The
Master of Arts in Orthodox Theology started with 13 students
This
September the programme that leads to a Master of Arts in Orthodox
Theology started in Toronto.
As
announced at a previous press release, this programme is conducted at the
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS; 59 Queen’s Park
Crescent East, tel. 416-926-1300, ext. 3440), an academic institution
connected with the University of Toronto. The Orthodox Theology programme
is administered by the University of Sherbrooke, a Quebec university, but
spiritually it is under the Greek Orthodox Church, and the spiritual
support of the other Orthodox Churches of Canada.
The
MA programme in Orthodox Theology has started with 13 students, 5 of which
are Greek Canadian, and the rest are Canadians of various backgrounds.
During the first semester of the
academic year 2002-2003, six courses are given, three preparatory and
three graduate. The preparatory courses are: 1. Introduction to Orthodox
Theology, 2. Introduction to Orthodox Biblical Studies, 3. The Liturgical
life and tradition of the Orthodox Church. The graduate courses are: 1.
Hellenistic Philosophy and Orthodox Theology, 2. Biblical Theology, 3.
Ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church from Original Sources.
These courses are taught by Rev.
Professor Pavlos Koumarianos, who is the director of the programme, Dr.
Andreas Andreopoulos and Professor Richard Schneider. According to the
backgrounds of the faculty, the main areas of specialization offered at
the Toronto programme are Patristics, Liturgics, Biblical Theology, and
Sacred Art.
Rev. Professor
Pavlos Koumarianos studied Theology in Athens and Rome and is currently
writing a second doctoral dissertation for the Faculty of Theology of the
University of Thessaloniki. He is also completing a postdoctoral study for
the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. His doctoral research in
Rome was in the field of Worship and Liturgics, while his second
dissertation is in Patristics. Rev. Koumarianos is a priest of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of Toronto, serving in one of the four churches of
the Greek Community of Toronto, and a member of the Archdiocesan council.
He teaches Liturgics, Hagiology and Canon Law at the Theological Academy
of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto. He is also teaching at St.
Paul’s University in Ottawa, and has published extensively in academic
theological journals.
Dr. Andreas Andreopoulos studied
Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Theology and Sacred Art in Greece,
Toronto and Britain. He completed his doctoral dissertation at the
Department of Theology in Durham, England, with the eminent patrologist
Andrew Louth and he subsequently studied Sacred Art at the Pontifical
Institute of Mediaeval Studies. He has taught theology at St. Michael’s
University and theology and art at Concordia University. Dr. Andreopoulos has published several
articles in academic journals, covering theological, psychological, and
artistic issues, and has written a book of fiction.
Professor
Richard Schneider has taught Church History and Sacred Art for over thirty
years at York University. He has also taught Liturgical Art at St.
Vladimir’s Theological Seminary, New York. He also teaches at St.
Paul’s University, Ottawa. He is a member of the Orthodox Church in
America and he is a member of its diocesan council. He is also the
president of the church council of the OCA parish Christ the Saviour.
He has published many theological articles and has successfully organized
theological conferences.
The courses are offered on Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday evening, at 7pm to 10pm, at the Pontifical Institute
of Mediaeval Studies, 59 Queen’s Park Crescent East.
The
Master in Arts in Orthodox Theology will also start in Montreal in
September of 2003, specializing in Patristics and Biblical Theology. The
founder of that programme is Professor John Hadjinicolaou, a multi-faceted
and multi-talented academic, something that is reflected in his
personality and his academic specialization in various fields such as
Environment Engineering and Theology. He teaches at the Universities of
McGill, Concordia and Sherbrooke. He is a member of the International
Council of the Protection of the Environment of the United Nations, and of
the diocesan council of the Orthodox Church in America.
For
further information, please contact the coordinator of the programme in
Toronto Rev. Professor Pavlos Koumarianos at 416-788-0667 and 416-926-1300
ext. 3440, and at pavloskoumarianos@yahoo.com.