COURSES
SPRING 2025 | Course Offering
INDS TBD The Ecumenical Movement-The Leaders
Who are the influential personalities and leaders behind the ecumenical movement? In this new course offered by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross, we will explore the lives and contributions of key figures who through over a century have shaped and advanced the cause of Christian unity across denominational boundaries. From early pioneers, to modern-day leaders like Pope Paul VI, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, Archbishop Desmond Tutu among many others, this course will examine the diverse array of individuals, clergy and laity alike, who have played pivotal roles in fostering dialogue, reconciliation, and cooperation among different Christian traditions. Through in-depth study and analysis of their writings, speeches, and actions, we will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and dynamics of the ecumenical movement, and how these personalities have left an indelible mark on its history and trajectory.
The course will be taught by Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian.
In-person and Online course offered in the Spring of 2025 | 3-credit course
Registration to open soon.
Fall 2024 | Course Offering
INDS 7130 H1 Anglicans and Orthodox in Dialogue
The course will examine the theological conversations between Anglicans and Orthodox, especially through the official bilateral dialogue that was established 50 years ago as well as in the work of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue (ICAOTD) and the Agreed Statements produced by the Commission. This has been one of the most important dialogues of the Orthodox Church marked by contributions of distinguished contemporary Orthodox theologians, among them, Metropolitan John Zizioulas and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. Part of the course will coincide with the next meeting of the ICAOTD which will take place in October for the first time on the campus of Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology sponsored by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at HCHC. This will offer a unique opportunity for students to be exposed to firsthand experience of this bilateral ecumenical dialogue.
The course is taught by the Rev. Dr. Christos Christakis, Orthodox co-secretary of the ICAOTD over the last 30 years.
In-person and Online course offered in the Fall of 2024 | 3-credit course
Registration to be open soon.
FALL 2024 | Course Offering
INDS 7110 Z1 G The Ecumenical Movement: Challenges and Opportunities
The “Ecumenical Movement: Challenges and Opportunities” course follows but is not dependent on the previous course on the “Ecumenical Movement: The Sources” taught in the Spring of 2024. The Ecumenical Movement has presented the church with several issues that have and continue to be addressed and wrestled with ranging from ecclesiology to the eucharist, initiation to ordination, worship, and liturgy. Ecumenical relations have presented opportunities to identify key points of theological and praxis convergence and divergence across the major denominations of Christianity. Many of these challenges will be explored alongside the numerous opportunities for Christians to work across denominational lines on social services and social justice actions. Attention will be paid to the work and documents of the National Council of Churches, with supplemental documents from the World Council of Churches.
The course is taught by the Rev. Dr. Philip Halikias, Adjunct Professor at Hellenic College Holy Cross, MA.
Online-Synchronous course | 3-credit course
Registration to be open soon.
SUMMER 2024 | Course Offering
INDS 7120 Z1 G Orthodox Christian–Muslim Relations
For more than 13 centuries, Orthodox Christians and Muslims have lived among one another and shared the same societies and cultures. Orthodox Christian relationships with Muslims have been one of the most enduring and impactful factors in Orthodox church history, yet the profound complexities of these relationships have often been forgotten across the centuries or obscured by the context of modern politics. The Orthodox Christian-Muslim Relations course will introduce students to the history of Orthodox Christian-Muslim relations by utilizing historical, theological, and anthropological approaches to this topic. Areas of particular focus will include a comparative analysis of the experiences of Orthodox living under Muslim rule (as in the ‘Abbasid and Ottoman Empires) and Muslims living under Orthodox rule (as in the Russian Empire), the transformative effects of modern nationalism, and the history of Orthodox theological approaches to Islam.
The course is taught by Dr. Philip Dorroll, Associate Professor of Religion at Wofford College, SC.
Online-Asynchronous course | May 28-June 21, 2024| 3-credit course
Registration is now open.
