Honour School of Theology and Oriental Studies

(a) Theology

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 (3000) Thesis;

• 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;

• [For students starting from MT 2018: 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;

• [For students starting from MT 2018: 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;

  Paper 107 Philosophy of Religion (Faculty of Philosophy)

  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 one paper from (3301) From Nicaea to Chalcedon; (3302) Saints and Sanctity in the Age of Bede; (3303) Faith, Reason, and Religion from the Enlightenment to the Romantic Age; (3304) Eastern Christianities from Constantinople to Baghdad.

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.

Candidates may not offer more than one paper from (3401) The Nature of Religion; (3402) Psychology of Religion; (3403) Sociology of Religion; (3404) Further Studies in Science and Religion; (3405) Mysticism; and (3406) Feminist Approaches to Theology and Religion.

Not all papers will be available every year.

(b) Oriental Studies

Individual paper requirements can be found under Special Regulations for the Honour School of Oriental Studies.

Candidates must take three papers and may take up to five all of which must be drawn from either 1. Buddhism or 2. Eastern Christianity or 3. Hinduism or 4. Islam or 5. Judaism as outlined below. Advanced language options are for candidates who have studied the same language for the First Public Examination.

1. Buddhism

All candidates must offer a paper from either B1A or B1B.

[B1A]: either Pali or Sanskrit or Tibetan

[B1B]: either Advanced Pali or Advanced Sanskrit or Advanced Tibetan Language and Texts

Candidates must offer one paper and may choose up to three papers from the following:

[B2]: Set Texts in a Buddhist Canonical Language: Pali or Sanskrit or Tibetan

[B3]: Foundations of Buddhism (Theology 2306)

[B4]: Buddhism in Space and Time (Theology 2403)

[B5]: Further Buddhist Texts: Pali or Sanskrit or Tibetan

2. Eastern Christianity

All candidates must offer either [EC1]: Armenian or [EC2]: Syriac.

All candidates must offer two and may offer up to four papers from the following:

[EC3]: Early Armenian Theological and Ecclesiastical Texts

[EC5]: Armenian Historical Texts

[EC6]: Syriac Biblical and Exegetical Texts

[EC7]: Armenian Poetry

[EC8]: Syriac Poetry

[EC9]: Armenian Christology and the Development of Doctrine

[EC10]: Syriac Theology and Mystical Texts

3. Hinduism

All candidates must offer either paper [H1A]: Sanskrit Language and Texts I or [H1B]: Advanced Sanskrit Language and Texts I.

All candidates must offer either paper [H2A]: Sanskrit Language and Texts II or paper [H2B]: Advanced Sanskrit Language and Texts II.

All candidates must offer paper [H3]: Brahminism.

Candidates may offer up to two papers from:

[H4]: Texts on the Nature of Dharma

[H5]: Vedic Religion and Brahmanism

[H6]: Shaiva Doctrine and Practice

4. Islam

All candidates must offer [IS1]: Translation from Classical Arabic and [IS2]: Islamic Texts.

Candidates must offer one paper and may choose up to three papers from the following:

[IS3]: Hadith

[IS4]: Sufism

[IS5]: Qur’an

[IS6]: Topics in Islamic Law

[IS7]: Theology & Philosophy in the Islamic World

[IS8]: Any other paper, relevant to Islam, in the Honour School of Oriental Studies approved by the Interfaculty Committee.

5. Judaism

All candidates must offer either [J1A]: Hebrew Language and Texts or [J1B]: Advanced Hebrew Language and Texts.

Candidates must offer one paper and may choose up to three papers from the following:

[J2]: Second Temple Judaism

[J3]: Formation of Rabbinic Judaism

[J4]: History of Jewish-Christian Relations

[J5]: History of Jewish-Muslim Relations

[J6]: History of Jewish Bible Interpretation

[J7]: Modern Judaism

Candidates will be precluded from offering the following combinations of papers:

Islam in the Classical Period (Theology 2305) with Hadith (Oriental Studies [IS3]) or with Sufism (Oriental Studies [IS4]) or with Topics in Islamic Law (Oriental Studies [IS6]); Varieties of Judaism 100 BCE-100 CE (Theology 3310) with Second Temple Judaism (Oriental Studies [J2]).

Candidates who offer any of papers Formation of Rabbinic Judaism; Modern Judaism; Foundations of Buddhism; and Buddhism in Space and Time must offer them as either Theology or Oriental Studies papers.

Regulations concerning theses and dissertations

A thesis may be offered in Theology (Paper 3000) or a dissertation in Oriental Studies. 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.  The regulations governing dissertations in Oriental Studies are the same as those specified in Special Regulations for the Honour School of Oriental Studies.

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; (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.