
 “The Preferential Option for the Poor: Christ and the Logic
of Gratuity.” In Jesus of Galilee: Contextual Christology for the 21st
Century, ed. R. Lassalle-Klein (Orbis Books, 2011).
 “Teo-drammatica come prassi di liberazione.” In La promessa
immaginata: Proposte per una teologia estetica fondamentale, eds.
S. Knauss and D. Zordan (Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna, 2011).
 “The Church: A Latino Catholic Perspective.” In In Our Own
Voices: Latino/a Renditions of Theology, ed. B. Valentín (Orbis
Books, 2010).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (with
C. Clifford) (Liturgical Press, 2012).
 Ed., When the Magisterium Intervenes: The Magisterium and
Theologians in Today’s Church (Liturgical Press, 2012).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Ecumenical perspectives on
doctrinal teaching authority and a theology of ordered ministry
yonder gillihan
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dead Sea Scrolls; Matthew and Paul; apocalypticism; Christian
origins within the context of Jewish sectarianism in the late
Second Temple period. Research methods include the
application of modern social-scientific methods to ancient
communities, with emphasis on the relationship between
voluntary associations, and local and imperial authorities.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Civic Ideology, Organization, and Law in the Rule Scrolls: A
Comparative Study of the Covenanters’ Sect and Contemporary
Voluntary Associations in Political Context.” In Studies in the
Texts of the Desert of Judah (Brill, 2012).
 “The
Who Wasn’t There: Fictional Aliens in the Damascus
Rule.” Revue de Qumran, 98 (2011), 257-305.
 “Associations.” In Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism, eds.
J. Collins and D. Harlow (Eerdmans, 2010).
 “Posture or Gesture? A Note on
/
in the Qumran
Penal Codes.” Revue de Qumran, 94 (2009), 291-96.
 “Jewish Laws on Illicit Marriage, the Defilement of Offspring,
and the Holiness of the Temple: A New Halakic Interpretation
of 1 Corinthians 7:14.” Journal of Biblical Literature, 121 (2002),
711-44.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: The community of the Dead
Sea Scrolls.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Christology, theological
aesthetics, U.S. Latino/a theology.
michael himes
Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Co-ed. with D. Dietrich. The Legacy of the Tübingen School: The
Relevance of Nineteenth-Century Theology for the Twenty-First
Century (Crossroads, 1997).
 Johann Sebastian Drey: A Brief Introduction to the Study of
Theology (translation and introduction) (University of Notre
Dame Press, 1994)
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: The Cross in public policy.
kenneth r. himes, o.f.m.
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Duke University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ethical issues in war and peacebuilding; development of
Catholic social teaching; the role of religion in American public
life; fundamental moral theology
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Christianity and the Political Order: Conflict, Cooptation, and
Cooperation (Orbis Books, 2013).
 “Divided on Torture.” America (April 18, 2011), 12-16; “Why
is Torture Wrong?” Journal for Peace and Justice Studies, 21(2)
(2011), 42-55.
 “The United States at War: Taking Stock.” Theological Studies,
71 (2010), 190-209.
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 “Peacebuilding and Catholic Social Teaching.” In Peacebuilding: Catholic Theology, Ethics, and Praxis, eds. S. Appleby,
R. Schreiter, G. Powers (Orbis Books, 2010), 265-299.
 “Torture as an Attack on the Human.” In Concilium: Human
Nature and Natural Law, eds. L. Cahill, H. Hacke and E. Metogo
(SCM Press, 2010), 118-23.
 “Caritas in Veritate in the United States.” Origins, 40(29)
(12/23/2010), 478-82.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Ethical and human rights
issues raised by humanitarian crises and the displacement of
refugees, especially in Africa.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Introductory text on
Christianity and politics.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Law, ethics and medical ethics; she serves on the masthead of
Commonweal as a regular columnist
mary ann hinsdale, i.h.m.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Law’s Virtues: Fostering Autonomy and Solidarity in American
Society (Georgetown University Press, 2012). [First place award,
“Faithful Citizenship,” Catholic Press Association.]
