INSTRUCTORS:
A. Course Description
The course aims to provide students a basic knowledge of Church history in the so called period Modern and Contemporary. The modern time is enclosed in 1648-1870, while the Contemporary is considered from the Vatican Council I up to now.
The Modern period treats of the following themes:
- The Church between age of baroque and age of enlightenment: The legacy of Trento; Church and State in the Ancien Regime; confessional society in the absolute; Jansenism; the Gallicanism; the Josephinism; Febronianism; pontificates of Innocent X (1644-55), Alexander VII (1655-67), Clement IX (1667-69), Innocent XI (1676-89), Clement XI (1700-21), Benedict XIII (1724-30), Benedict XIV (1740-58), Clement XIV (suppression of the Society of Jesus, 1773).
- The Church front of the modern world: the Enlightenment; the ecclesiastical policy of French Revolution; Pius VI and Napoleon; the Romance; Liberalism (the revolutionary movements of 1830 and 1848); Gregory XVI and liberal Catholics (Mirari vos, 1832); Pius IX and the Roman Question; The Syllabus (1864).
The Contemporary period has these main themes:
- The First Vatican Council: preparation and progress.
- The Constitution Dei Filius and the Constitution Pastor Aeternus on the papal infallibility.
- The management politico-doctrina after the Council.
- End of the temporal power of the popes and the birth of “Roman Question”.
- The Second Vatican Council: preparation and progress.
- The dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium and the ecclesiastic renewal.
- The pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes and the view of universal Church.
B. Methods and requirements
The course’s methods include class lectures and group presentations and dialogues of various themes and assigned texts. Normally, each class begins with instructor’s lecture and continues with students’ presentations and dialogues. Students are thus expected to prepare personally assigned texts and to take part into the conversation with others in class. Each presentation will be led by a group of students and then includes the participation of the rest of class. Further, other materials and indications will be supplied by the instructor for the students’ further needs.
C. Key texts
- Alberigo, Giuseppe, A brief history of Vatican II, Orbis Books, Maryknoll 2006.
- Brown, Stewart J. – Tackett Timothy ed., The Cambridge history of Christianity, Vol. 7.
- Chadwick, Owen, The Popes and European Revolution, Oxford 2003.
- Chadwich,Owen, A History of the Popes 1830-1914, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002.
- Jedin, Hubert, History of the Church, Vol. V-IX, Crossroad, New York 1982.
- O’Malley, John W., What Happened at Vatican II,
- Po-Chia Hsia, R. ed., The Cambridge history of Christianity, Vol. 6.
- Tanner, Norman P., The Church and the World, New York 2005.
- Tanner, Norman P., The Councils of the Church. A short History, New York 2001.
D. Other recommended texts
- Alberigo, Giuseppe, History of Vatican II, 5 Vol., Orbis Books, Maryknoll 1995.
- Bihlmeyer, Karl – Tuechle, Hermann, Storia della Chiesa. 4. L’epoca Moderna, Brescia 2007.
- Bulman, Raymond F. – Parrella, Frederick J., From Trent to Vatican II: historical and theological investigations, Oxford University Press, New York 2006.
- Erba, Andrea – Guiducci, Pier Luigi, La Chiesa nella Storia, II, Roma 2006.
- Fliche, Augustin – Martin, Victor, Storia della Chiesa dalle origini ai giorni nostri, vol. 21, Editrice S.A.I.E., Torino 1964.
- Jedin, Hubert, Storia della Chiesa, vol. VIII/2, Jaca Book, Milano 1977.
- Martina, Giacomo, Storia della Chiesa da Lutero ai nostri giorni. 2. L età dell Assolutismo, Brescia 1995; Vol. 3. L’Età del Liberalismo, Brescia 1995.
- Mezzadri, Luigi, Storia della Chiesa: tra Medioevo ed epoca moderna, Centro Liturgico Vincenziano, Roma 1999-2007.
- Simolinsky, Heribert, Storia della Chiesa. I-II, Epoca moderna, it. By Mariarosa Limiroli, Queriniana, Brescia 1995
- Tramontin, Silvio, Storiadella Chiesa moderna e contemporanea, Piemme, Casale Monferrato 1991.
E. Course assessment
Class participation: 10%
Group presentations: 20%
Oral exam: 70%