Fall 2007/Pasadena
CH500
Martínez

CH500: HISTORIA DE LA IGLESIA PRIMITIVA [Early Church History]. Juan F. Martínez.


DESCRIPTION: This course is an overview of the history of Christianity from its origins to the sixth century, with a global perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the emergence and development of the Christian testimony, giving attention to major events, movements, outstanding characters, and theological trends.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: In this course students will

  1. develop a historical outline of the principal events of Christian history from post-apostolic fathers through the sixth century;

  2. become familiar with the leading figures and movements of the period and their influence;

  3. understand the development of the major theological debates of the period and their implications for Christian theology today;

  4. evaluate their reading of church history and its impact on their understanding of the church and its mission in the world today.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The course introduces students to historical and theological materials so that they can develop a broader perspective of their own Christian faith. Students need to understand and appreciate their own confessional traditions within the larger scope of the development of the Christian church during the first six centuries.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice weekly in two-hour sessions. On Tuesdays the focus will be on historical overview and Thursdays on theological issues. Classes will include lectures, student presentations, group discussions, and video presentations.

REQUIRED READING:
Driver, Juan. La fe en la periferia de la historia. SEMILLA, 1997.

González, Justo. Historia del pensamiento cristiano. Betania, 2001.

_____________. Historia ilustrada del cristianismo. Vols. 1-2. Caribe, 1992.

Course reader of primary source documents.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Agustín. Lo mejor de Agustín de Hipona. Vols. 1-2. CLIE, 2001.

Deiros, Pablo. Historia del cristianismo. Vol. 1. Ediciones del Centro, 2005.

González, Justo, ed. Diccionario ilustrado de intérpretes de la fe. CLIE, 2004.

Irvin, Dale, and Scott Sunquist. History of the World Christian Movement. Orbis, 2003.

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. Historia del cristianismo. Vols. 1-2. Casa Bautista, 1967.

Nelson, Wilton, ed. Diccionario de la historia de la iglesia. Caribe, 1989.

Ropero Berzosa, Alfonso. Lo mejor de los Padres Apostólicos. CLIE, 2004.

ASSIGNMENTS:
  1. Assigned readings and weekly quizzes (20%).

  2. Five reflection papers (1-2 pages each) on primary sources (25%).

  3. One essay (5-8 pages) on a topic addressed in class (30%).

  4. Final examination (25%).

PREREQUISITES: Spanish.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History "A" (CHA).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (7/07)