Offerta Accademica

Reasonable affections. Passions and virtues in St. Thomas Aquinas

José Angel Lombo

Orario: Mer 5ª-6ª

This course aims to provide a comprehension of the role of passions in moral life according to St. Thomas Aquinas. The general frame is the understanding of the complex unity of human being as soul and body, reason and senses, cognition and tendency. Human passions will be then described as sensitive tendential activities that participate in reason. After it, we will expose the idea of virtue, how it is formed, and its relevance in forging moral character. Finally we will connect passions and virtues in the complex unity of human behavior to show how can we speak of a rational order of the affective sphere.

History of Christian Literature

John Wauck

Orario:

Sacred Art in Rome. From Antiquity to the Present

Ralf van Bühren

Orario:

The course introduces to the rich artistic and architectural heritage of Rome’s past and present. Students will explore the importance of leading artists and their masterpieces in aesthetic, historical, theological, liturgical and social contexts. Classroom lectures will be supplemented by on-site lecturesin churches and museums. Rome offers a unique opportunity to examine the intersection of academics and religious ideas in a profound and inspiring way. Looking at the artistic expressions of Christianity throughout the ages, decoding its visual language, and considering how artists communicate meaning can help to understand our world. Schedule: Constantine, continuity and change in the 4th century. Christianization of the city of Rome: church buildings and pictorial decorations from the 4th to the 9th centuries. Pilgrimage and devotion to saints. Reused icons and architectural spolia in Romanesque churches. The power of devotional images in medieval Rome. Architecture of the mendicant orders in the 13th and 14th centuries: artistic patronage and architectural transformation in the Middle Ages. Renaissance art: mimesis, perspective and the reception of classical antiquity. Baroque art: rhetorical gestures and facial expressions. Church architecture after the Council of Trent: the impact of aesthetic changes and liturgical reforms on the sacred space. Churches of the 20th and 21st centuries: the impact of secular architecture and liturgical movement, of Vatican Council II (1962‒1965) and of the liturgical reform (since 1964). The grade for the course is based on two written exams and active participation in class discussions and on-site lectures. Students should be able to critically compare and interpret artworks in terms of iconographic meaning, contextual analysis, style and composition, both in classroom discussions and their own writing.  

Key Issues in Peter Lombard's Trinitarian Doctrine: A Dialogue with Aquinas

Kenny Ang

Orario: Gio 1ª-2ª

This Licentiate-level course aims to address the scholarly neglect of Peter Lombard's significant contributions to medieval theology, despite his profound influence on the field and the intellectual formation of countless subsequent thinkers. The curriculum will examine pivotal Trinitarian themes articulated in Book I of Lombard's Sentences through the interpretive lens of Thomas Aquinas's commentary. This approach aims to elucidate the intricate theological interplay between these two foundational thinkers and to assess their broader implications for the historical development of Trinitarian doctrine.

Central topics for investigation include Peter Lombard's assertion of "explicit evidence" of the Trinity within the Old Testament, a position that diverges markedly from the prevailing contemporary view, which generally posits only "traces" of God's Trinitarian nature in the Old Testament. The course will also analyze Lombard's argument for the absence of necessity in God, specifically his claim that the Father generates the Son willingly, "but not through a 'preceding or concomitant will.'" This will be juxtaposed with Aquinas's contrasting affirmation that the Father generates the Son by a concomitant will. Furthermore, it will delve into Lombard's unresolved inquiry into the Father's power to beget the Son, and assess whether Aquinas offers a more coherent resolution to this theological quandary. A critical examination of the potential influence of Lombard's subtle articulation of the identity of esse and essentia in God will be considered, along with an evaluation of the augmented weight of Aquinas's affirmation. Finally, the course will undertake a detailed scrutiny of Lombard's teaching on the invisible mission of the Holy Spirit in Distinction 17, particularly his assertion that "there is no such thing as the 'virtue' of charity" and that "the very same Holy Spirit is the love or charity by which we love God and neighbour." This teaching, which sparked significant debate among commentators, was ultimately rejected by Catholic tradition, and the course will consider whether Aquinas was among the earliest to critique this interpretation.

The Church in the Symbol of Faith

Philip Goyret

Orario: Lun 5ª-6ª

The Creed: origin, evolution, ecclesiality and structure. The Church in the Symbol of Faith: Ecclesia de Trinitate, Christological and Pneumatological aspects, Sacramentality and theological centrality. The Ekklesia in the history of salvation. Properties of the Church: history, nature, number and characteristics. Unity as unicity and cohesion. Theological and ecumenical aspects. Sanctity of God and sanctity of the Church. Nature and tasks of the Holy Church. Purification, reform and renewal. Catholicity in history and in theology. Typology. Catholicity, truth, culture and mission. Apostolicity of the Church, apostolic tradition and apostolic succession. Succession, sacramentality and collegiality.

Church and Public Debate

Juan Pablo Cannata

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Seminario Internazionale della Facoltà di Teologia "Nostra Aetate 60 Years Later"

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