DESCRIPTION:

This CATS graduate seminar [NT 821], open to a very limited number of masters level students (approved by the professor), is a literary, historical and theological study of the corpus of early Christian literature known as the Apostolic Fathers. The texts included will be: 1 Clement, 2 Clement, the Letters of Ignatius, the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the Didache, Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle to Diognetus and the fragments of Papias and Quadratus. Special attention will be given to the following topics: Christology; Church-Judaism relationships; authority and heresy; church order and worship; and Church-state relationships.

This seminar contributes to the academic preparation of persons called to the ministry of teaching in the fields of New Testament and early Church history. Knowledge of the Apostolic Fathers also contributes to one's understanding of the theological and spiritual heritage of the church.

This is a working graduate seminar. There will be lectures, student research reports and considerable discussion among the seminar members. The seminar meets weekly for a three-hour session.

Ehrman, B. The Apostolic Fathers. 2 Vols. (Loeb Classical Library.) Cambridge, MA/London: Harvard University Press, 2003.

Goodspeed, E. J. Index Patristicus. . . . Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993 [reprint of the 1907 edition] (or the Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2003 reprint).

Jefford, C. N. Reading the Apostolic Fathers: An Introduction. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996.

Tugwell, S. The Apostolic Fathers. (Outstanding Christian Thinkers.) Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 1990 [original British publication, 1989].

There will extensive bibliographies provided for further reading in the scholarly literature on the Apostolic Fathers.

1. Careful reading of the Apostolic Fathers and the required text books.

2. Preparation of one short paper (5-7 pages) on matters of critical introduction for one of the Apostolic Fathers texts.

3. Preparation of four one page critical reflection papers on four selected passages from four different Apostolic Fathers texts.

4. Participation weekly in the discussion of the subject matters for the day.

5. Preparation of a major research paper (about 20-25 pages) on an approved topic.

CATS students will have additional assignments, specified in the course syllabus.

For master's level students: LG 512; three of the following five: NS 500, NS 501, NE 502, any NTT, any NTE; and permission of the instructor.

Elective.

No.