RELG 399 Texts of Christian Spirituality (Late Antiquity) - Course Syllabus - Fall Term 2019

Oct 3, 2026

RELG 399 Texts of Christian Spirituality (Late Antiquity) is a 2019 Fall seminar focused on Christian spirituality in late antiquity through close reading and interpretation of Aurelius Augustine’s spiritual works, including the Confessiones, De genesi ad litteram, and De doctrina Christiana. The syllabus also covers Boethius’s De consolatione philosophiae, De Trinitate, and selections from De Musica, with scheduled readings by date, essay milestones, and evaluation criteria for preparation, presentations, mid-term essays, and a term research essay.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Course Overview

Seminar Readings Schedule

Mid-Term Essay and Conferences

Term Research Essay

Evaluation Criteria

Online Sources and Bibliography

McGill University School of Religious Studies RELG 399 TEXTS OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY (Late Antiquity) In the Fall Term of 2019 this seminar course will focus on Christian spirituality in Late Antiquity with close study and interpretation of Aurelius Augustine’s spiritual odyssey the Confessiones, his account of creation in De genesi ad litteram , and his handbook of hermeneutics De doctrina Christiana. We will also read Ancius Manlius Severinus Boethius’s treatment of theodicy in De consolatione philosophiae, his De Trinitate, and selections from De Musica. Professor: Torrance Kirby Office Hours: Birks 206, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 10:00–11:00 am Email: [torrance.kirby@mcgill.ca](torrance.kirby@mcgill.ca) Birks Building, Room 004A Tuesdays/Thursdays 4:05–5:25 pm COURSE SYLLABUS—FALL TERM 2019 Date Reading 3 September INTRODUCTION 5 September Aurelius Augustine, Confessiones Book I, Early Years 10 September Book II, Theft of Pears 12 September Book III, Adolescence and Student Life 17 September Book IV, Manichee and Astrologer 19 September Book V, Carthage, Rome, and Milan *Confirm Mid-Term Essay Topics (1500-2000 words) (NB Consult the Style Sheet, essay-writing guidelines and evaluation rubric in the appendix to the syllabus.) 24 September Book VI, Secular Ambitions and Conflicts 26 September Book VII, Neoplatonic Quest for the Good 1 October Book VIII, Tolle, lege; tolle, lege 3 October Book IX, Vision at Ostia 8 October Book X, 1-26 Memory *Mid-term Essays due at beginning of class. Essay Conferences to be scheduled for week of 21 October 10 October Book X, 27-43 “Late have I loved you” 15 October Book XI, Time and Eternity 17 October Book XII, Creation Essay Conferences begin this week, Birks 206. 22 October Book XIII, Trinity in the Soul 24 October Aurelius Augustine, On the Literal Meaning of Genesis , I.1-21 Date Reading 29 October Augustine, On Christian Teaching Book I 31 October Augustine, On Christian Teaching Book II 5 November Ancius Manlius Severinus Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy Book I, Sad Songs 7 November Boethius, Consolation Book II, Seduced by Lady Fortuna 12 November Boethius, Consolation Book III. 1-8, Lady Philosophy’s cure 14 November Boethius, Consolation Book III.9-12, True happiness 19 November Boethius, Consolation Book IV, The problem of evil Confirm Research Essay Topics 21 November Boethius, Consolation Book V, Providence and Free Will 26 November Boethius, The Trinity is One God, not three gods 28 November Boethius, On Music 3 December Boethius, On Music Term Research Essays (2500-3000 words) due at beginning of class. EVALUATION Preparation of texts and participation in seminar discussion: 35% Seminar Presentations: 15% Mid-Term Essay and Conference: 20% Research Essay: 30% SOURCES ON-LINE Augustine of Hippo, J.J. O’Donnell. [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html](http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html) Bibliography. [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/confbibl.html](http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/confbibl.html) Albert C. Outler’s translation (1955) . [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/confessions-bod.html](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/confessions-bod.html) Latin Confessions (Knoll’s editio minor of 1898) . [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/latinconf/latinconf.html](http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/latinconf/latinconf.html)[ ](http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/latinconf/latinconf.html)Links. [http://members.aol.com/jamietampa/Augustine/l](http://members.aol.com/jamietampa/Augustine/l)inks. html Boethius etext: [http://www.gradesaver.com/the-consolation-of-philosophy/e-text/](http://www.gradesaver.com/the-consolation-of-philosophy/e-text/) SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY TEXTS Augustine, Aurelius. Confessions. English translation by Gillian Clark. Cambridge: CUP, 1993.———. Confessiones. Latin text ed. with commentary by J. J. O’Donnell. Oxford: OUP, 1992.

FAQs

What primary authors and works are studied in this seminar?

The course emphasizes Aurelius Augustine’s Confessiones, De genesi ad litteram, and De doctrina Christiana, and also includes Boethius’s De consolatione philosophiae and De Trinitate, plus selections from De Musica.

When are the mid-term essays due and when do conferences occur?

Mid-term essays are due at the beginning of class, and essay conferences are scheduled for the week of 21 October.

How is student performance evaluated?

Evaluation includes preparation and seminar participation (35%), seminar presentations (15%), mid-term essay and conference (20%), and the research essay (30%).

Oct 3, 2026

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