SPRING 2024 | Course Offering
INDS7100: The Ecumenical Movement – The Sources
The Ecumenical Movement that started in the second half of the 19th century does not constitute an ideology but rather reflects the authentic commitment to reconcile divided Christians in the unity of the Church and the reality of communion. Throughout the past century, the quest for Christian unity has assumed many shapes and forms that may be studied through major documents produced along the history of the 20th century and beyond. This course will define the boundaries of Ecumenism and its challenges for contemporary Orthodoxy by looking inward as well as outward as faithful and thoughtful Christians.
This course will be taught by Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian and facilitated by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at HCHC.
Registration is now closed for this hybrid synchronous 3-credit course that runs from January 22 – May 13, 2024.
Other Courses
CHST 6051: Eastern Christianity and Islam
Students will be introduced to the historical development of Islam in the Middle East from its origins in the seventh century to the Ottoman Empire and the impact Islam had upon the Christian communities of the region. Particular attention will be given to the historical political, and social conditions of these Christian communities under Islamic rule and law. The contemporary situation of Christians in the Middle East will also be examined.
CHST 7002: Christian Unity: Is it Possible?
In 1920, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople became one of the first world centers of Christianity to encourage ecumenical dialogue. Almost 100 years later, has that original vision held true? Is Christian unity possible, given the growth of denominations, the movement against denominations, and the tensions within individual Christian churches? This course will explore the role the Orthodox Church has played in the ecumenical movement and its interaction with other Christian churches. We will begin by looking at the reasons for the divisions within Christianity and what has been done to overcome those divisions.
CHST 7701: Seminar on Orthodox-Catholic Relations
Following a review of the issues of alienation and schism, the course will examine the documents of the cotemporary bilateral dialogues between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
INDS 7015: Jews, Christians and Muslims Interacting: An Inter-Religious Course
An inter-religious seminar bringing together Jewish, Christian, and Muslim students to interact, share, learn, and engage theologically on fundamental theological topics important to all three religious traditions. The course will be, broken up into three overarching modules: Sacred Scriptures, The Divine, and Humanity. The module on Sacred Scriptures focuses on the relation between revelation and scriptures, views on scriptural inspiration, sacred languages and their role today in conveying the scriptural message, and scriptures and traditions. The module on The Divine (including worship) focuses on God’s essence and attributes (love, power, creation, and judgment), God’s court, God’s plan for creation and humanity, and encountering God in worship. The final module, Humanity (that is, anthropology, which will include ethics and ecology), examines the genesis of humanity and its place in God’s creation (ecology), God-humanity relationship, and human freedom (rights and responsibilities).
INDS 7200: Seminar on the Ecumenical Patriarchate
The seminar will examine the origins, canonical basis, and historical development of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The distinctive contributions of the Patriarchate to theology, liturgy, spirituality, philanthropy, social welfare, missions, iconography, and architecture will be discussed. Special attention will be given to the contemporary mission and witness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the first see of the Orthodox Churches, as well as its primatial responsibility in guiding Orthodox conciliarity and addressing contemporary concerns. ‘The special role of the Patriarchate in the ecumenical dialogues, inter-faith conversations, and environmental protection will be highlighted.
PAST 7360: World Religions & Missions
We will look at humanity’s quest for God from the beginning of time, and how five of the world’s major religious traditions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism – developed. Along with their history, we will study their main teachings, worldview, and practice. Part of the class will include visiting the temples of these other faiths. We will also look at the phenomenon of atheism and its own religious perspective. With each of these different religions, we will discuss Orthodox Christianity’s understanding of other religions, and how we are to dialogue and interact with them, trying to discover elements that could be acceptable within Orthodox Christianity, and how these bridges could be used in sharing our faith within other religions.
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Hellenic College’s curricula in the liberal arts and pre-professional studies stimulate students’ minds while preparing them for careers in which they can serve both society and the Church. Whether in education, human services, business, law, or ministry, our graduates embody their faith and enrich our world through their other-directed vocations.