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ecclesiology, Christology, theological anthropology and feminist
theologies; multidisciplinary approaches to Catholic Studies;
use of participatory action research in theological reflection on
the U.S. Catholic experience; Mary Magdalene as a resource for
women’s ecclesial leadership
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “St. Mary of Magdala: Ecclesiological Provocations.” CTSA
Proceedings (2011).
 Women Shaping Theology (Paulist Press, 2006).
 “Infinite Openness to the Infinite: Karl Rahner’s Contribution to Modern Catholic Thought on the Child.” In The Child in
Christian Thought, ed. M. Bunge (Eerdmans, 2001).
 ‘It Comes from the People’: Community Development and Local
Theology (with H. Lewis and S. M. Waller) (Temple University,
1995).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Mary Magdalen and
women’s leadership in the church.
m. cathleen kaveny
Darald and Juliet Libby Professor
Ph.D., J.D., Yale University
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Prophecy without Contempt:
An Ethics of Religious Rhetoric in the Public Square.
james f. keenan, s.j.
Canisius Professor; Director of Jesuit Institute
Director; Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program
Ph.D., Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 A History of Catholic Moral Theology in the Twentieth Century:
From Confessing Sins to Liberating Consciences (Continuum, 2010).
 The Ethics of the Word: Voices in the Catholic Church Today
(Rowman and Littlefield, 2010).
 Paul and Virtue Ethics (with D. Harrington) (Rowman and
Littlefield, 2010).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: History of theological ethics.
ruth langer
david hollenbach, s.j.
Professor
University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice
Ph.D., Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati
Director, Center for Human Rights and International Justice
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Jewish liturgy and Christian-Jewish relations
Ph.D., Yale University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Foundations of Christian social ethics, especially human rights
in the context of humanitarian crises and the displacement of
refugees; theories of justice and the common good; religion in
political life
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Driven from Home: Protecting the Rights of Forced Migrants
(Georgetown University Press, 2010).
 Refugee Rights: Ethics Advocacy, and Africa (Georgetown
University Press, 2008).
 The Global Face of Public Faith: Politics, Human Rights, and
Christian Ethics (Georgetown University Press, 2003).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Cursing the Christians?: A History of the Birkat HaMinim
(Oxford University Press, 2011).
 Liturgy in the Life of the Synagogue (Eisenbrauns, 2005).
 To Worship God Properly: Tensions Between Liturgical Custom and
Halakhah in Judaism (Hebrew Union College Press, 1998).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: The functioning of memory
in Jewish liturgy.
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faculty profiles
fred lawrence
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Basel
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Lonergan’s Foundations for Constitutive Communication.”
Lonergan Workshop, 10 (1994).
 “The Fragility of Consciousness: Lonergan and the Postmodern Concern for the Other.” In Communication and Lonergan:
Common Ground for Forging the New Age (Sheed and Ward, 1993).
john j. makransky
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Indian Buddhist texts to see how doctrines of enlightenment
(buddhahood) have developed in connection with diverse forms
of Buddhist meditation; philosophical analysis and ritual
practice; theoretical and practical connections between
transcendental insight, compassion and devotion in Tibetan and
Indian Buddhist traditions; comparative Buddhist and Christian
anthropology and soteriology
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Awakening Through Love: Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness
(Wisdom Publications, 2007).
 Contributing co-ed., Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by
Contemporary Buddhist Scholars (Routledge, 2000).
 “Thoughts on Why, How and What Buddhists Can Learn
from Christian Theologians.” Journal of Buddhist-Christian
Studies, 31 (2011).
 “Buddha and Christ as Mediations of Ultimate Reality: A
Mahayana Buddhist Perspective.” In Buddhism and Christianity
in Dialogue, ed. P. Schmidt-Leukel (SCM Press England, 2005).
