Who is Jesus?

This course leads students toward a deeper understanding of divine Revelation, the Trinity, and the Incarnation. The course begins by considering faith and reason as "two wings of the soul" (to quote Pope St. John Paul II) and then by establishing foundational skills in reason and philosophy, including the use of syllogisms and the identification of fallacies. These skills are used to investigate the reliability of the Gospels and how we ought to respond to Christ's divine claim therein. Students use the precise terminology of the first several Councils to communicate our understanding of the mystery of the Trinity and the Incarnation. The course concludes with a study of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and how the Marian dogmas reveal and protect what we believe about Christ. As Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) has written, as Christians, “our departure point is a person, not a program.”

Unit 1: Faith and Reason
This unit begins by defining both faith and reason and addressing the allegation that the two are mutually exclusive. It then develops the crucial philosophical skill of forming and presenting effective arguments.

Unit 2: Who is God?
This unit follows closely on Unit 1 by applying philosophical inquiry to the question of God’s existence. It establishes a rational basis for belief in God, and defines the characteristics that necessarily belong to a Supreme Being. This unit defines the concept of revelation and, based on divine revelation, explores God’s identity as one Divine essence in the three Persons of the Trinity.

Unit 3: The Incarnate Word
This unit explores the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity from philosophical, historical, and scriptural perspectives. It considers how Jesus Christ can be both “true God and true man” by contrasting the Catholic understanding with several Christolgical heresies of the early Church.

Unit 4: The Mission of Jesus
This unit considers Christ through his role as the Messiah of Israel. By exploring the Old and New Testament understandings of the Messiah, it establishes Christ’s mission to reveal the Father, to reveal the fullness of humanity, and to be the universal bridegroom that brings mankind into life-giving union with God.

Unit 5: The Son of Mary
This unit encounters Christ through his relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary. By examining the four Marian dogmas, it demonstrates that the Church’s veneration of Mary is ultimately rooted in Christ. Understanding the Church’s teaching regarding Our Lady necessarily leads to a deeper understanding of Jesus.