Questions of Patristics II

Teacher(s)

Pauliat Marie;

Language

French

Main themes

These objectives will be achieved after an analysis of a specific question about various testimonies of ancient Christian literature (literary, doctrinal and theological aspects).
The analysed texts will be situated in their historical and theological contexts.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	carry out personal research on a specific theological or literary question about ancient christian literature (Greek and/or latin) ;
2	read critically ancient theological sources ;
3	use the main tools in the field.

Content

Faith and Cultures: could the Church Fathers be Inspiring for Today?
Church news is regularly filled with contrasting viewpoints regarding the relationship between faith and culture(s): demands for the right to adapt the faith to accommodate cultural particularities; claims to build a Christian counterculture that categorically opposes values perceived as contrary to biblical teachings or Christian ethics; reflections and innovations in favor of the inculturation of the faith within different cultures…
These tensions became apparent from the very first encounter between the Christian faith and culture(s) during the first five centuries of Christianity. How did the Church Fathers position themselves in relation to Greek philosophy, rhetoric, or polytheism—elements that were often clearly opposed to their faith and, for them, sources of contentious debates and even persecution?
Through reading patristic texts and studying works of art, we will discover together that the relationships between the Church Fathers and ancient culture—often tense, always complex—were sources of great fruitfulness: Justin of Rome developed his theory of the “seeds of truth” present even among pagans (a theory taken up again at the Second Vatican Council); Greek philosophical vocabulary provided the Fathers of the 4th century with the conceptual tools to reflect on intra-Trinitarian relationships; Basil and Augustine never rejected the academic teachings of their time outright, but proposed criteria for preserving the best of them; the mystics drew on philosophical frameworks to express the ineffable divine… Far from rejecting their entire culture, the Fathers adopted its codes and assimilated everything that was compatible with their faith, to the point of transforming—from within and in a lasting way—even the very notion of culture.
In doing so, they still offer us today keys to reflecting on our own relationships with contemporary cultures, as well as criteria for discernment in favor of a proper inculturation—criteria whose relevance has endured through the centuries.

Teaching methods

For this course on a little-known topic, the teaching method is based on a combination of presentations by the teacher and active pedagogy.
Classes will alternate between:
    -classroom presentations by the teacher, illustrated by slides;
    -in-class question-and-answer sessions;
    -analysis of patristic texts (available in advance and read before each class).
At the end of each session, the teacher provides students with a reading program and/or exercises (individually or in sub-groups) to familiarize them with the texts and the main working tools.

Evaluation methods

Oral exam

Bibliography

Quelques ouvrages de référence sur les rapports des Pères à la culture antique (une bibliographie complémentaire sera communiquée lors du cours):
Quelques sources primaires : anthologies
- Alexandre, J., Capelle, P., Philosophie et théologie dans la période antique : Anthologie. Paris : Cerf, 2008. 
- Pouderon, B., Foi Chrétienne et Culture Classique. Paris : Migne, 1998.
Quelques sources secondaires
- Champagne C., « Foi et cultures à la lumière du passé », Kerygma 19, 1985, p. 17-70.
- Collectif « Le christianisme dans les cultures », Théophilyon X, vol. 2, 2005, (notamment articles de C. Prudhomme et M. Fédou).
- Fédou M., « L’usage des notions philosophiques chez les Pères de l’Église », Itinéraires augustiniens 73 (2025), p. 5-14
- Morlet S., Les chrétiens et la culture, conversion d’un concept (Ier-VIe), Paris : Les Belles Lettres, 2016
- Poupard P., « Les Pères de l'Église : Actualité d'une inculturation de la foi », Esprit et vie. L'ami du clergé 103, 1993, p. 689-697.

Teaching materials

• Les supports de cours seront disponibles sur Moodle au fur et à mesure.

Faculty or entity

> TEBI