Course
tljacobs
Natural Law and Scriptural Authority (Fall 2025)

Although Protestants are familiar with the doctrine of sola Scriptura, they are less familiar with the equally important Reformation teaching that God reveals himself through the “two books” of Scripture and nature, and how the two relate. This  course, with readings from Aquinas, Calvin, Hemmingsen, and Hooker, along with key Scriptural passages, will help students understand the meaning of sola Scriptura and the use of moral reason in classical Protestantism.

Natural Law and Scriptural Authority (Fall 2025)
Article
tljacobs
Theology as a Science: Aquinas on How ...

How did theology become systematic? What is the history of the literal interpretation of Scripture? Thanks to the adoption of Aristotelian scientific methods, learned from his philosophical methodology, theologians transformed the allegorical and mystical interpretation of Scripture into literal interpretation.

See how Peter Lombard, Albert the Great, and Aquinas transformed theology into the systematic theology we have today.

Theology as a Science: Aquinas on How Philosophy Transforms Theology
Book
tljacobs
"Aristotelianism" in Four Views on Christian ...

“Aristotelianism” by Tim Jacobs defends historical church doctrines about the body and soul and the nature of reality.

"Aristotelianism" in Four Views on Christian Metaphysics

Course

Classical Logic (Spring 2026)

Classical Logic (Spring 2026)

This seminar offers a focused study of classical logic through the lens of Aristotle, the foundational figure in the development of logical theory in the Western tradition. Designed to sharpen students’ reasoning and analytic skills, the course engages closely with key texts from the Organon—including Categories, On Interpretation, Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, Topics, and On Sophistical Refutations. To support systematic training in formal reasoning, students will also work through Peter Kreeft’s Socratic Logic, gaining practical mastery in classical syllogistic logic within a philosophically rich context.

Medieval Metaphysics (Fall 2025)

Medieval Metaphysics (Fall 2025)

The intellectual tradition of the Church undergoes a profound transformation in the wake of Augustine’s thought, raising enduring questions that shape the course of medieval philosophy. This course traces the major metaphysical and theological debates from late antiquity through the high and late Middle Ages (c. 300–1500 AD), exploring how figures such as Boethius, Avicenna, Abelard, Averroes, Maimonides, Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham engaged with and extended classical philosophical inheritance. Key disputes—such as those between realists and nominalists or Thomists and Scotists—will be examined with their philosophical distinctives and historical influence. Readings will include selections from primary texts, with attention to metaphysics, epistemology, and theological method. Prior familiarity with Plato and Aristotle is helpful but not required.

Natural Law and Scriptural Authority (Fall 2025)

Natural Law and Scriptural Authority (Fall 2025)

Although Protestants are familiar with the doctrine of sola Scriptura, they are less familiar with the equally important Reformation teaching that God reveals himself through the “two books” of Scripture and nature, and how the two relate. This  course, with readings from Aquinas, Calvin, Hemmingsen, and Hooker, along with key Scriptural passages, will help students understand the meaning of sola Scriptura and the use of moral reason in classical Protestantism.