ORTHODOX XTN SPIRITUALITY (SPHS-4915)

This course is designed to introduce students to the major figures and key concepts of Eastern Christian Spirituality, particularly those of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Working almost exclusively with primary sources (in English Translation), the class will track how a variety of Eastern Christians have understood, lived, and taught about the spiritual life from the fourth century to the modern times. Themes will include (among others) human's place/role in creation, spiritual disciplines, prayer, virtues, Theosis/salvation, icons, poetry, and family life. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on the authors’ experiences and to discuss how and to what degree they speak to people today. Designed for advanced MDiv, MA, and PhD students, this course will combine lecture and seminar discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two brief written text analyses, and a final synthesis paper. This course will be offered in concurrent hybrid modality via Zoom.