Catholic Rome, Lutheran Wittenberg

Religion 262: January 2009

Program-Specific Information Session:
Monday, April 14 7:00 pm Chapel 101

http://www.stolaf.edu/people/lund/Interim09.html

Instructor: Eric Lund (Professor of Religion and Director of International and Off-Campus Studies)

For almost 2500 years, ROME has been one of the most significant cultural and political centers of western civilization. In the history of religion, Rome has been equally important. Once it was the cultic center of the ancient Latin people and the residence of deified emperors. Later, it became a holy city for western Christians and the residence of the Catholic pope. Today over 1 billion Roman Catholics throughout the world are still influenced by the decisions made by church leaders who are based in the city. During the Renaissance , Rome became a center of tremendous artistic achievement. Sponsored by the popes, the greatest Italian artists beautified the city with their

painting, sculpture and architectural work. From the point of view of religious life, however, this was a very troubled period. There was considerable discontent about the roles the pope and other church leaders were playing in society. Some faithful believers also began to raise questions about the teachings of the church administrative structures. In the sixteenth century, this wave of dissatisfaction reached a climax in the development of the Reformation that first appeared in Germany under the leadership of a Catholic monk/priest named Martin Luther. A professor at the University of WITTENBERG , it was his intention to reform the church of which he was a part, but his excommunication led to the formation of a second branch of western Christianity. For centuries to come Roman Catholicism and Protestantism offered rival interpretations of the Christian faith. In recent years, however, relations between the two movements have become more cordial and the two church traditions are discovering a new appreciation of aspects of each other's religious life. In this course, we will examine religious and cultural life during the Renaissance and Reformation . We will study the disputed issues that caused a split in the church at that time and will explore how topics of belief and practice are being reconsidered by Catholic and Lutheran theologians today. By experiencing life in the modern cities of Rome and Wittenberg , we will also be able to observe first-hand some important similarities and differences between Italian and German society.

In our first week, we will study why Rome became an important Christian center, starting in the days of the Roman Empire , and will consider what made Christianity different from rival forms of ancient religiosity. We will explore the Roman Forum and other ancient sites and monuments, visit museums, and consider what church styles can tell us about the evolution of religious life.

We will also highlight some distinctive features of Roman Catholicism as it continued to develop during the Middle Ages. In our second week will study the Italian Renaissance and look more carefully at modern features of Italian Christianity. Midway in the course, on our way to Germany, we will spend a few days in Florence , to get a fuller picture of Italian culture. As a pleasing contrast to the bustle of a big city like Rome , we will then spend the second half of the course based in the town of Wittenberg where we will study the life and thought of Luther. We will make frequent excursions to important Reformation sites in eastern Germany and also include a short visit to Berlin , the capital of Germany , where we will learn more about later developments in German political, cultural and religious history.

INTERIM 2009
CATHOLIC ROME, LUTHERAN WITTENBERG

Instructor : Eric Lund (Professor of Religion, Director of International Studies)
Cost: $5320 (includes all transportation, hotels, guide and site fees and two meals a day)
[The program has been cautiously priced in order to prepare for the possibility of rising transportation costs and the continuation of a decline in the value of the dollar relative to the Euro over the next few months.]
General Education: BTS-T Major Credit: Religion, Medieval Studies
Optional: Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) credit in German

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

Rome and Lazio: January 4-14
the usual pattern will be a morning outing and an early afternoon class session
late afternoon optional activities evenings for eating out, study or entertainment
tour of ancient sites: Roman Forum and Colosseum, Pantheon, Hadrian's mausoleum
excursion to Catacombs, early churches such as St. Sabina, Paul, S. Clemente etc.
all day outing to Benedictine monastery at Subiaco and Tivoli archeological site
visit to the Vatican Museum , Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's basilica
walking tours of Renaissance and Baroque sites - walking tour of neighborhoods
attend papal audience and class sessions on Catholic church life and theology
weekends - partly free- optional activities such as outings, concerts, church services

Umbria-Tuscany-Florence: January 15-17
travel by bus to Florence - with a stop enroute at Orvieto a medieval hill town
morning visits to museums and churches - afternoon free time to explore or shop

Germany: January 18-31
transition from Italy to Germany - fly from Florence to Berlin
resume course in Wittenberg , living at the Leucorea, the old university buildings
class sessions and visits to the Reformation sites in Wittenberg
visit with German students at the Melanchthon Gymnasium (high school)
all day trips to places such as Eisleben (Luther's birth and death city), Leipzig (one of the greatest cities of East Germany - where Bach spent many years), Wartburg Castle (where Luther hid) Erfurt (charming city where Luther was a monk) Eisenach (Luther and Bach connections), Büchenwald concentration camp & Halle (G.F.Handel)
Final three days in capital city of Berlin for cultural tours and some free time to explore
Focus on the Reformation but additional attention to more recent historical developments: e.g. the Lutheran church struggles in the Nazi era and in East Germany during the Communist era
Sundays - optional church service and free time

The grade for the course will be based on several short essays - a few in the form of analytical journal entries and a couple chosen from a range of specific topics about Catholic and Lutheran theology and church practice, or on Italian and German culture – past and present

Eric Lund is Director of International and Off-Campus Studies and a professor in the department of Religion. This will be the eighteenth time the instructor has led a study program abroad for St. Olaf students.

For more information about the course, contact Eric Lund in Steensland Hall
e-mail: lund
Phone: 3069 or 3375
program website: www.stolaf.edu/people/lund/Interim09.html