The Image of God

To explore what it means to 'be in Christ' with particular reference to the question of the Imago Dei. Students will read from a wide variety of sources and explore different understandings of the Imago Dei from Western and Eastern Orthodox theologians. We will look at how these varied perspectives on the Imago Dei have informed classical theological categories including Trinitarian theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Theological Anthropology, Ecclesiology and Soteriology. These theological understandings will then be applied to appraise concepts of sanctification, a variety of ecclesial models and other issues of praxis. The course will consist of seminar presentations, weekly precis on assigned readings, and a final paper. Class participation 20%, Precis 15%, Seminar leadership 30%, Final paper 35%.