Honour School of Philosophy and Theology

Differences from 2014/15 to 2021/22

A

  • 1. The subjects of the Honour School of Philosophy and Theology shall be (a) Philosophy and (b) Theology.

  • 2. All candidates must offer both (a) and (b).

  • 3. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in this school unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.

  • 4. The examination in this school shall be under the joint supervision of the Boards of the Faculties of Philosophy and Theology and Religion, which shall appoint a standing joint committee to make regulations concerning it, subject always to the preceding clauses of this subsection.

  • 5.

    • (i) The examiners for Philosophy in this school shall be such of the Public Examiners in Philosophy in the Honour School of Psychology, Philosophy, and Physiology, and those for Theology shall be such of the Public Examiners in the Honour School of Theology and Religion, as may in each case be required.

    • (ii) It shall be the duty of the chair of the Public Examiners in Psychology, Philosophy, and Physiology to designate such of the examiners in Philosophy as may be required for Philosophy in the Honour School of Philosophy and Theology, and the duty of the chair of the Public Examiners in the Honour School of Theology to designate such of their number as may be required for Theology in the Honour School of Philosophy and Theology, and when this has been done the number of the examiners in Philosophy and Theology shall be deemed to be complete.

B

The highest honours can be obtained by excellence either in Philosophy or in Theology provided that adequate knowledge is shown in the other subject of the examination.

Candidates are required to takeoffer eithereight fourpapers. subjectsThree inpapers Philosophymust and four in Theology, or fivebe in Philosophy and three in Theology,; orthe threeother two may be in either Philosophy and five inor Theology. A candidate may offer a Philosophy thesis, or a Theology extended essaythesis, but may not offer both. A candidateCandidates may offernot antake extendedmore essaythan onfour papers from 103 Ethics; 116 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics; 128 Practical Ethics; (2202) Ethics I: Christian Moral Reasoning, or (3204) Ethics II: Religious Ethics. Paper 110 Medieval Philosophy – Aquinas may not be taken with (3211) Further Studies in a topicSpecial combiningTheologian Philosophy and Theology; such an essay is subject to the provisions below regarding the extended essay in Theology, but additionally, approval will be sought by the Faculty of Theology and Religion from the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Faculty of PhilosophyAquinas.

(a) Philosophy 

Subjects as specified in Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy

(b) Theology.

All candidates must takeoffer paperspaper (i)107 Philosophy of Religion.

Candidates must offer one paper from: 101 Early Modern Philosophy and (ii)102 belowKnowledge and Reality. In addition they

Candidates must takeoffer eitherone (iii)paper orfrom: (iv)103 belowEthics; 115 Plato, Republic; 116 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. 

Candidates may selectchoose theirup remainingto two further papers from: the101 paperEarly notModern selectedPhilosophy; from102 (iii)Knowledge and (iv),Reality; paper103 (v)Ethics; below,104 Philosophy of Mind; 106 Philosophy of Science and anySocial otherScience; papers prescribed for the Honour School of Theology.

  • (i)108 The GospelsPhilosophy of Logic and JesusLanguage; (with109 specialAesthetics reference toand the gospelsPhilosophy of MatthewCriticism; 110 Medieval Philosophy – Aquinas; 111 Medieval Philosophy – Duns Scotus and John)Ockham; 112 The Philosophy of Kant; 113 Post-Kantian Philosophy; 114 Theory of Politics; 115 Plato, Republic; 116 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics;  120 Intermediate Philosophy of Physics; 122 Philosophy of Mathematics; 124 Philosophy of Science; 125 Philosophy of Cognitive Science; 127 Philosophical Logic; 128 Practical Ethics;  129 The Philosophy of Wittgenstein; 137 Plato on Knowledge, Language & Reality in the Theaetetus & Sophist (Paperin translation); 138 Aristotle on Nature, Life and Mind (2in translation); 139 Knowledge and Scepticism in Hellenistic Philosophy (in translation); 198 Special Subject in Philosophy; 199 Philosophy thesis.

