Course Outline: 2016-17 Licentiate in Theology (L.Th.)

Luther: Love Him? Loathe Him? Learn from Him? Exploring the Events and Legacy of the Reformation Today Location: (To be determined)

Day(s): Saturdays, March 11-April 15, 2017;

Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Instructor: Murray Watson, M.Div. (King’s College, Western), Ph.D. (Trinity College, Dublin)

Contact info: E-mail: murraywatsonathuron@gmail.com AND mwatson9@uwo.ca Phone: 519-331-3213 (Cell) I will be very happy to meet with students by prior appointment.

Course Description: In 2017, the whole Christian world is marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s momentous action,

in nailing his “95 Theses” to the door of the parish church in Wittenberg, and thereby setting in motion a

series of dramatic events (the Protestant Reformation) that would eventually split Christian Europe

between Catholics and Protestants. All over the world, special events will be held to commemorate, and

reflect on, Luther’s legacy, and the impact it has had on Catholic-Protestant interactions over the last five centuries.

This course will explore some of the historical, religious and cultural factors that led to the Reformation,

will look at Martin Luther, his personality and his actions, and will examine where Catholic-Protestant

relations are at, 500 years after those dramatic events.

Week 1: Five Hundred Years After Luther: Where are Protestant-Catholic Relations At in 2017? To Read and discuss:

♦ Selected portions of “From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017” (published by the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/From%20Conflict%20to%20Communion.pdf )

♦ Rosie Scammell, “Vatican backs plan to name Rome square for Martin Luther”: Religions News Service (August 26, 2015): http://www.religionnews.com/2015/08/26/vatican-backs-plan-name-rome-square-martin-luther/

♦ Jonathan Luxmoore, “German bishops herald Luther as a pathfinder” (The Tablet, 20-27 August 2016)

Week 2: The Historical, Religious and Cultural Background of Luther: European Christianity in the

late Medieval Period

The ambivalence of monastic/religious life: both a source of spiritual vitality/reform, AND a place of corruption and decadence “On the eve of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church simultaneously manifested both deep piety and

corruption; the religious environment was both rich and confusing.” (James Hitchcock, History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012) To read and discuss:

♦ R. Swanson, “The Pre-Reformation Church,” in: The Reformation World, ed. Andrew Pettegree (London: Routledge, 2000), pp. 9-30 (Available online through Google Books, at: https://books.google.ca/books?id=QJj2C9xleIsC&lpg=PP1&dq=%22the%20reformation%20world%22&pg=PA28#v=onepage&q=%22the%20reformation%20world%22&f=false )

♦ “The Reformation’s Origins,” in: Edward I. Bleiberg et al., editors. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Gale, 2005. 5 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library, pp. 277-285. (to be provided online)

Early Critics and Reformers within the Church: Francis of Assisi (1181/82-1226), Catherine of Siena

(1347-1380), John Wycliffe (1320-1384) and the Lollards, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), Girolamo

Savonarola (1452-1498), Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Initial (but insufficient) efforts at reform: The Fifth Lateran Council (1512-1517) To Read and discuss:

♦ “Launching the Reformation: Martin Luther’s Reformation,” in: Ralph Keen, The Christian Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004, pp. 203-14.

♦ For All the Saints, pp. 322-25 (John Wyclyf and Jan Hus)

Week 3: Luther—The Man, the Monk, the Reformer

Luther’s personal background and his vocation as an Augustinian monk and Biblical scholar The Posting of the 95 Theses1

Response of the Pope and Institutional Church To read and discuss:

♦ Scott Hendrix, “Martin Luther, Reformer,” in Cambridge History of Christianity, pp. 3-19. AND

♦ The Text of the 95 Theses: http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html and the accompanying sermon “A Sermon on Indulgence and Grace” (1518)

The “Three Solas” of Luther’s Theology (=Sola Scriptura, Sola fide, sola gratia) vs. traditional

Catholic version (=Scripture AND Sacred Tradition; faith AND works; God’s grace AND human

merit, all working together)

