God the Holy Spirit: Christian Pneumatology

This course will explore the identity and mission of the Holy Spirit through engagement with patristic and contemporary voices from both Eastern and Western theological traditions. The course will begin with a consideration Biblical images of the Spirit and the question of gender, and an exploration of the pneumatology of Athanasius, the Cappadocians, and Augustine. Contemporary topics will include the Spirit in Creation and pneumatological cosmology, the Spirit in the church and the Christian life, with particular attention to the charismatic movement, the theology of Karl Barth, and contemporary Eastern Orthodox voices. Attention will also be given to contemporary approaches to the role of the Spirit in Christology, the Fileoque, and Eschatology.