St Clement of Alexandria

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 advances the study of the patristic phenomenon within a complex framework, theological, spiritual, and exegetical. It enables students to appreciate, by way of a detailed study of the available sources, the personality and legacy of Saint Clement the Alexandrian.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Appreciate the personality of Saint Clement within his historical context
2. Display a profound knowledge of his writings, together with the relevant scholarship
3. Evaluate the place of Saint Clement within the broader patristic tradition
4. Critically analyse his writings within the framework of relevant scholarship
5. Assess his relevance to contemporary Christian experience

Content

1. Saint Clement in the historical and theological setting of his age
2. An overview of his writings
3. Apologetic contributions
4. Exegetical contributions
5. A spiritual master
6. Traditional, modern and contemporary reception

Unit Schedule

Week 1: The man and his time

Week 2: An overview of his writings

Week 3: A philosophical framework: Clement’s curriculum

Assessment task 1

Week 4: A traditional framework: Holy gnosis and the holy gnostic

Week 5: A theological framework: God, creation, salvation, and holiness

Week 6: An apologetic profile

Assessment task 2

Week 7: Ethical outlines

Week 8: Natural contemplation

Week 9: Achieving holiness

Week 10: Clement the exegete

Week 11: Practicum: Live analysis of select Clementine passages

Week 12: Impact and reception

Assessment task 3