C/D378 Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue
St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry
Spring 2014
Fr. Dennis Tamburello, O.F.M.
783-2924 (office); 783-4175 (home)
http://www.siena.edu/tamburello
A. Course Description:
This course will examine the Roman Catholic church’s involvement in ecumenical and interfaith
dialogue since the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). It will include discussion of
the historical context of the dialogue, some of the major primary documents related to it, and the
theological and ecclesiological issues that have shaped it. The course will take a critical look at
both the successes and the challenges that have accompanied the dialogue, from both theological
and institutional perspectives.
The goals of this course are to enable the student: (1) to understand the historical and theological
grounds for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; (2) to analyze critically the common ground
Catholicism shares with other traditions, and to identify the areas of difference or disagreement
that exist; (3) to appreciate and respect the integrity of other religious traditions, and to be open
to learning from them, while remaining firmly committed to one’s own tradition.
B. Style and method:
The course will be taught in a lecture and discussion format. The methodology employed will be
text- and historical-critical.
C. Required Readings:
The following texts are required for the course:
Jeffrey Gros, F.S.C., Eamon McManus, Ann Riggs. Introduction to Ecumenism. New York:
Paulist Press, 1998.
James L. Fredericks. Faith Among Faiths: Christian Theology and Non-Christian Religions.
New York: Paulist Press, 1999.
Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church. Joint Declaration on the Doctrine
of Justification. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. (Also available online at the Vatican
website.)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus.
Washington: USCCB Publications, 2004.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Revelation: Catholic and Muslim Perspectives.
Washington: USCCB Publications, 2005. (Available online at usccb.org)
Additional readings will be posted online or given as handouts. I will take care of any necessary
copyright permissions, and will ask the class to reimburse me for any fees.
D. Papers:
Each student is asked to submit a 10-15 page research paper on a specific theological or ecclesial
issue in ecumenical or interfaith dialogue. Students should select a topic that expands on or
complements, rather than duplicates, materials covered in the class sessions. The paper must
have a thesis and be referenced according to Chicago (preferred—with either footnotes or
endnotes) or MLA standards. The due date of the paper is to be negotiated by each student with
the instructor. It must be no later than a week after the last class, so that I can submit grades in a
timely fashion.
In addition, students will be asked to prepare one summary/discussion guide on a required
reading for the class, as well as one reflective essay (out of a choice of two) of 3-5 pages.
E. Grades:
Grades will be computed according to the following percentages: Research Paper 40%,
Reflective essay 30%, Discussion guide 10%, Overall Participation 20%.
Course Outline (subject to revision):
April 30
Introduction to the Course: Review of Syllabus
Introduction to Ecumenism
Required Reading:
Gros, Introduction to Ecumenism, Chapters 1-4 (pp. 1-91)
Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism (online at vatican.va)
May 7
The Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue
Required Reading:
Gros, Introduction to Ecumenism, Chapter 9 (pp. 173-191)
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
“Joint Declaration on Justification: Reformed Comments” by Anna Case-Winters.
From Concord Makes Strength (distributed)
May 14
The Reformed-Catholic Dialogue
Required Reading:
Gros, Introduction to Ecumenism, Chapter 10 (pp. 192-213)
“Ecumenism in Reformed Perspective” by Karel Blei, from Concord Makes
Strength (distributed)
Towards a Common Understanding of Church (online)
These Living Waters (excerpt – online) and This Bread of Life (excerpt – online)
May 21
The Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue
Required Reading:
Gros, Introduction to Ecumenism, Chapter 8 (pp. 154-172)
The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue? (online at vatican.va)
[Reflective Essay #1]
May 28
Issues in Interfaith Dialogue I: The Rise of Pluralism
Foundational Catholic Documents
Required Reading:
Fredericks, Faith Among Faiths, Chapters 1-4, pp. 1-99
Vatican II “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions”
June 4
Dialogue with Judaism
Required Reading:
The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus (selected documents)
“A Sacred Obligation” from the Christian Scholars Group (online)
June 11
Dialogue with Islam
Required Reading:
“Mission Improbable: St. Francis and the Sultan” by Paul Moses (distributed)
Revelation: Catholic and Muslim Perspectives (online)
June 18
Dialogue with Eastern Religions
Required Reading:
Fredericks, Faith Among Faiths, Chapter 7 (pp. 139-161)
TBA
June 25
Issues in Interfaith Dialogue II: Evaluating Pluralism
Summary and conclusions: Where do we go from here?
Required Reading:
Fredericks, Chapters 5-8, pp. 103-180
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Dominus Iesus” (online at vatican.va)
“Dominus Iesus: A Stumbling Block to Reformed-Catholic Dialogue?” (distributed)
[Reflective essay #2]
July 2
[Extra class date – may have to cancel class on June 4 because of my required
attendance at the Franciscan provincial chapter]