Professor Terry Martin
Saint Mary's
College
Religious Studies 457
"God"
Cicero tells that the the question of God (or of the gods) is the "darkest and most difficult
of all"; opinions about God are "so various and so contradictory," he says, that even minimal
clarity is hard to come by (The Nature of the Gods (69)). The point of this seminar is
to
explore Christian efforts to speak about God. Tapping both classical and contemporary
sources, we will examine the range of Christian thinking about God--looking especially at the
ways in which this doctrine is rooted in theological traditions and yet tries to remain
responsive to novel experiences and external challenges. From the past, we will examine the
classical background for Christian notions of God; we will listen in on some early
developments in the Christian view of God carved out in dialogue with Hellenistic culture; and
we will examine the formation of medieval speculation on God. Turning to the contemporary
scene, where we will spend the majority of the semester, we will discuss both Catholic and
Protestant texts on God; we will look into the critical and constructive efforts of Christian
feminism; and we will take up the new challenges to Christian views of God resulting from
Christian-Buddhist dialogue. This course is appropriate for all Saint Mary's students who
have completed the core requirement in Religious Studies and satisfies the RLST Major for Systematics.