Winter 2014/Fuller Live!
Pasadena, Seattle
CH557
Scalise
CH557: CLASSICS OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY. Charles J. Scalise.
DESCRIPTION: This reading seminar involves students in spiritual reading, historical study, and critical interpretation of diverse classics of Christian spirituality across major historical periods of the Christian movement. Emphasis will be placed upon a blend of spiritual and critical understanding of the common readings and student-chosen spiritual classics. Attention will also be given to the disciplines of regular spiritual reading of Scripture and individual retreat in the history of the church.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Christian ministers and other leaders have a sacred responsibility to the Christians in their care to teach the disciplines of the spiritual reading of Holy Scripture and individual retreat. Leaders also need to guide Christians in learning to read, interpret, and appropriate the treasury of Christian devotion for their present cultural and historical contexts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will demonstrate their familiarity with the multicultural historical study of Christian spirituality (cognitive)--assessed through class participation, "Three Questions" each week on common reading, and comparative research paper; (2) Students will demonstrate their appropriation of some of the spiritual insights and resources from the history of Christian spirituality for their own Christian growth and ministry (affective)—assessed by devotional leadership; (3) Students will develop or deepen their practice of the discipline of regular spiritual reading of Scripture through prayerful (or sung or chanted) spiritual reading of the entire book of Psalms, using The Revised Grail Psalms: A LiturgicalPsalter (instrumental and affective)--assessed by signed personal certification submitted no later than the final class session; (4) Students will demonstrate their ability to compare some blended spiritual and critical understandings of two different classics of Christian devotion and their authors, whose life and thought they explore in some detail (cognitive/affective)—assessed by historical figure reading lists, paper proposal, and research paper; (5) Students will demonstrate their capacity to communicate some aspects of their knowledge of different spiritual classics to the class (cognitive and instrumental)—assessed by class presentations of the common reading spiritual classic and the personally-chosen spiritual classic.
COURSE FORMAT: Course sessions will include classic-text-focused devotionals, instructor-led and student-led class discussions of Christian spiritual classics from common reading, and individual and group presentations on student-chosen spiritual classics. The class will meet for ten three-hour sessions, Thursday afternoons, 2-5 p.m., January 9 – March 13, 2014. This is a Fuller Live! course, offered synchronously at Fuller NW and Fuller in Pasadena.
REQUIRED READING:
Andrewes, Lancelot. The Preces Privatae [Private Prayers] of Lancelot Andrewes. Trans. F.E. Brightman. Nabu Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1177757553, Pub. Price $29.17 [lxii + 391pp.] 456 pp. on Google Books. Free download for tablet, smart phones, or web viewing: https://play.google.com/books. Choose 100 pp. of Andrewes’ private prayers to read and/or pray and indicate your choices on your “Three Questions” submission on Wednesday, March 5.
Augustine, St. Confessions. Ed. and trans. Henry Chadwick. (Oxford World’s Classics). Oxford Univ. Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0199537822, Pub. Price $7.95 [Read pp. 3-220]. See J.J. O’Donnell’s Augustine website: www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jod/Augustine for two online copies of older translations. The translation by Albert Outler is downloadable as a pdf. Hubbard Library [hereafter HL] book and e-book; FNW. Public Domain Editions Online [hereafter PDEO]: Christian Classics Ethereal Library [hereafter CCEL], New Advent, Church Fathers [hereafter NA].
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. Augsburg Fortress Press, 1974. ISBN: 978-0806614397, Pub. Price $9.99 [88pp] Books only [hereafter BO] HL, FSW, FTexas.
Francis and Clare: The Complete Works. (The Classics of Western Spirituality). Trans. Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady. Paulist Press, 1986. ISBN: 978-0809124466, Pub. Price $22.95 [Read pp. 25-166 and pp. 189-233]. BO: HL, FCOS.
Fry, Timothy, trans. RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English. Liturgical Press, 1982. ISBN: 978-0814612729, Pub. Price $2.95 [96 pp.] BO: HL, FSac. PDEO: CCEL, NA, The ORB.
Grail. The Revised Grail Psalms – Singing Version: A Liturgical Psalter (G7984). GIA Publications, 2010. ISBN: 978-1579998387. Pub. Price $11.95 [352 pp.] Students may substitute the plain text version: The Revised Grail Psalms: A Liturgical Psalter (G7882). GIA Publications, 2010. ISBN: 978-1579998370, Pub. Price $11.95 [Read all 150 Psalms, pp. 1-327]
Gregory of Nyssa. The Life of Moses. Trans. Abraham J. Malherbe and Everett Ferguson. HarperOne, 2006. ISBN: 978-0060754648, Pub. Price $11.99 [144 pp.] HL and FNW hold a different ed. with the same translation: The Life of Moses. (Classics of Western Spirituality). Paulist Press, 1978. ISBN: 978-0809121120, Pub. Price $21.95 [224 pp.] OP (available on Amazon). No PDEO.
Gregg, Robert C., ed. Athanasius: The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus. Paulist Press, 1979. ISBN: 978-0809122950, Pub. Price $21.95 [Read pp. 1-99]. BO: HL, FCOS. PDEO: CCEL, New Advent, Orb.