 “Buddhist Perspectives on Truth in Other Religions: Past and
Present.” Theological Studies Journal, 64(2) (2003), 334036.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:
Practices and doctrines of Buddhahood in Indo-Tibetan literature, drawing from ancient Buddhist contemplative practices to
inform contemporary social issues and inter-religious learning.
h. john mcdargh
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Harvard University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Psychological study of religious development; the integration
of spirituality and psychotherapy; contemporary psychoanalytic
theory and theological anthropology
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Imaging the Real: The Art of Poetry and the Art of Pastoral
Attending.” Pastoral Psychology, 60(3) (2011).
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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:
The role of shame in the dynamic of religious violence and
abuse; contributions of contemporary psychoanalytically
informed research.
gregorio montejo
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Marquette University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Theology, historical theology, philosophy, Thomas Aquinas,
Christology, biblical theology, patristics and late antiquity
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Kenosis, the Human Act of Existence, and Theandric Activity
in the Incarnate Christ According to Thomas Aquinas.” 48th
International Congress on Medieval Studies, The Medieval
Institute, Western Michigan University (May 10, 2013).
 “Trinity and Deification in Aquinas and Lonergan.” Catholic
Theological Society of America Convention, San Jose, California
(June 9, 2011).
james w. morris
Professor
Ph.D., Harvard University
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 The Reflective Heart: Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in Ibn
‘Arabi’s ‘Meccan Illuminations’ (Fons Vitae, 2005).
 Ostad Elahi: Knowing the Spirit (SUNY Press, 2007).
david mozina
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Harvard University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
How Daoist thunder rituals work, how they are imagined as
technologies for hailing, communicating with and even cajoling
thunder deities, who are charged with serving under the
command of the priest as his exorcists
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Summoning the Exorcist: The Role of Heart Seals (xinyin 心
印) in Calling Down a Demon-Quelling Deity in Contemporary
Daoist Thunder Ritual.” In Exorcism in Daoism, ed. F.C. Reiter
(Harrassowitz Verlag, 2011), 231-56.
 “Daubing Lips with Blood and Drinking Elixirs with the
Celestial Lord Yin Jiao: The Role of Thunder Deities in Daoist
Ordination in Contemporary Hunan.” Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie, 19
(2010), 269-303.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:
Quelling the Divine, which employs textual and ethnographic
methods to explore a particular thunder ritual that features the
subtle art of talisman making to hail a thunder deity.
john j. paris, s.j.
andrew prevot
Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Southern California
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Legal and medical ethics
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Prayer and spirituality; phenomenology and theology; political
and liberation theology; questions of identity; the doctrine of God
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Decision Making for Seriously Compromised Newborns: The
Importance of Exploring Cultural Differences and Unintended
Consequences” (with A.A. Penn and M.P. Moore). Journal of
Perinatology, 33 (2013), 505-8.
 “Physician Counseling, Informed Consent and Parental Decision
Making for Infants with Hypoplastic Left-heart Syndrome” (with
M.P. Moore and M.D. Schreiber). Journal of Perinatology, 32 (2012),
748-51.
 “Patenting: European Stem Cell Ruling is Misleading” (with J.B.
Green, J. Bernstein, R.M. Green, K.W. Goodman and C. Tauer).
Nature, 479, (2011), 41.
 “The Resuscitation of ‘Slow Codes’: Fraud, Lies, and Deception”
(with M.P. Moore). The American Journal of Bioethics, 11(11), (2011),
13-29.
 “Rationing: A ‘Decent Minimum’ or a ‘Consumer Driven’ Health
Care System?” The American Journal of Bioethics, 11(7), (2011), 16-18.
pheme perkins
Professor
Ph.D., Harvard University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Greco-Roman cultural setting of early Christianity; Hellenistic
philosophy; Pauline epistles; Johannine writings; Resurrection and
early Christian eschatology; Nag Hammadi corpus; Gnosticism;
Irenaeus
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Associate ed., New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd & 4th eds.), New
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible Ephesians (Abingdon Press, 1997).
