TRS 731D: The Moral Theology of the Sermon on the Mount
CatholicUniversity of America
Spring, 2009
Dr. William C. Mattison III
409 Caldwell Hall
319-6504,
Office Hours: by appt.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to immerse students in the Sermon on the Mount, which has been called the “charter of the Christian life.” Although contemporary Scriptural scholarship will be regularly utilized, the course will focus on the moral importance of the Sermon text, approached through classic commentaries throughout history as well as contemporary scholarship. The text of Matthew 5-7 itself structures our class, and students will examine it in great depth with the aid of the aforementioned sources, with particular attention to the moral resources it offers and questions it raises.
Course Objectives
1. Students will study in great depth the text of the Sermon on the Mount,with particular attention to the moral resources it offers and questions it raises, through several classic historical commentaries and moral theological scholarship on the Sermon on the Mount, as well as some contemporary Scriptural scholarship. This will also include memorization of the text.
2. Students will do an academic presentation.
3. Students will do an academic response.
4. Students will lead an academic discussion.
5. Students will write an academic article ready for publication
Course Requirements
Needless to say, attendance is crucial for this class. It is a seminar, and thus your classmates are essential for learning about St. Thomas and his moral theology. This is particularly true given the small size of our class. You should not miss class. If there is some emergency that requires you to do so, inform me as soon as you are aware of it.
1. Seminar Presentation (One over the course of the term)
The student who presents on a given day is the person responsible for the class’ engagement with the texts of that day. The presenter should have a strong grasp not only of theprimary texts, but also of relevant secondary literature. Several days before our seminar (Monday, 2 pm?) the presenter should send out to the class and professor by email a 2000-2500 wd. paper making an argument relevant to the reading. It must be well footnoted with primary and secondary sources. It is not a summary / overview, but an argument taking a position on some question.
2. Seminar Response (One over the course of the term)
The assigned respondent for a class will write a 1000-1200 wd. direct response to the paper handed out by Monday (?), agreeing and / or disagreeing with its claims and explaining why. It must be well footnoted with primary and secondary sources. It will be handed out and read in class, and serve as the starting point (with the presenter paper) for discussion.
3. Students will each lead class discussion one day. A student’s grasp of the material should be as thorough as if they were writing a paper for this day. But there is not paper. There is only guidance given to the class beforehand on what to focus on in the reading, and guidance given to the class that day in terms of leading discussion.
4. Final Paper (due Weds., May 6, by email by 3 pm)
Your paper should be in the form of a publishable paper (modeled on those we read for this class) with a clear thesis, argument, and command of the primary and secondary literature on the topic. It should be 5,000-10,000 words. You should meet with me early and repeatedly about this paper.
5. Students (and the professor) will memorize the text of the Sermon on the Mount by the last day of class (April 30). Each student will recite the text to the professor.
Course Texts
Primary Sources
1. Chrysostom’s Homilies on Matthew’s Gospel (XV-XXIV)
-several editions available (e.g., The Preaching of Chrysostom, ed. Pelikan)
-available on line at under Chrysostom, Homilies
2. Augustine’s On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount
-available in several editions (Fathers of the Church, Ancient Christian Writers)
-available on line at under Augustine
3. Luther’s Sermons on the Sermon on the Mount
-available in several editions (e.g., vol 21 of Concordia’s Luther’s Works)
-available on line at
4. Possible: John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Institutes of the Christian Religion Book II.VII-XI
5. Possible: John Wesley,Sermons on the Sermon on the Mount
6. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
7. Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth
Secondary Sources (these are only the overviews – many more specifics will be added)
1. Greenman et al (eds.), The Sermon on the Mount Through the Ages, Brazos 2007
2. Jaroslav Pelikan, Divine Rhetoric: The Sermon on the Mount as Message and as Model in Augustine, Chrysostom, and Luther, St. Vladamir’s 2001
Grading
(subject to revision)
Seminar Presentation100
Seminar Response50
Leading Class Discussion50
Research Paper200 (inc. 50 pt detailed proposal)
Participation50
TOTAL450
Course Outline
(subject to revision!)
Thursday, January 15Introduction to Course
Thursday, January 22Historical Overview
Thursday, January 29No Class
Thursday, February 5Patristics on the Beatitudes
Primary
-Augustine
-Chrysostom
-Gregory of Nyssa
Secondary
-Pinckaers , Sources of Christian Ethics 134-167
-Dauphinais on Augustine & Nyssa in Nova et Vetera 2003
-essays on Gregory in Homilies by Wilken, Meredith, Kovacs
Thursday, February 12Thomas and Reformers on the Beatitudes
Primary
-Thomas, selection from Summa Theologiae I-II 1-5, 55-63, 68-69
-Luther (47 + 14)
-possible: Calvin
-possible: Wesley
Secondary
-Pinckaers Reader chapters6 & 7 (see also chap. 4)
-Schreiner on Luther in The Sermon on the Mount Through the Ages (see also Spencer on Calvin and Noll on Wesley)
-Tore Meistad, Martin Luther and John Wesley on the Sermon on the Mount
Thursday, February 19Twentieth Century on the Beatitudes
Primary
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-Pope Benedict XVI
Secondary
-Pinckaers, The Pursuit of Happiness: God’s Way
-some Biblical scholarship (e.g., Guelich, Betz, Luz)
Thursday, February 26Old Law & New Law for the Patristics & Thomas
Primary
-Chrysostom
-Augustine (see also De Spiritu et Littera and XVII-XIX of Reply to Faustus)
-Thomas– I-II 106-108
Secondary
-Pinckaers Reader, chap. 3 (selections)
-Titus article in Thomist 2008
Thursday, March 5Spring Break
Tuesday, March 12Law for the Reformers and Contemporaries
Primary
-Luther
-Calvin (see also Institutes Book II, VII-XI)
-Wesley
-Bonhoffer
-Benedict (see alsoVeritatis Splendor I)
Secondary
-Cavanaugh in Sermon Through Ages)
-Macaskill
Tuesday, March 19Patristicsand Thomas on “Cultic Acts”
Primary
-Chrysostom
-Augustine
-Thomas Aquinas
Secondary
-Mattison, chapter 2 in Introducing Moral Theology (first half)
Tuesday, March 26ReformersContemporaries on “Cultic Acts”
Primary
-Luther
-Calvin
-Wesley
-Bonhoffer
Secondary
-some Biblical scholarship (e.g., Guelich, Betz, Luz)
Tuesday, April 2The Lord’s Prayer
Primary
-review Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther
possibilities: Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Thomas Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI
Secondary
-Mattison
Tuesday, April 9Holy Thursday
Tuesday, April 16Daily Life & Two Ways for Patristics and Thomas
Primary
-Chrysostom
-Augustine
-Thomas Aquinas
Tuesday, April 23Daily Life & Two Ways for Reformers and Today
Primary
-Luther
-Calvin
-Wesley
-Bonhoffer
Secondary
-some Biblical scholarship (e.g., Guelich, Betz, Luz)
-Baukham paper
Tuesday, April 30Student Presentations