Sacramentalité : Approche historique et systématique

Language

French

Main themes

To achieve its set goals, the course will examine the biblical and historical records by analyzing sacramental practices to the present rituals. This historical approach will be crossed with the systematic dossier that will address the major stages of Christian reflection in sacramental theology, up to the present day.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	- to use the major sources and working tools concerning sacramentality and its history; - to situate the theological and anthropological issues of sacramental reflection; - to understand the challenges of the  sacraments in inter-denominational dialogues. According to the Bachelor's Degree in Religious Sciences: A. To master the knowledge to explain Christianity in its cultural environment according to theological disciplines; A.3. To understand and explain the liturgical and pastoral situation of a Christian community; A.5. To understand and interpret historical and juridical sources relating to the Christian Faith;
2	B. To use appropriate concepts to develop theological reflection; B.4. To perceive the complementarity of the theological disciplines of positive theology, systematic theology and practical theology;
3	D. To develop a personal theological reflection and critical thinking; D.3. To distinguish between the theological analysis of an issue or situation and a commonsense analysis.

Content

The course is developed in two stages. The first focuses on sacramentality and sacraments in general. It studies the evolution of the understanding of sacramentality from the patristic period to the present day, looking at Tertullian, Thomas Aquinas and Louis-Marie Chauvet among others. The liturgical movement and the orientations taken by the Vatican Council are the occasion for special attention. It is on this fundamental basis that the second stage devoted to the seven sacraments is built. For each of these, the biblical foundations, the historical background, the liturgical and symbolic developments and the ecumenical debates are addressed. The sacrament of the Eucharist is the subject of a more substantial development, in view of its importance in the Christian life.

Teaching methods

In order to develop the spirit of historical and theological analysis and the liturgical sensitivity of the students, the course will consist of lectures on biblical texts as well as historical and theological texts. Students will also have to study a question of sacramental theology which will be discussed during the course.
It is possible to follow the course at a distance, by attending 3 meetings: one at the beginning of the course, one in the middle to report on the observation of a Eucharistic liturgy and one between the end of the course and the exam.

Evaluation methods

Students who take the class in class will be evaluated on the basis of three exercises:

• short reading and analysis assignments on ancient and/or contemporary liturgical texts;
• an observation exercise of a Eucharistic liturgy;
• the presentation of a sacrament through a poster.

Students who follow the course online will be evaluated on the basis of three exercises :

• Reading a book on the Eucharist (in the bibliography) and the book of Michel Scouarnec, Les symboles chrétiens. Les sacrements ne sont pas étranges, Paris, 1998 (Vivre – Croire – Célébrer).
• an observation exercise of a Eucharistic liturgy;
• an exam of the entire course, based on questions given in advance.

Other information

On Moodle

Bibliography

Louis-Marie Chauvet, Les sacrements : Parole de Dieu au risque du corps (Recherches), Paris, L'Atelier, 1997 (nouvelle édition : Le corps chemin de Dieu. Les sacrements, Paris, 2010)
Jean-Philippe Revel, Traité des sacrements. 1, Baptême et sacramentalité, 2 vol., Paris, Cerf, 2004-2005
Michel Scouarnec, Les symboles chrétiens. Les sacrements ne sont pas étranges (Vivre – Croire – Célébrer) , Paris, 1998
Bernard Sesboüé, Invitation à croire. 2. Des sacrements crédibles et désirables, Paris, Cerf, 2009

Faculty or entity

TEBI