Outline of ARCC Courses

Welcome to the ARCC coterie of courses.  These courses are offered to you via our Moodle platform, enabling you to take part in Catholic learning, through discussion and reflection, from any part of the world.

A Dialogical, Reflective Look at the Gospels

All four Gospels evolved from oral traditions, passed on from person to person and from place to place. More than one single person (i.e. Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) composed the final versions of the four Gospels as we have them today. Each time the narrators adapted their accounts to the needs, understanding, and cultural / religious backgrounds of their listeners. The Gospels were not written therefore to give us strict “history.”

The Gospels contain bits of history, parables, metaphor, symbol, re-interpreted passages from the Greek (Septuagint) Hebrew Scriptures, and imagined scenarios for key events in the life of Jesus. We see for instance, in Matthew and Luke, two quite different accounts about Jesus’ infancy. Their focus was not primarily to present an historical narrative, but to affirm and proclaim their theological belief about Jesus Christ. Anchored in Christian faith, the authors of the Gospels – using a variety of literary forms — wanted to pass on to future generations their understanding and belief in and about Jesus Christ. Their words inform, stimulate, and encourage us to grow in our own Christian faith.

I would like to share my own reflections on the Gospels, based on my lived experience, ongoing study, and Gospel-reading. I welcome your own reactions and reflections. I subscribe to an historical/critical understanding of Sacred Scripture, because I find it not only helpful but biblically correct and responsible. I am not a literal-interpretation fundamentalist. I am also keenly aware that correct translations of biblical texts are essential for a correct understanding of what the biblical authors were saying. One small example: the Greek word ecclesia or ekklesia (εκκλησία) is often translated as “church.” The original biblical meaning of the word however is an “assembly” or a “gathering of people.”

Course Facilitator:
  John Alonzo Dick, PhD-STD
  Vice President & Treasurer
  ARCC

Women Reading the Scriptures

Do women read the scriptures any differently than men? How much do you know about the women who appear in the Bible? Would you like to learn more?Here is an opportunity to enrich your understanding of the biblical texts which include women! You will be helped to explore not only the "women who appear in the Bible," but "women who have focused their scholarly work on  these women! This "course" will take you gently through a variety of resources to enhance your understanding. And, at the end, you may want to help other women down the same path!

Course Facilitator:
  Anneliese Sinnott, PhD

Please continue to the course registration page.