Week 4: The Consequences: The Growth and Subdivision of Protestantism, and the Catholic Counter-Reformation To read and discuss:

♦ “Schism, the Unintended Consequence of the Reformed Project,” in: Jinkins, Michael, and Susan R. Garrett. The Church Transforming: What's Next for the Reformed Project? Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012 , pp. 50-67 (to be provided online)

♦ “Counter Reformation,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, pp. 308-314 (to be provided online)

♦ For All the Saints, pp. 326-27 (Saints of the Reformation Era) (to be provided online)

Week 5: Luther and Rome: An Audio-Visual Exploration of Various Sites Connected to the Events of

1517 To read and discuss:

♦ Text of Pope John Paul II’s sermon at Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (December 12, 1983): https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP831211.HTM

♦ (Further material to be provided on specific locations)

1 But see the historical questions raised by: http://www.luther.de/en/legenden/tanschl.html about the traditional legend of Luther nailing the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg

Week 6: Fifty Years of Protestant-Catholic Dialogue: Theological Landmarks in This Evolving

Relationship

Vatican II (1962-65) as a Response to Luther’s 16th-century Critiques To read and discuss:

♦ Joseph Fitzmyer, SJ, “The Augsburg Signing: An Overview of the Joint Declaration on Justification”. America (Feb. 19, 2000), p. 17 (to be provided online)

♦ “Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist” (2015 joint statement summarizing and reflecting on 50 years of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue and key themes). Summary: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/lutheran/declaration-on-the-way.cfm Full document: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/lutheran/upload/Declaration_on_the_Way-for-Website.pdf

♦ Selected sections of Cardinal Walter Kasper’s book Harvesting the Fruits (to be provided online)

COURSE EVALUATION:

50%: Arrange two short interviews (=approximately 20 minutes each), one with a Catholic priest and one

with a Lutheran minister. Ask them what portrayal of “the other” denomination they received in the course of their youth, and during their theological education. How has their view of “the other”

changed in the course of their ministry, and how do they view them today? What do they see as the

challenges still remaining between Catholics and Lutherans (or Protestants more generally)? What

are their hopes and dreams for what the future could hold between these two faith-communities?

Present the main points of your conversations (with a few quotes from each, if possible), together with your own reflections on this experience … What did you learn that was new? Did you hear

anything that surprised you? What questions still remain for you? Compile this material into 5

single-spaced pages, with an introductory paragraph and a concluding one.

30%: Many of the theological ideas that Christians absorb (consciously and unconsciously) come from

the music used in their churches. Borrow (or consult) a copy of one hymnal currently used in Catholic parishes, and one hymnal currently used in Lutheran parishes. Find 4 hymns in each

hymnal that speak in some way about the nature and identity of the Church community. Examine

closely the lyrics of these hymns, and discuss how the idea of “Church” (=ecclesiology!) is presented.

In what ways do these lyrics lend themselves to ecumenical interpretations and outreach? To what degree are they “oppositional” (stressing that particular denomination’s own distinctive positions,

and rejecting/condemning those of other denominations)? If hymn-singing is an important

component in Christian identity, do these hymns lead in the direction of greater Christian unity?

Why? Why not? Are there particular lines that you feel are problematic in this regard?

20%: Active participation in class discussions.

Assignments may be submitted in hard copy to the instructor during class, or may be submitted

electronically (by e-mail) any time before midnight on the due date (NB: 10 days after the final class:

Tuesday, April 25, 2017).

1. Statement on Academic Offences: Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the

appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following web site: http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2014/pg113.html.

2. Plagiarism-detecting Software/Computer Marking: All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com ( http://www.turnitin.com ).

3. Support Services:

• Huron’s Faculty of Theology, Office of the Dean: http://www.huronuc.on.ca/currentstudents/studentlifeandsupportservices

• Faculty of Theology office: Sandra Rice: srice@uwo.ca, 519-438-7224, ext. 289

• Coordinator of Continuing Education and Non-Degree Programs: jmanstead@rogers.com, 519-438-7224 ext 289