 Peter: Apostle for the Whole Church (Fortress Press, 1994, 2000).
 Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels (Eerdmans, 2007).
 1 Corinthians (Baker Academic, 2012).
 Reading the New Testament (3rd ed.) (Paulist Press, 2012).
stephen j. pope
Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Christian ethics and evolutionary theory; love and justice in contemporary Christian ethics; charity and natural law in Aquinas; Roman
Catholic social teachings
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Human Evolution and Christian Ethics (Cambridge, 2007).
 Ed., Hope and Solidarity (Orbis, 2008).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Peace, justice and reconciliation;
science and ethics; natural law and the virtue of charity.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “The Aporia of Race and Identity: J. Kameron Carter and the
Future of Black Liberation Theology.” In The College Theology
Society Annual Volume 56, Religion, Economics, and Culture in
Conflict and Conversation, eds. L. Cassidy and M. O’Connell (
Orbis Books, 2011), 49-62.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Thinking Prayer: Doxology,
Spirituality, and the Crises of Modernity
brian d. robinette
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Phenomenology, hermeneutics, Mimetic theory, theological
aesthetics, mystical theology, theologies of creation
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Grammars of Resurrection: A Christian Theology of Presence and
Absence (Herder & Herder, 2009).
 “The Difference Nothing Makes: Creatio ex nihilo, the
Resurrection, and Divine Gratuity.” Theological Studies, 72
(2011), 525-57.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:
A book-length project on the theology of creation.
margaret a. schatkin
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Fordham University; Th.D., Princeton Theological Seminary
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Critical edition of works of Chrysostom, patristic bibliography,
patristic theology
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Diakonia and the Christology of St. John Chrysostom.” In
Διακονία, diaconiae, diaconato: semantica e storia nei Padri della
Chiesa. XXXVIII Incontro di studiosi dell’ antichità cristiana. Roma,
7-9 maggio (2009). Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum, 117.
(Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, 2010), 295-305.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Translation of John
Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, including fresh translation,
annotations and brief introduction, for a subseries of volumes
translating Chrysostom’s exegetical homilies on the New
Testament, edited by Wendy Mayer et al., to be published as part
of Writings from the Greco-Roman World (WGRW) by The Society of Biblical Literature.
8
faculty profiles
david vanderhooft
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Harvard University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Hebrew Scriptures, especially the Former and Latter Prophets;
historical, cultural, theological and comparative analyses of
ancient Israel’s literature; the relationship between Israel and
the ancient empires of Assyria and Babylonia
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 The Yehud Stamp Impressions: A Corpus of Inscribed Impressions from the Persian and Hellenistic Periods in Judah (with
O, Lipschits). (Eisenbrauns, 2011). [Winner, 2012 G. Ernest
Wright Prize, American Schools of Oriental Research.]
 “Habak- kuk.” In The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the
Bible, ed. M. Coogan (Oxford University Press, 2011).
 “el-m¬dînâ ûm¬dînâ kiktabah: Scribes and Scripts in
Yehud and in Achaemenid Transeuphratene.” In The Judeans
in the Achaemenid Age: Negotiating Identity in an International
Context, eds. G.N. Knoppers, O. Lipschits and M. Oeming
(Eisenbrauns, 2011).
 “Twenty-Seven New Yehud Stamp Impressions from the
2008 Excavation Season at Ramat- Raùel” (with O. Lipschits,
Y. Gadot and M. Oeming). MAARAV 16(1), (2009), 7-28.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:
Habakkuk: A Critical Commentary (Hermeneia: Augsburg Fortress Press).
james m. weiss
T
he combined and varied interests of the faculty,
as indicated in the faculty profiles, ensure that
the department offers a wide variety of graduate course
electives. While the number and content of the
graduate electives varies from year to year, the following
list is illustrative of the range of courses offered.
