Roman
Catholic
Theological
Thought


(Nature
and
Environmental
Ethics
from
Aquinas
to
Liberation
Theology)

REL
280‐101

TTh
2:40‐4:10

Instructor:
Anthony
Paul
Smith
(anthonypaul.smith@gmail.com)

Office
hours:
Tuesdays
12:00‐1:00
or
by
appointment




Course
Description

The
environmental
crisis
is
one
the
defining
issues
of
our
age.
To
call
it
“the”

environmental
crisis
obscures
the
reality
of
it.
For
the
environmental
crisis
is
not
like
a

single
event,
like
the
recent
oil
spill
in
the
gulf,
it
is
not
“out
there”
as
a
single
event
to

which
human
society
could
respond.
Rather
the
environmental
crisis
extends
beyond
a

number
of
individual
ecological
catastrophes,
but
also
extends
to
the
very
way
we
relate

to
nature,
to
our
local
environments,
to
non‐human
creatures,
and
to
other
human

beings.




Roman
Catholic
theology
offers
a
distinctive
response
to
this
set
of
issues,
as
questions

about
the
“being
of
things”
(metaphysics)
and
“how
one
should
live”
(ethics)
are
not

considered
separately
from
one
another
in
the
tradition.
As
we
will
see
considerations

of
nature
as
creation
go
hand
in
hand
with
the
ethical
teaching
of
theologians
and
the

magisterium.



This
class
aims
to
provide
a
survey
of
Roman
Catholic
theological
thought
on
nature
and

environmental
ethics
and
there
will
be
an
emphasis
on
reading
whole
texts
where

possible.
We
begin
with
the
official
teaching
of
the
Roman
Catholic
church
on
the

environment
in
the
light
of
the
doctrine
of
creation.
We
then
turn
to
a
selection
of

medieval
theological
sources,
which
will
deepen
our
understanding
of
the
Roman

Catholic
idea
of
nature
as
creation.
The
last
half
of
the
course
is
devoted
to

contemporary
theological
thought
that,
in
dialogue
with
the
medieval
sources,
address

the
theological
issue
of
creation
in
the
light
of
ecology
and
the
environmental
crisis.



Learning
Outcomes


Upon
completing
the
course
the
student
should
be
able
to:


• identify
and
explain
the
relationship
between
our
ideas
about
nature/creation

and
our
attempts
to
create
an
ethical
relationship
to
the

biosphere/environment.

• identify
and
explain
the
central
questions
and
methods
of
Catholic
Social

Teaching,
the
medieval
theologians,
and
the
contemporary
theoloians;


• be
able
to
identity
the
central
themes
and
arguments
of
the
texts
and
state
them

in
a
clear
and
sympathetic
way
in
class
discussion;

• be
able
to
formulate
criticisms
in
a
way
that
is
attentive
to
the
original
author’s

intent
and
argumentation.



Grade
Summary

There
will
be
two
exams
(comprised
of
short‐answer
questions
and
essay
questions)

and
a
final
paper
(10‐pages,
double‐spaced).
Each
will
count
as
one‐third
of
your
grade.



It
is
important
that
you
do
not
miss
a
class
and
especially
an
exam.
Any
make‐up
for
the

in‐class
exams
will
only
be
given
due
to
extreme
situations,
and
this
is
done
very
rarely.

You
must
have
prior
permission
from
the
instructor
to
take
a
make­up.




1



The
paper
is
due
to
the
departmental
secretary
on
Friday
November
19th
by
4:30pm.

Details
concerning
the
paper
(its
format
and
content)
will
be
passed
out
after
the
first

exam.
Late
papers
will
not
be
accepted.
Cheating/plagiarism
will
be
dealt
with
as
the

serious
infractions
that
they
are,
possibly
leading
to
failure;
see
the
Student
Handbook

for
details.
Attendance
is
important
but
will
not
be
taken
every
day.
It
is
your

responsibility
to
attend
every
class.
I
can
guarantee
that
poor
attendance
will
make
it

impossible
to
do
well
in
this
class.



Required
Texts

I
will
provide
a
number
of
handouts,
clearly
marked
in
the
reading
schedule,
and
these
are

not
listed
here.
Texts
listed
below
are
available
in
the
campus
bookstore
and
you
are

expected
to
have
your
own
copy
of
each.