    (b) Theology

    Individual paper requirements can be found under Special Regulations for the Honour School of Theology and Religion), Schedule of Papers.

    QuestionsCandidates willmust beoffer settwo onpapers from:

    • Paper (2101) The Narrative World of the fourHebrew gospels, their theology and ethics, literary and historical problems associated with the gospels, the historical Jesus, and different approaches to the gospels. Candidates will be required to comment on two passages from Matthew, at least three of which will be printed in English. They will also be required to comment on two passages from John, at least three of which will be printed in English.Bible;

    • (ii) God, Christ, and Salvation (Paper (52102) inThe Poetic World of the HonourHebrew School of Theology and Religion).Bible;

    • Paper (iii2103) The DevelopmentGospels;

    • Paper (2201) History of Doctrine;

    • Paper (2202) Ethics I: Christian Moral Reasoning;

    • Paper (2203) Themes in 19th-Century Theology & Religion;

    • Paper (2204) Key Themes in Systematic Theology;

    • Paper (2301) History and Theology of the Early Church to 451(64-337AD) (Paper (4) in the Honour School of Theology and Religion).;

    • (iv) Christian Moral Reasoning (Paper (122302) inMedieval the Honour School of Theology and Religion).Religions;

    • Paper (v2303) ThesisEarly Modern Christianity 1500-1648;

    • Paper (2304) Formation of Rabbinic Judaism;

    • Paper (2305) Islam in the Classical Period;

    • Paper (2306) Foundations of Buddhism;

    • Paper (2307) Hinduism: Sources and Formations;

    • Paper (2401) Modern Judaism;

    • Paper (2402) Islam in Contemporary Society;

    • Paper (2403) Buddhism in Space and Time;

    • Paper (2404) Modern Hinduism;

    • Paper (2405) Science and Religion.

    Candidates must offer one and may offer a further two papers from

    • Paper (3101) Hebrew of the Hebrew Bible;

    • Paper (3102) Paul and the Pauline Tradition;

    • Paper (3103) Biblical Interpretation: Perspectives from the Social Sciences;

    • Paper (3104) Gender and Power in Biblical Texts;

    • Paper (3105) Worship and Liturgy in the Hebrew Bible;

    • Paper (3106) Prophecy and Revelation in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond;

    • Paper (3107) Law, Teaching and Wisdom in Biblical Tradition;

    • Paper (3108) Early Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism;

    • Paper (3109) New Testament Theology;

    • Paper (3110) Study of a New Testament Book;

    • Paper (3111) The Afterlife of the New Testament;

    • Paper (3112) The Old Testament in Early Christianity;

    • Paper (3201) Contemporary Theology and Culture;

    • Paper (3203) Analytic Philosophy and Christian Theology;

    • Paper (3204) Ethics II: Religious Ethics;

    • Paper (3208) Origen;

    • Paper (3209) Augustine;

    • Paper (3210) Anselm;

    • Paper (3211) Aquinas;

    • Paper (3212) Luther;

    • Paper (3213) Calvin;

    • Paper (3214) Kierkegaard;

    • Paper (3215) Newman;

    • Paper (3217) Barth;

    • Paper (3218) Tillich;

    • Paper (3219) Bonhoeffer;

    • Paper (3220) Rahner;

    • Paper (3221) Liberation Theology and its legacy;

    • Paper (3222) Postliberal Theology;

    • Paper (3223) Radical Orthodoxy;

    • Paper (3224) Modern Debates concerning the Trinity;

    • Paper (3225) Modern Debates concerning Christology;

    • Paper (3301) From Nicaea to Chalcedon;

    • Paper (3302) Saints and Sanctity in the Age of Bede;

    • Paper (3303) Faith, Reason, and Religion from the Enlightenment to the Romantic Age;

    • Paper (3304) Eastern Christianities from Constantinople to Baghdad;

