98961 - History of Doctrines and Creeds: Sources and Methods (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students understand historical-critical methods and socio-anthropological contributions to analyze texts of the major religious traditions. They are able to research and critically examine materials, bibliographic and documentary sources of different types, both in print and digital format, in order conduct philological, historical-religious, and documentary investigations. They are able to revise and update their knowledge and develop independent analytical perspectives, taking into account scholarly and international debates relating to cultural and religious practices and changes in complex societies.

Course contents

Facing the Christian and Islamic tradition in parallel, first of all will be examined the sacred Scriptures and all the problems that revolve around their composition, fixation in writing, transmission, interpretation and significance in intellectual elaboration of what they imply and in the doctrinal development.
We will then examine the importance of tradition for the transmission and interpretation of the revealed data and its elaboration regarding the fixation of a doctrine as a synthetic expression of the peculiar religious identity of the community and the believer.
We will examine some essays of theological and doctrinal and theological and jurisprudential processing of each tradition. The historical development of some ritual practice of each tradition will also be examined.

Readings/Bibliography

Biblia (Associazione laica di cultura biblica), Vademecum per il lettore della bibbia, Morcelliana, Brescia 2017, 404p.

Claudio Moreschini – Enrico Norelli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, I Da Paolo all'età costantiniana, Morcelliana, Brescia 1995.

Alcune voci del Nuovo Dizionario Patristico e di Antichità Cristiane che saranno caricate nella pagina virtuale.

Régis Blachère, Introduction au Coran, 2ª edizione, Maisonneuve et Larose, Parigi 1977, 310p. (a section of the volume agreed with the professor: chap. 1 [p. 1-135] or 2-3 [p. 136-198] or 4-5 [p.199-277]).

Angelika Neuwirth – Nicolai Sinai – Michael Marx, The Qurʾān in Context. Historical and Literary Investigations into the Qurʾānic Milieu, Brill, Leiden-Boston 2006, 864p. (Two essays: one from the first part [p. 25-403] and one from the second part [p. 405-835] both agreed with the professor).

William M. Watt, Islamic Philosophy and Theology, 2ª ed., EUP, Edimburgo 1985, 175p.

for not attending students: 

In agreement with the professor a section of each of the following books

Manlio Simonetti – Emanuela Prinzivalli, La teologia degli antichi cristiani (secoli I-V), Morcelliana, Brescia 2012, 442p. (una sezione a scelta dello studente: o pagine 1-27 + 29-206 [la riflessione su Dio] oppure pagine 1-27. 207-386 [la riflessione sull’uomo])

Alfred-Louis De Premare, Alle origini del Corano, Carocci, Roma 2014, 188p.

Teaching methods

Frontal lesson with PowerPoint presentations, historical-critical analysis of primary sources. The lesson frequency is not indispensable, but helps to better assimilate the contents that will then be examined

Assessment methods

Oral exam with verification of the analytical capacity and criticism on the texts examined during the lessons.

It is preferred that the student chooses a topic on the religious tradition that intends to deepen and, after having agreed with the teacher the reference bibliography, prepare a written paper that must not be longer than 15,000 characters spaces included. The paper will be the starting point of the oral examination. A presentation of a critical text in the ancient language that is better known with its own translation compared with the translations already published is desirable. The paper must be sent to the teacher no less than a week before the exam. The paper must be written correctly both as regards the contents and as regards the bibliographic references in the footnotes and must have a premise and a conclusion. Quantity does not count but quality. The plagiarism (copy and paste from the Internet or from other sources without putting any reference) is a serious lack that disqualifies the paper.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint presentations and texts and translations uploaded to the virtual page. Some demonstration during the classes of some useful sites of sources.

Office hours

See the website of Davide Righi