Module: Ecclesiology

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Ecclesiology
Module Code	RET1018 (ITS: TP122)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Theology, Philosophy & Music
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	7.5

Description

The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to the study of the Christian Church. It attempts to study the church from biblical times to the present. The module considers how the church survived after the death of the first apostolic leaders; the achievements and failures of the church in the patristic, medieval, and modern periods; the biblical images of the church, the eleventh century schism, the sixteenth-century reformation, the renaissance in Catholic thought in the twentieth century, the history of Vatican II; and the contemporary issues in ecclesiology. In this module, students develop knowledge and skills in reading original texts, studying the methods of historical and theological investigation; reading introductory and advanced theological and historical textbooks, and collaborative learning.

Learning Outcomes

1. 1E02C819-B874-0001-3494-1C8DEED07700
2. Demonstrate a specific knowledge of the Christian Church
5. 1
6. 1E02C819-C69C-0001-20FC-140017C013C7
7. Demonstrate an essential knowledge of the history of Christianity
10. 2
11. 1E02C819-EBD3-0001-DC73-1FA0307C2470
12. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the usefulness of the biblical images of the church for renewal and reform of ecclesial structures in the context of current issues
15. 3
16. 1E02C81A-0385-0001-90B6-D813E680DD20
17. Explain the origins, causes, and consequences of the Oriental Schism
20. 4
21. 1E02C81A-1516-0001-2032-D9A01D001E5C
22. Demonstrate an understanding of the emergence of the modern ecumenical movement
25. 5
26. 1E02C81A-5A28-0001-5A84-40401E231941
27. Demonstrate an ability to organise and communicate through a written assignment the critical issues in the Christian Church
30. 6
31. 1E02C81A-7409-0001-E0AC-D49C1B7210F4
32. Critically reflect upon important ecclesiological issues including ministry, evangelisation, return to the sources, reform, ecumenism
35. 7

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	15	No Description
Independent Study	172.5	No Description
Total Workload: 187.5

Section Breakdown
CRN	20995	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale		Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category		Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Gabriel Flynn	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	2500	100%	Week 30

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Barthe, Claude: 2004, 2004, 1st, Roman Catholic Books, Fort Collins, CO, 1-929291-83-3
Brown, Raymond E.: 0, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind, Paulist Press, New York, 0-8091-2611-7
Chadwick, Owen: 1995, A History of Christianity, St Martin's Press, New York, 0312187238
Comby, Jean: 1985, How to Read Church History: From the Beginnings to the Fifteenth Century, vol. i, SCM Press, London, 0-334-02050-6
Comby, Jean with Diarmaid MacCulloch: 2004, How to Read Church History: From the Reformation to the Present Day, vol. ii,, Crossroad, New York, 0-8245-0908-0
Evans, Joan (ed.): 1998, The Flowering of the Middle Ages, 1st paperback edition, Thames and Hudson, London, 0-500-28043-6
Flynn, Gabriel (Ed): 2005, Yves Congar: Theologian of the Church, 1st, Peeters, Louvain, 90-429-1668-0
Flynn, Gabriel and Paul D. Murray (eds): 2012, Ressourcement: A Movement for Renewal in Twentieth-Century Theology, 2nd, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 978-0-19-9552
González, Justo L.: 2005, Essential Theological Terms, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 0-664-22810-0
Minear, Paul: 2007, Images of the Church in the New Testament, New Edition, Clark, Cambridge, UK, 978-0-227-172
O'Malley, John: 2007, What Happened at Vatican II, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 978-0-674-031
Schmaus, Michael: 1972, The Church: Its Origins and Structurte, Sheed and Ward, New York, 0-8362-0496-4
Tyerman, Christopher: 2005, The Crusades: A Very Short History, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 13: 978019280

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None