fAll 2015
Methods in theology
copeland
Dev theo scientific study
Brown
christian ethics
cahill
natural law
pope
Authority of scripture
perkins
faith, Morality and law
Kaveny
theology: Mystical turn
prevot
Dead sea scrolls
Gillihan
ethics of War and peacemaking
Himes
theology of religions
cornille
Daoism
Mozina
HiV/Aid and ethics
Keenan
Women and the church
Hinsdale
encountering the Qur’An
Morris
sprinG 2016
contemporary ecclesiologies
Gaillardetz
Associate Professor
Aquinas pneumatology
Montejo
Director and Founder, Boston College Capstone Vocational
Discernment Seminar Program
Bonaventures Breviloquium
Brown
psychotherapy and spirituality
McDargh
Consultant on Religion, Plymouth Plantation
Graeca
perkins
Ph.D., The University of Chicago
theology of schillebeeckx
Hinsdale
feminist theology and ethics
cahill
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Humanist Biography in Renaissance Italy and Reformation
Germany: Friendship and Rhetoric (Ashgate, 2010).
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT: Spirituality of contemporary work, career and calling; history of the College
of Cardinals.
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courses
law and religion
Kaveny
scribes scribalism script
cooley
philosophy/church fathers
schatkin
Grace and freedom
lawrence
Akkadian: old Babylonian
Vanderhooft
passover/Midrash and talmud
langer
outcomes
Recent Dissertations
2013-2014
laboure college
2014-2015
Thomas F. Burke, “self-emptying
love: Kenosis, sacraments and
the church”
lincoln christian college
Benjamin Durheim, “christ’s Gift,
our response: Martin luther
and louis-Marie chauvet on the
connection Between sacraments
and ethics”
Manhattan college
Michael Jaycox, “righteous Anger
and Virtue ethics: A contemporary
reconstruction of Anger in service
to Justice”
Merrimack college
Stanislaus Subba Reddy Alla, “care
and Access: catholic and Hindu
Approaches to ethics in Healthcare”
Anthony P. Coleman, “lactantius and
the Doctrine of providence”
Christopher R. Conway, “liberative
service: A comparative theological
reflection on Dalit theology’s
service and swami Vivekananda’s
seva”
Jeremy V. Cruz, “social equality
in recent catholic social thought:
toward an ethic of Global
social equality”
Matthew Kruger, “the freedom
of the Mind for God: reflexivity
and spiritual exercises in
thomas Aquinas”
John P. Edwards, “Developing a
‘theology in the order of Discovery’:
the Method and contribution of
James Alison”
Emma O’Donnell, “the liturgical
transformation of time: Memory
and eschatological Anticipation in
christian and Jewish liturgy”
Conor M. Kelly, “service and Justice,
peace and solidarity: theology and
ethics for Work and leisure”
Autumn Alcott Ridenour, “Union
With christ for the Aging: A
consideration of Aging and Death
in the theology of st. Augustine and
Karl Barth”
Nicole L. Reibe, “preaching
participation: the theology of
Achard of st. Victor”
Recent Placements
Andrew B. Salzmann, “the Holy
spirit and the life of the christian
According to Hugh of st. Victor:
Dator Et Donum, Cordis Omne
Bonum”
the theology Department takes an
active role helping students search
for attractive academic positions.
