Philokalia: Between Egypt & Mt Athos

Prerequisites, corequisites or exclusions

9 credit points of a Theology unit (i.e “Introduction to Theology” or “Church Fathers: An Introduction”)

Academic Staff

Very Rev. Dr Doru Costache, BTh (Bucharest 1993), PhD (Bucharest 2000), Senior Lecturer

Curriculum Objectives

This undergraduate course unit engages the main themes pertaining to the philokalic tradition, which it examines within their historical context and from a comparative perspective. It assists students to appreciate the significance of philokalic tradition for the general Christian experience.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this graduate course unit students will be able to:

1. Understand the historical, cultural and ecclesial contexts of various trends in the philokalic tradition
2. Display awareness of the main texts and themes pertaining to the philokalic tradition
3. Utilise the primary sources and the relevant contemporary scholarship in the analysis of philokalic themes
4. Interpret themes pertaining to the philokalic tradition within their literary and historical contexts
5. Assess the relevance of the philokalic tradition to contemporary Christian experience

Content

1. Introducing the Philokalia: An overview of the collection.
2. The broader context of Philokalic
3. Main trends and themes in Philokalic
4. Reception of the Philokalia.
5. The significance of the Philokalia for the contemporary spiritual quest.

Unit Schedule

Week 1: The Philokalia, its Egyptian sources, and its broader traditional setting.

Week 2: The Philokalia in historical context: From the fourth-century Coptic Egypt to the nineteenth-century collections.

Week 3: An overview of the Athonite collection.

Assessment task 1.

Week 4: The title and the main topics of the Philokalia.

Week 5: Spiritual guidance and discipleship.

Week 6: Mapping the spiritual journey.

Assessment task 2.

Week 7: Sacramental life and asceticism.

Week 8: Asceticism and compassion.

Week 9: Appraising the Scriptures.

Week 10: Appraising the spiritual literature.

Week 11: Charismatic experiences.

Week 12: In the aftermaths of the Philokalia: From the nineteenth-century to-date.

Assessment task 3.