Honour School of Philosophy and Theology

Differences from 2019/20 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 offer eight papers. Three papers must be in Philosophy and three in Theology; the other two may be in either Philosophy or Theology. A candidate may offer a Philosophy thesis, or a Theology thesis, but may not offer both. Candidates may not take more than four 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 Special Theologian – Aquinas.

(a) Philosophy

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

All candidates must offer paper 107 Philosophy of Religion.

Candidates must offer one paper from: 101 Early Modern Philosophy and 102 Knowledge and Reality.

Candidates must offer one paper from: 103 Ethics; 115 Plato, Republic; 116 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics.

Candidates may choose up to two further papers from: 101 Early Modern Philosophy; 102 Knowledge and Reality; 103 Ethics; 104 Philosophy of Mind; 106 Philosophy of Science and Social Science; 108 The Philosophy of Logic and Language; 109 Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Criticism; 110 Medieval Philosophy – Aquinas; 111 Medieval Philosophy – Duns Scotus and 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 (in translation); 138 Aristotle on Nature, Life and Mind (in 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.

Candidates must offer two papers from:

  • Paper (2101) The Narrative World of the Hebrew Bible;

  • Paper (2102) The Poetic World of the Hebrew Bible;

  • Paper (2103) The Gospels;

  • 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 (64-337AD);

  • Paper (2302) Medieval Religions;

  • Paper (2303) Early 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 (199). The regulations governing theses in Philosophy are the same as those specified in Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy.  The regulations governing theses in Theology are the same as those specified for theses in the Special Regulations 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.