Theological Courses

Place for reflection on the big questions of life and faith

Initiators
In 1940 DDr Margarete Schmid founded the "Theological Laical Year" ‒ the original name of the "Theological Courses" ‒ as a permanent institution on behalf of Dr Karl Rudolf, then Head of the Pastoral Office, and became its director for many years. In 1950, the theological correspondence course was founded within the framework of this institution. In 2017, the "Theological Courses" became home to the Akademie am Dom, which stands in the tradition of the Vienna Catholic Academy founded by Cardinal Theodor Innitzer in 1945. Since 2020, "Theological Courses" has been expanding its online program, including both asynchronous courses, which enable learning independent of a specific time frame, and (online at fixed dates) synchronous courses as well as individual events of the Akademie am Dom. The courses are being designed with conference programs and digital tools and supported by a learning platform.

Occasion
The radically new and oppressive situation, in which the Church had found itself since the National Socialists had taken power in 1938, provided the decisive impulse for the founding of the "Theological Courses" in 1940. For Austrian, tradition-bound Catholicism, challenging times began. Hardship accelerated the practical realization of a wish which many Catholics had harbored for a long time: to move from a conventional mentality of faith to a more reflected practice of faith. In the words of the founder, the goal of the "Theological Courses" was "to enable lay people to reflect and reason their faith - at the level at which they are accustomed to reason and speak."

Target Groups
The initiative is directed at believers and doubters, questioners and seekers, the inquisitive and the committed, adults inside and outside the Church, intellectuals and the practically oriented, women and men from all professions, and old and young people from the city and the country. It is intended for those who want to reflect on their faith and get to know it better in an open and constructive atmosphere, and for those for whom quick answers to big questions of life and faith are not enough.

Objectives
Goals of the "Theological Courses" include:

  • to communicate university theology in an understandable way
  • to connect living tradition with today´s questions
  • to answer the questions of anyone asking about the reasons for Christian hope
  • to reflect on and deepen personal faith
  • to be a responsible Christian capable of dialogue in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council
  • a theology of sustainable value for church and society

Topics
The topics of the "Theological Courses" include Christianity but also other world religions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) and their religious, cultural and political backgrounds, and the relationship of the Catholic Church to these religions. The range of topics also includes "Religious Studies” as part of the 2.5-year theological course, in which the history and self-understanding of the major world religions, the relationship of the Church to non-Christian religions and interreligious dialogue are discussed whereby the perspectives of other religions are also taken into account. Special courses take up these and other topics and offer the opportunity for intensive discussion. Within the framework of the Akademie am Dom, topics on interreligious dialogue are continuously added to the program. Experts from the field are invited.

Duration
The "Theological Courses" have been active without interruption since its foundation in 1940. The courses are designed for four (courses in Vienna; online course) or five (distance learning course) semesters. The Akademie am Dom are arranged as individual sessions, the special courses take place as block events.

Activities
With regard to interreligious dialogue, the following (and other) courses have been offered in recent years, and keep on being offered both in Vienna and in all federal states of Austria:

  • The Religi of Asia (2023)
  • The Bible in the Koran (2023)
  • Humor & Religion (2023)
  • Jews & Christians. Facets of a Varied Relationship (2023)
  • Online Course: Sacred Texts. Old Testament, New Testament, Talmud, Koran (2023)
  • History of the Jews in Austria (2022)
  • Eros and Devotion in the Religions (2022)
  • Anti-Semitism - to understand an ancient and, at the same time, current problem (2022)
  • Where does evil and suffering come from? The answers of the great religions (2022)
  • Encounter with Judaism (2022)
  • Buddhism and Christianity in conversation (2022)
  • Language courses: Bible-Hebrew; Yiddish; Babylonian (2022)
  • The Koran - an introduction (2021)
  • World Religions: Diversity - Richness - Alienness (2021)

Form of Organization
The "Theological Courses" are an adult education institution of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Austrian Bishops' Conference.

Funding
The "Theological Courses" are funded by the Archdiocese Vienna, the Austrian Bishops´ Conference and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.

Products
The initiative offers the Theological Course as online course in Vienna and, nationwide, as correspondence course. Special courses and individual lectures are held at the Akademie am Dom.

Website | Social Media | Contacts
www.theologischekurse.at
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Theologische Kurse
Stephansplatz 3
A-1010 Wien

T: +43 1 51552-3703
E-mail: office@theologischekurse.at

 

editor: jl / update: jk 2022