| CODE | SHG1042 | ||||||
| TITLE | Canonicity and Inspiration | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Greek | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces the students to the understanding of the process of inspiration and to the canon of the Bible. The study-unit will introduce the students to the various theories of inspiration and the doctrine of inspiration, making reference to the relevant Church Documents. The students will study the history of the formation of the canon of the Bible for both the Old and the New Testaments. The students will also be introduced to the main differences between the Hebrew Canon and the Christian canon of the Old Testament, focusing particularly on the theological understandings that produced such differences. The study-unit also prepares the students to better understand the position and importance of each book within the canon. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims at strengthening the student's understanding of the doctrine of inspiration as well as understanding the distribution of the biblical books within the canon. It will help the students understand the criteria used to identify which books were considered as inspired and hence included into the canon of scripture. The study-unit will also acquaint the students with the criteria used as to why the books where distributed in the various sections within their respective orders to communicate a particular theology. The student will learn that the way in which the biblical book is inserted within the canon is already interpretative of the book. This study-unit will also introduce the students to the approach of the canonical criticism of the Bible. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - explain the doctrine of inspiration in Dei Verbum; - identify and critically evaluate the various theories of inspiration; - identify and evaluate the criteria which were used for inserting the books within the canon; - identify the reasons for the differences between the canons of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament; - critically evaluate the differences between the Protestant and the Catholic Canon of the Bible; - identify the importance of every book of the bible through its position within the canon. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - discuss the fundamental importance of inspiration as the basis for the authority of the biblical books; - properly define and understand what the notion of the "inerrancy of scripture " really means and implies within the understanding of divine inspiration; - define the list of the books of sacred scripture, their distribution, the divisions within the canon, and what the criteria were for inserting each book within the canon; - understand and apply Canonical Criticism to interpret Biblical Texts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - VATICAN COUNCIL II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum Solemnly Promulgated By His Holiness Pope Paul VI, (18 November 1965). - BENEDICT XVI, Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, (30 September 2010). PONTIFICAL BIBLICAL COMMISSION, - The interpretation of the Bible in the Church, (18 March 1994). - THOMASSEN EINAR, Canon and Canonicity: The Formation and Use of Scripture, University of Copenhagen, 2010. - MCDONALD LEE MARTIN, The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority, Hendrickson Publishers, 2006. Supplementary Readings: - HARRIS LAIRD R., Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible: An Historical and Exegetical Study, Zondervan 1971. - CHILDS BREVARD, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1979. - CHILDS BREVARD, Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1985. - McDonald, Lee Martin. Before There Was a Bible. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023. - McDonald, Lee Martin, and James A. Sanders, eds. The Canon Debate. Peabody, Mass. Hendrickson Publishers, 2008. - O鈥機ollins, Gerald. Inspiration: Towards a Christian Interpretation of Biblical Inspiration. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. - Poirier, John C. The Invention of the Inspired Text. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Joseph Ciappara |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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