Vidyajyoti Brochure
Contextualization of Theology (CT)
The Vidyajyoti B.Th. Syllabus is envisaged in three tiers corresponding to the three years of the study of Theology at Vidyajyoti. (The ‘Fourth Year’ required for the priesthood is to be taken care of by the respective Provinces/Congregations/Dioceses after the B.Th. Final Comprehensive Exams). Each of the three tiers has a specific focus spelt out by the theme. Each tier is further divided into “units” made up of various courses (of one or more credits each), and they develop a sub-theme or a further specification of the year’s theme. The purpose behind the syllabus is to enable the student to do theology in an integrated and holistic manner. The Indian/South Asian dimension is integral to all the aspects of the syllabus. The method of starting from the South Asian subaltern realities and groups and opening out to the macro realities of the world characterizes the process. Human sciences, including philosophy, are important. Apostolic/Fieldwork involvement is integral to the theological process.
An experience of the negativities of life and a contact and commitment to a specific community of the marginalized ones of society help us theologize better. In its intentionality, theology aims at a transformation of individuals and of structures. Hence with the help of the human and revealed sciences we follow a method where life and the inherited faith meet and challenge each other. We reflect on our way of living our faith in our situation so as to trigger transformation through cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral changes. Preferentially we concentrate our fieldwork on the “poor”, the marginalized and the downtrodden. In the massive rejection of the marginalized who form the majority of our people we touch the deepest sin of the modern world. In this way emphasis is given to the spirituality and the human growth of the persons in training.
The central themes for the three years are as follows:
Theme 1: God within History and the Response of Faiths
Theme 2: God in Jesus Christ, Church and Sacraments
Theme 3: Christians in the World