Julian of Norwich:Showings. Ed. and trans. Edmund Colledge and James Walsh. (The Classics of Western Spirituality). Paulist Press, 1977. ISBN: 978-0809120918, Pub. Price $24.95 [Read Long Text, pp. 173-343]. BO: HL, FSac, FCACoast, FSW, FTexas.
Luther, Martin. “A Simple Way to Pray.” In Luther’s Works, Vol. 43: Devotional Writings II, ed. Helmut T. Lehmann, Martin O. Dietrich and Gustav K. Wiencke. Fortress Press, 1968. ISBN: 978-0800603434, Pub. Price $26.39 [pp. 187-211]. Available as Matthew Harrison, ed. and trans. A Simple Way to Pray. Concordia Publishing House, 2012. ISBN: 978-0758640338, Pub. Price $1.99 [32 pp.] Also, available online as http://www.ordinarypastor.com/files/A_Simple_Way_To_Pray-v1-Luther.pdf
Symeon, The New Theologian. Divine Eros: Hymns of Saint Symeon, the New Theologian. Trans. Daniel K. Griggs. (Popular Patristics Series, No. 40). St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0881413496, Pub. Price $28.00 [419 pp.] Select at least 100 pages of the 58 hymns to read; indicate which hymn numbers you chose on your “Three questions” on Wednesday, February 12. Symeon’s Hymns are also known as “Hymns of the Divine Loves.” The hymns comprise approximately 11,000 verses. Copy of book in HL. Also, there is an e-book available for sale.
Teresa of Avila. Interior Castle. Choose one of these two editions: Study Edition of The Interior Castle. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. Prepared by Kieran Kavanaugh and C. Lisi. ICS Publications, Rpt. ed. 2010. ISBN: 978-0935216806, Pub. Price $26.95. [484 pp.] Or Interior Castle (Dover Thrift edition.) Trans. E. Allison Peers. Dover Publications, 2007. ISBN: 978-0486461458, Pub. Price $3.50 [176 pp.] HL: Book copy of Collected Works, free downloads of e-book. PDEO: CCEL, Fordham Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
Windeatt, Barry, ed. and trans. The Book of Margery Kempe. Penguin Putnam, 1985, 1994. ISBN: 978-0140432510, Pub. Price $15.00 [Select 100 pages to read from pp. 41-297]. HL: book and e-book. FSW: book.
Alternate Reading: For students who have already read and studied one of the common reading texts (e.g., Augustine, Confessions):
Bonaventure (alt., Bonaventura). The Journey of the Mind to God. Hackett Publishing Co., 1993. 1st ed., 1956, rpt. 1990. Ed. Stephen F. Brown. Trans Philotheus Boehner. ISBN:978-0872202009, Pub. Price $11.00 [73 pp.] HL. PDEO: CCEL.
Historical figures reading from primary and secondary sources--minimums of 100 pages for common reading presentations (in addition to assigned reading) and 150 pages for individualized classic reading (including student-chosen, instructor-approved classic). This reading will provide the basis for the comparative spiritual classics research paper.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Optional Extra Credit Reading: Read one of the following books. Then write a four-page (1000 word) paper critically analyzing and evaluating the author's method of approaching Christian spirituality.
Bondi, Roberta C. Memories of God: Theological Reflections on a Life. Abingdon Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0687038923. eBook ISBN978-0687029761 [205 pp.] Also available used on Amazon and discounted at Barnes and Noble and other sellers.
Clément, Olivier. The Roots of Christian Mysticism: Texts from the Patristic Era with Commentary. 2nd ed. New City Press, 2013.ISBN: 978-1565484856, Pub. Price $29.95 [380 pp.] First ed. The Roots of Christian Mysticism: Text and Commentary. New City Press, 1996.ISBN: 978-1565480292. Trans. Theodore Berkeley and Jeremy Hummerstone from the original French ed. Sources. Paris: Éditions Stock, 1982. Read Part One and/or Part Three from either the first or second edition (Part One: pp.15-91; Part III: pp.181-307).
Martin Laird. Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation. Oxford Univ. Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0195307603, Pub. Price $18.95 [176 pp.] Also available as an e-book.
Other Recommended Reading and Resources:
Livingstone, Elizabeth A., ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third ed. Oxford, 2006. ISBN:978-0199659623, Pub. Price $22.95.
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 7th ed. Bedford St. Martins, 2012. ISBN: 978-0312610418, Pub. Price, $21.95 [176 pp.]
See “Classics of Christian Spirituality Bibliography” for additional materials for presentations and research papers.
Historical maps at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical and interactive maps at http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/index.html.
Required Individual Spiritual Retreat: Minimum of 24-hour retreat; silent retreat strongly recommended. May be conducted alone or at an approved retreat center (including monastic facilities that offer hospitality). For more instructions and some location lists, see syllabus and other course materials.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
PREREQUISITES: None
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Church History or History/Theology elective. M.A.: Church History/Theology.