San Diego, Calif., Aug 17, 2009 / 10:45 am
A local Catholic university is responding to one of the Church’s greatest needs by opening a graduate school of biblical theology. The new graduate school at John Paul the Great Catholic University will open in September.
Before beginning their graduate-level studies, students will first complete a series of prerequisite courses in philosophy, theology and Scripture; by January 2010, they will begin working toward a master’s in biblical theology.
"The Church teaches that the Bible needs to be the soul of theology, but in a lot of places, you can get a degree in theology and only take one or two courses in Scripture," said Michael Barber, who serves as the university’s professor of theology, Scripture and Catholic thought.
What makes the curriculum at the new school so unique, he explained, is that it will teach dogmatic, moral and liturgical theology with a "heavy scriptural emphasis" and require students to study the various books of the Bible in depth.