• Joseph
Cardinal
Ratzinger,
In
the
Beginning...:
A
Catholic
Understanding
of
the
Story

of
Creation
and
the
Fall
(Eerdmans)

• Nicholas
of
Cusa,
Selected
Spiritual
Writings
(Paulist)

• Rosemary
Radford
Ruether,
Gaia
&
God:
An
Ecofeminist
Theology
of
Earth

Healing
(Harper
San
Francisco)


• Leonardo
Boff,
Cry
of
the
Earth,
Cry
of
the
Poor
(Orbis)



Outline
of
Course
and
Reading
Schedule


Readings
listed
are
to
be
read
for
that
class
period.
If
the
reading
is
listed
under
September

14th,
it
is
to
be
read
prior
to
the
September
14th
session
of
class.
To
help
guide
your

reading,
I
will
provide
two
study
question
per
reading
assignment
(via
email)
which
you

should
come
to
class
as
prepared
as
possible
to
answer;
writing
out
answers
beforehand
is

not
required
but
is
encouraged.
The
schedule
and
procedures
for
this
course
are
subject
to

change
in
the
event
of
extenuating
circumstances;
changes
will
be
announced
in
class.



September
9th

 
 Introduction



Part
1:
Catholic
Social
Teaching

September
14th

 
 Official
Church
Teaching


 
 
 
 Pope
John
Paul
II,
“Peace
with
God
the
Creator”
(handout)


 
 
 
 US
Bishops
Conference,
“Renewing
the
Earth”
(handout)


 
 
 
 Joseph
Cardinal
Ratzinger,
“In
the
beginning…”,
pp.
1‐40



September
16th
 
 Sacred
Doctrine
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation


 
 
 
 Ratzinger,
pp.
41‐100.


 
 
 
 Pope
Benedict
XVI,
Caritas
in
veritate,
chapter
4
(handout)


 
 
 
 St.
Thomas
Aquinas,
Summa
Theologiae
Ia.1
(handout)



Part
2:
Theological
Sources

September
21st
 
 Doctrine
of
Creation/Grace
&
Nature


 
 
 
 St.
Thomas
Aquinas,
Summa
Theologiae
Ia.45,
Writings
on
the

‘Sentences’
of
Peter
Lombard,
II.1.1,
Summa
Theologiae

Ia.IIae.109‐112
(Handouts)


 
 
 
 

September
23rd

 
 Franciscan
Spirituality
and
Creation


 
 
 
 St.
Francis,
“Canticle
of
the
Sun”,
“Sermon
to
the
Birds”


 
 
 
 Roger
D.
Sorrell,
St.
Francis
of
Assisi
and
Nature,
pp.
55‐97



September
28th
 
 Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
I


 
 
 
 Cusa,
On
Learned
Ignorance,
pp.
87‐127
(Book
1)


 
 
 
 


2



September
30th
 
 Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
II


 
 
 
 Cusa,
pp.
127‐169
(Book
2)



October
5th


 
 Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
III


 
 
 
 Cusa,
pp.
169‐204
(Book
3),
Dialogue
on
the
Hidden
God,
pp.
209‐
213



October
7th


 
 Exam
#1



Part
3:
Creation
after
Ecology

October
12th

 
 Ecofeminism
and
Creation


 
 
 
 Ruether,
Gaia
&
God,
pp.
1‐58



October
14th

 
 Creation
and
Destruction


 
 
 
 Ruether,
pp.
61‐111
 
 
 



October
19th

 
 Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
I


 
 
 
 Ruether,
pp.
115‐172



October
21st

 
 Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
II


 
 
 
 Ruether,
pp.
173‐228



October
26th

 
 Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
III


 
 
 
 Ruether,
pp.
229‐274



October
28th
 
 Liberation
Theology
on
Creation


 
 
 
 Boff,
Cry
of
the
Earth,
Cry
of
the
Poor,
pp.
1‐61



November
2nd
 
 Crisis
and
Sin


 
 
 
 Boff,
pp.
61‐114
 



November
4th
 
 Dignity
and
the
Godhead
I


 
 
 
 Boff,
pp.
115‐173
 
 


 

November
9th

 
 Dignity
and
the
Godhead
II


 
 
 
 Boff,
174‐220



November
11th

 
 Conclusion




November
16th

 
 Exam
#2




3