our recent students’ placements
have included:
Jennifer S. Wade, “resisting
Violence through the Meditative
Body: A theological Anthropology
of transformational Anger in Judith
Butler and The Revelations of
Divine Love”
Glenn Willis, “Drive All Blames into
one: rhetorics of ‘self-Blame’ and
refuge in tibetan Buddhist Lojong,
nietzsche and the Desert fathers”
loyola Marymount
Marion court college
Marquette University
Marymount University
University of portland
rivier college
sacred Heart University
saint Anselm college
saint leo University
saint patrick’s seminary
and University
seattle University
University of san francisco
University of scranton
Villanova University
Xavier University
Yale Divinity school
Raymond Ward, “collectives in
christian ethics: A study of reinhold
niebuhr and Jacques Maritain”
Robert J. Rivera, “A christology of
liberation in an Age of Globalization
and exclusion: the contributions
of Jon sobrino and edward
schillebeeckx”
Brian Traska, “philosophy as
faith seeking Understanding: An
interpretation of Bernard lonergan’s
1972 lectures on philosophy of God
and systematic theology”
loras college
Barry University
carroll college
catholic theological Union
college of the Holy cross
creighton University
Duquesne University
emmanuel college
fairfield University
fontbonne University
Gonzaga University
Heythop college
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morrissey college of arts & sciences
T
he oldest and largest of the University’s eight
schools and colleges, the Morrissey College
of Arts and Sciences offers graduate programs
in the humanities, social sciences and natural
sciences, leading to the degrees of Doctor of
Philosophy, Master of Arts and Master of Science.
In addition, numerous dual-degree options are
offered in cooperation with the Carroll School of
Management, the Boston College Law School,
the Lynch School of Education and the Graduate
School of Social Work.
With approximately 1,000 students and 400 fulltime faculty, the Graduate School is small enough
to know you as a person, but large enough to
serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life and
satisfying career.
Academic Resources
tHe institUte of MeDieVAl pHilosopHY
AnD tHeoloGY
Boston College’s Institute of Medieval Philosophy and
Theology unites the teaching and research efforts of faculty
members in the Theology and Philosophy departments.
The focus of the institute is on the relationship between
medieval philosophy and theology and modern continental
philosophy and theology.
tHe lonerGAn center
The Lonergan Center at Boston College fosters studies
related to the work of the Jesuit theologian and philosopher
Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984). Inaugurated in 1986, the
center houses a growing collection of Lonergan’s published
and unpublished writings, as well as secondary materials
and reference works; it also serves as a seminar and meeting room. The center is located in Bapst Library. Boston
College sponsors an annual Lonergan Workshop, which
provides resources, lectures and workshops. For more information, call 617-552- 8095 or visit bclonergan.org.
tHe Boston colleGe scHool of tHeoloGY AnD
MinistrY
Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry (STM)
offers its students opportunities for comprehensive
graduate theological education and spiritual formation for
ministry. The School of Theology and Ministry offers an array of academic, theological, spiritual and pastoral courses
for ministry, academic specialization and continuing education in faith.
tHe Boston tHeoloGicAl institUte
The Boston Theological Institute (BTI) allows graduate
students to cross-register at Andover-Newton Theological
School, Boston University School of Theology, Episcopal
Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
Harvard Divinity School, Hebrew College, Holy Cross
College (Greek Theology School) and St. John’s Seminary.
Boston AreA consortiUM
The concentration of the Philosophy and Theology
departments at Boston College lies in modern continental
thought, so the context for carrying on a dialogue between
medieval and modern philosophy and theology is well
established. To foster this dialogue and encourage the
scholarly retrieval of the great medieval intellectual tradition, the institute offers fellowships and assistantships and
sponsors speakers programs and a faculty-student seminar
to investigate new areas of medieval philosophical and
theological research. The institute also runs a research
center to assist in the publication of monographs and
articles in the diverse areas of medieval philosophy and theology, and encourages the translation of medieval sources
and the editing of philosophical and theological texts. For
more information, call 617-552-0436.
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The Boston Area Consortium allows graduate students to
cross-register for courses at Boston University, Brandeis
University and Tufts University.
Boston colleGe liBrAries
The University is home to eight libraries, containing 2.87
million volumes; more than 700 manuscript collections,
including music, photos, art and artifacts; 440,000 ebooks; and more than 600 electronic databases. O’Neill
Library, Boston College’s main library, offers subjectspecialist librarians to help with research, to set up alerts
to new publications in areas of interest and to answer any
research- and library-related questions.
tHe Boston liBrArY consortiUM
The Boston Library Consortium allows Boston College
students access to millions of volumes and other services at
19 area institutions in addition to the world-class resources
available through the Boston College Library System.
student life & campus resources
B
Boston College is located on the edge of one
of the world’s most vibrant cities. Just six
miles from downtown Boston—an exciting and
dynamic place to live and learn—Boston College
is an easy car or “T” ride away from a booming
center for trade, finance, research and education.