    • Paper (3305) Further Studies in Judaism;

    • Paper (3306) Further Studies in Islam;

    • Paper (3307) Further Studies in Buddhism;

    • Paper (3308) Further Studies in Hinduism;

    • Paper (3309) Studies in the Abrahamic Religions;

    • Paper (3310) Varieties of Judaism 100BCE – 100CE;

    • Paper (3401) The Nature of Religion;

    • Paper (3402) Psychology of Religion;

    • Paper (3403) Sociology of Religion;

    • Paper (3404) Further Studies in Science and Religion;

    • Paper (3405) Mysticism;

    • Paper (3406) Feminist Approaches to Theology and Religion.

    Candidates may not offer more than two papers from (3208) Origen; (3209) Augustine; (3210) Anselm; (3211) Aquinas; (3212) Luther; (3213) Calvin; (3214) Kierkegaard; (3215) Newman; (3217) Barth; (3218) Tillich; (3219) Bonhoeffer; (3220) Rahner.

    Candidates may not offer more than two papers from (3303) Faith, Reason and Religion from the Enlightenment to the Romantic Age; (3305) Further Studies in Judaism; (3306) Further Studies in Islam; (3307) Further Studies in Buddhism; (3308) Further Studies in Hinduism; (3404) Further Studies in Science and Religion; and (3405) Mysticism.

    Regulations concerning theses

    A thesis may be offered either in Theology (3000) or in Philosophy or in both Philosophy and Theology jointly(199). AThe candidateregulations whogoverning offers a thesistheses in Philosophy and Theology cannot also offer any other thesis. The provisions governing theses are the same as those given for theses in Philosophy in this school, as specified in Regulations for Philosophy in some of theall Honour Schools including Philosophy,.  The exceptregulations thatgoverning theses in Theology are the provisionssame as those specified for theses in the Special Regulations for Philosophy for subject 199 that ‘The subject of every thesis should fall within the scope of philosophy’ does not apply to theses in theology.

    Optional translation papers (2 hours each).

    The translation components of paper (24), The Hebrew of the Old Testament, of the Honour School of Theology and Religion may be offered as an optional extra paper by candidates for the Honour School of Philosophy and Theology. Paper (27), The New Testament in Greek, of the Honour School of Theology and Religion may also be offered as an optional extra paper by candidates for the Honour School of Philosophy and Theology.

    No candidate may offer both philosophy paper 110: Medieval Philosophy, and Aquinas for study as a major theologian for paper (10) Further Studies in History and Doctrine as prescribed for the Honour School of Theology and Religion.  

    Regulations concerning essays

    Candidates who take any of papers (3305) Further Studies in Judaism; (3306) Further Studies in Islam; (3307) Further Studies in Buddhism; (3308) Further Studies in Hinduism ; or (3404) Further Studies in Science and Religion will be required to submit an extended essay not exceeding 10,000 words, inclusive of notes and appendices but excluding bibliography. The regulations governing extended essays are the same as those specified for extended essays in the Special Regulations for the Honour School of Theology and Religion.

  • Candidates who take papers (3303) Faith, Reason, and Religion from the Enlightenment to the Romantic Age or (3405) Mysticism will be required to submit two long essays each not exceeding 5,000 words, inclusive of notes and appendices but excluding bibliography. The regulations governing long essays are the same as those specified for long essays in the Special Regulations for the Honour School of Theology and Religion.

Candidates who take papers (3109) New Testament Theology; (3110) Study of a New Testament Book; (3111) The Afterlife of the New Testament; (3112) The Old Testament in Early Christianity; (3201) Contemporary Theology and Culture; or (3406) Feminist Approaches to Theology and Religion will be required both to sit a two hour written examination and to submit an essay for each paper offered. Essays should not exceed 2,500 words, inclusive of notes and appendices but excluding bibliography. The regulations governing essays are the same as those specified for essays in the Special Regulations for the Honour School of Theology and Religion.