… exploring the human quest for the transcendent
Our Mission
The Department of Theology and Religious Studies explores the human quest for the transcendent as expressed in the world’s diverse religious traditions. It makes an essential contribution to the mission of Saint Joseph's University as a Catholic Jesuit institution to strive “to be an inclusive and diverse community that educates and cares for the whole person, encouraging and modeling a lifelong commitment to thinking critically, making ethical decisions, pursuing social justice, and finding God in all things.”
We endeavor to engage ourselves and our students in the critical study of theological and religious traditions, praxis, and intellectual inquiry, both historically and in the contemporary world. We are committed to a rigorous presentation of the methods and content of both Christian Theology and Religious Studies as academic disciplines. In pursuit of this mission, the department recognizes four primary goals:
- Instill in students a capacity for methodical analysis and understanding of the world's theological and religious traditions;
- Provide students with a scholarly, multifaceted understanding of the foundations of Christian faith, its development in different times and cultures, and its implications for life in society, especially within the Roman Catholic tradition;
- Engage students in exploring the richness of the spiritual expressions and experiences encountered through the study of religions other than Christianity;
- Foster in students and professional colleagues an appreciation for the diversity that exists within the contemporary study of theology and religion as reflected in the department’s faculty and their research endeavors.
About Our Website
Our site is intended to aid students in pursuing their coursework in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Saint Joseph's, and as a resource for all those interested in the study of theology and religious studies more generally.
We particularly invite interested students to investigate the possibility of majoring or minoring in theology or religious studies.
We are an active department when it comes to research, scholarship, and innovative teaching. Please explore the webpages of our faculty for recent publications, awards, grants, and other accomplishments,.
Department News
The combined annual conferences of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature were held in San Diego from Nov 22-26, 2019. Several department members made presentations during the conferences. Philip Cunningham presided and Adam Gregerman was a panelist at the session “Assessing Jewish-Christian Comparative Theology.” Julie Deluty discussed “Between Prophet and […]
SJU’s Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations to co-sponsor a symposium this June with the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies in Rome. On June 13, 1960, French historian Jules Isaac met privately with Pope John XXIII to present his research into centuries of Christian “teaching of contempt” for Jews and Judaism. He requested that a subcommittee […]
The Department of Theology and Religious Studies welcomes Dr. Julie Deluty to our faculty as assistant professor of Hebrew Bible. She received her Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East from NYU’s Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Subsequently she served as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in the College Core Curriculum at NYU. […]