Home to some of New England’s most
prestigious cultural landmarks, including the
Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum, Boston Symphony Hall
and the Freedom Trail, Boston provides a rich
environment for those passionate about art,
music and history. For sports fans, Boston
hosts a number of the country’s greatest sports
teams: the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins and, of
course, Fenway Park’s beloved Red Sox. Found
within a short drive from Boston are some of
New England’s best recreational sites, from the
excellent skiing in New Hampshire to the pristine
beaches of Cape Cod.
Boston also offers a wide range of family-friendly
attractions, including the Children’s Museum,
New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo
and the Museum of Science. There are roughly
50 universities located in the Boston area, and
the large student population adds to the city’s
intellectually rich and diverse community. Events,
lectures and reading groups hosted by worldrenowned scholars abound on area campuses,
providing abundant opportunities to meet and
network with other graduate students and faculty
throughout the Boston area.
The University
Boston College is a Jesuit university with more than
14,000 students, 758 full-time faculty and more than
165,000 active alumni. Since its founding in 1863, the
University has known extraordinary growth and change.
From its beginnings as a small Jesuit college intended
to provide higher education for Boston’s largely immigrant Catholic population, Boston College has grown
into a national institution of higher learning that is consistently ranked among the top universities in the nation:
Boston College is ranked 31st among national universities
by U.S. News & World Report.
Today, Boston College attracts scholars from all 50 states
and over 80 countries, and confers more than 4,000
degrees annually in more than 50 fields through its eight
schools and colleges. Its faculty members are committed
to both teaching and research and have set new marks for
research grants in each of the last 10 years. The University
is committed to academic excellence. As part of its most
recent strategic plan, Boston College is in the process of
adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding faculty
and graduate research, increasing student financial aid
and widening opportunities in key undergraduate and
graduate programs.
The University is comprised of the following colleges and
schools: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll
School of Management, Connell School of Nursing,
Lynch School of Education, Woods College of Advancing
Studies, Boston College Law School, Graduate School of
Social Work and School of Theology and Ministry.
General Resources
HoUsinG
While on-campus housing is not available for graduate
students, most choose to live in nearby apartments. The
Office of Residential Life maintains an extensive database
with available rental listings, roommates and helpful local
real estate agents. The best time to look for fall semester
housing is June through the end of August. For spring
semester housing, the best time to look is late November
through the beginning of the second semester. Additionally, some graduate students may live on campus as
resident assistants. Interested students should contact the
Office of Residential Life.
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student life & campus resources
JoHn coUrtneY MUrrAY, s.J., GrADUAte
stUDent center
One of only a handful of graduate student centers
around the country, the Murray Graduate Student Center
is dedicated to the support and enrichment of graduate
student life at Boston College. Its primary purpose is to
build a sense of community among the entire graduate
student population and cultivate a sense of belonging to
the University as a whole. Its amenities include study
rooms, a computer lab, two smart televisions, kitchen,
deck and patio space, complimentary coffee and tea, and
more. Throughout the year, the center hosts programs
organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and
graduate student groups. The Murray Graduate Student
Center also maintains an active job board (available
electronically), listing academic and non-academic opportunities for employment both on and off campus.
