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Fall 2012
FSW
CH500
Carter
CH500:
EARLY CHURCH HISTORY. Grayson Carter.
DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the development of Church History
from the post-apostolic period through to the election of Gregory I as Pope.
Close attention will be given to the lives and principal writings of the most
significant Christian leaders and theologians, to the development of the
institutional church and to its complex relationship with the state, to the
outbreak of various heresies and to the church’s response to heresy, and to the
historical context in which these important events occurred.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will equip students to (1) think
critically about the key issues, theological ideas, major movements and
influential personalities that shaped the church from its origins until AD 590;
(2) gain an awareness of key original source documents, creeds, treatises,
apologies, etc. and how these were interpreted in their own time and by later
Christian writers; (3) articulate chronological development and the evolution
of both orthodox and heterodox doctrines over the first five centuries of
church history; and, (4) gain a deeper appreciation of the breadth, unity, and
diversity of the church.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
The effective practice of Christian ministry requires
an understanding of the important historical and theological developments that
occurred during the first five centuries of Church History — a period in which
a number of the most important Christian doctrines first gained widespread
articulation and acceptance. While our classroom investigations and discussions
will be primarily historical and theological in nature, every effort will be
made to set aside time in class for the practical (i.e., modern) application of
the material under consideration.
COURSE FORMAT:
The course will meet over four weekends (5/6, 19/20
October, 2/3, 16/17 November). The class sessions will run from 6.30 p.m. to
9.30 p.m. on Fridays and from 8.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Saturday, for a total
of 32 hours. Class time will be devoted to lectures, questions and answers, and
classroom discussion. Adequate breaks will be provided.
REQUIRED READING: Total: 895 pages + class handouts.
González, Justo L. The Story of
Christianity (Prince Press, 1999). ISBN: 978-1565635227. 843 pages (1-220 required). $19.00.
Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. (Penguin, 1993). ISBN: 978-0140231991.
320 pages. $11.52.
Bettenson, Henry and Chris Maunder, eds., Documents of the
Christian Church, 4th ed. (Oxford, 2011). 528 pages (1-95
required).
ISBN:
978-0199568987. $29.95.
Clark, Elizaeth A. Women
in the Early Church (Liturgical Press, 1984). ISBN: 978-0814653326. 260 pages. $18.83.
Class Handouts.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian
Doctrines, Revised ed. (HarperOne, 1978). ISBN 978-0060643348. 511 pages. $15.82.
Bettenson, Henry. The Early
Christian Fathers. (Oxford, 1969). ISBN 978-0192830098.
302 pages. $39.21.
Chadwick, Henry. Augustine: A Very Short
Introduction. (Oxford, 2001). ISBN 978-0192854520.
144 pages. $8.50.
D. H. Williams, Evangelicals and Tradition. (Baker Academic, 2005). ISBN: 978-0801027130. 192 pages. $19.70.
Amy Oden, ed., In Her Words. Women’s Writings in
the History of Christian Thought (Abingdon, 1994). ISBN:
978-0687459728. 348
pages. $24.69.
Livingstone, E.A. ed., The Oxford Dictionary of the
Christian Church, 3rd ed. (Oxford, 2005). ISBN 978-0192802903.
1840 pages. $165.88.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Mid-term examination (take-home): 20% of final grade.
Two 5-page research papers: 30% of final grade.
Final examination (take-home; non-comprehensive): 30%
of final grade.
Class attendance and participation: 20% of final
grade.
Short quiz covering heresy during the Early Christian
Period: Passing Grade Required.
PREREQUISITES: None
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: M. Div.: CH “A”; MAT:
ST/CH/ET/PH; MACL:CH.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes Rev.
6/22/12