McMUllen MUseUM of Art
Serving as a dynamic educational resource for the national and international community, the McMullen
Museum of Art showcases interdisciplinary exhibitions
that ask innovative questions and break new ground in
the display and scholarship of the works on view. The
McMullen regularly offers exhibition-related programs,
including musical and theatrical performances, films,
gallery talks, symposia, lectures, readings and receptions
that draw students, faculty, alumni and friends together
for stimulating dialogue. Located on the main campus,
the McMullen Museum is free to all visitors.
connors fAMilY leArninG center
Working closely with the Graduate School, the Connors
Family Learning Center sponsors seminars, workshops
and discussions for graduate teaching assistants and
teaching fellows on strategies for improving teaching effectiveness and student learning. Each fall, the Learning
Center and the Graduate School hold a one-and-a-half
day “Fall Teaching Orientation” workshop designed to
help students prepare for teaching. The center also hosts
ongoing seminars on college teaching, higher learning
and academic life; assists graduate students in develop-
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ing teaching portfolios; and provides class visits and
teaching consultations, upon request. Through these
and other activities, the Connors Family Learning Center
plays an important role in enhancing the quality of academic life at Boston College.
flYnn recreAtion coMpleX
The 144,000-square-foot Flynn Recreation Complex
houses a running track; tennis, basketball, volleyball,
squash and racquetball courts; an aquatics center with
pool and dive well; saunas and more. Its 10,000-squarefoot Fitness Center offers over 100 pieces of cardio
equipment, a full complement of strength training
equipment and free weights, an air-conditioned spin
studio and three air-conditioned group fitness studios.
During the academic year, BC Rec holds more than
80 group fitness classes per week in a variety of disciplines, including Zumba, spin, yoga, strength training,
Pilates and more.
Boston colleGe cAreer center
The Boston College Career Center works with graduate
students at each step of their career development.
Services include self-assessment, career counseling, various career development workshops, resume and cover
letter critiques, and practice interviews. In addition to
extensive workshop offerings, Career Center staff members are available throughout the year for one-on-one
advising about any aspect of the career path. The Career
Resource Library offers a wealth of resources, including
books, periodicals and online databases.
admission & financial information
Admission Requirements
A
pplicants to the Ph.D. program should have completed the M.Div. or equivalent degree; a master’s
degree in religion, theology or philosophy; or a bachelor’s program with an exceptionally strong background
in religion, theology and/or philosophy.
Financial Assistance
DepArtMent fUnDinG
The Theology Department offers full-tuition scholarships
and stipends to all doctoral students in good standing for
five years.
feDerAl finAnciAl AiD
The deadline for receipt of applications for fall admission
is January 2 for the Ph.D. program and February 1 for the
joint Philosophy/Theology M.A. program. Please visit
bc.edu/gsas for detailed information on how to apply.
Application requirements include:

Application Form:
submitted online,
via the GsAs website.

Application Fee:
$75, non-refundable.

Abstract of Courses
Form:
A concise overview of background
and related courses completed in
an intended field or proposed
area of study.

Official Transcripts:
Demonstrating coursework
completed/degree conferral from
all post-secondary institutions
attended.

GRE General Test:
official score report required for
all applicants.

Three Letters of
Recommendation:
from professors or supervisors.
it is highly advisable that at least
one letter be from an academic
source.

Statement of Purpose: A brief (approx. 3 page) discussion
of an applicant’s interest in the
program and academic goals.

Writing Sample:
A sample of an applicant’s best
work (usually a course paper
or equivalent of no more than 25
pages) related to their proposed
field of study.

Curriculum Vitae:
(Resume)
A list of an applicant’s academic
and work experience.

Proof of English
Proficiency:
(International only)
official toefl/ielts reports
accepted.
Graduate students can apply for federal financial aid
using the FAFSA. The loans that may be available to
graduate students are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized
Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan, based on eligibility.
If additional funds are needed, student may apply for a
Grad Plus Loan. For more information, see the Graduate
Financial Aid website at bc.edu/gradaid or contact the
Graduate Financial Aid Office at 617-552-3300 or
800-294-0294.
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header
boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
Department of Theology
Stokes Hall North
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-552-4602
E-Mail: gsasinfo@bc.edu
bc.edu/theology
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