Fall 2020/Fuller Online

CH569

Bantu

CH569: EARLY AFRICAN AND ASIAN CHRISTIANITY (4 Units: 160 hours). Vince L. Bantu.

DESCRIPTION: This course will provide students with an introductory knowledge with the early roots of Christianity in various African and Asian cultural contexts. Because of the common practice of focusing on "global" (i.e. non-Western) Christianity in the modern period--and that which resulted from Western missions and colonialism--this course will focus primarily on African and Asian Christianity prior to Western colonial contact (though issues pertinent to modern non-Western Christian contexts will be considered). Early African and Asian Church history will be explored with a focus on contemporary issues of theological contextualization, identity and apologetics.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1.) Gain familiarity with the leading theologians, historical events and traditions of early African and Asian Christianity; 2.) Appreciate the cultural and theological diversity of the Christian tradition; 3.) Deepen commitment to de-centering Christian theological historiography, embracing the fullness of the Body of Christ and; 4.) Cultivate the areas of connection between ancient and modern African and Asian Christian traditions.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: TH4 courses fulfill the MDiv and MAT PLOs that states “Students will have demonstrated capacities for historically informed theological and ethical reflection.” Addresses MAICS Area of Interest Class “Students will have demonstrated capacities to pursue vocations that engage the mission of God globally.”

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: 1235 total number of pages required.

Bantu, Vince L. A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity's Global Identity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020). ISBN: 978-0830851072, Pub. Price $35.00. [142 pp. 72-217] Available as an eBook from the Fuller library.

Davis, Stephen J. The Early Coptic Papcy: The Egyptian Church and Its Leadership in Late Antiquity (Cairo: The American University In Cairo Press, 2004). ISBN: 978-9774168345, Pub. Price $24.95 [133 pp. 1-132]

Isaac, Ephraim. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tawahido Church (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2012). ISBN: 978-1569023693, Pub. Price $34.95 [277 pp. 1-276]

Gillman, Ian & Hans-Joachim Klimkeit. Christians in Asia Before 1500 (New York, NY: Routledge, 1999). ISBN: 978-1138970663, Pub. Price $54.95. [319 pp. 1-318] Available as an eBook from the Fuller library.

Obłuski, Artur. The Rise of Nobadia: Social Changes in Northern Nubia In Late Antiquity (Warsaw: University of Warsaw Departments of Archaeology and Papyrology, 2014). ISBN: 978-8392591993, Pub. Price $92.00, Amazon Price: $66.64 [172 pp. 39-210]

Primary Texts on Canvas or eBook

Acts of Thomas, ed. A.F.J. Klijn (Leiden: Brill, 2003). [28 pp. 62-89]

Agathangelos, History of the Armenians, ed. Robert W. Thomson (Albany, NY: Suny Press, 1974). [19 pp. 6-25]

“The Life and Visions of Krǝstos Śämra, a Fifteenth-Century Ethiopian Woman Saint.” In African

Christian Biography: Narratives, Beliefs, and Boundaries, ed.Dana Robert, 80-95 (Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications, 2018). [16]

Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Paradise, ed. Sebastian Brock (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1997). [26 pp. 67-93].

Gadla Abba Estifanos, ed. Getatchew Haile (Louvain: Secrétariat du Corpus SCO, 2006). [14 pp. 52-66]

Iakob Tsurtaveli, The Passion of Saint Shushanik, ed. Father Krikor Vardapet Maksoudian (New York, NY: St. Vartan Press, 1999). [8 pp. 41-48]

Jesus the Messiah Sutra, ed. P.Y. Saeki (Tokyo: Academy of Oriental Culture, 1951). [14 pp. 52-66]

Life of John of Dailam, ed. Sebastian Brock. In Parole de l'Orient 10 (1981-1982): 125-43 [18}

Shenoute of Atripe, Selected Discourses, ed. David Brakke and Andrew Crislip (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016). [26 pp. 130-156]

Theodore Abu Qurrah, On the Confirmation of the Gospel, ed. John C. Lamoreaux (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2006) [23 pp. 79-102]

RECOMMENDED READING:

Bagnall, Roger S. Egypt In the Byzantine World, 300-700 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

2007). ISBN: 978-0521871372. Pub. Price: $63.99.

Frykenberg, Robert Eric. Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present (Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 2008). ISBN: 978-0198263777. Pub. Price: $53.00.

Griffith, Sidney H. The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque: Christians and Muslims In the World of Islam (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007). ISBN: 978-0691146287. Pub. Price: $32.95.

Haile, Getatchew. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Tradition on the Holy Cross (Leiden: Brill, 2018). ISBN: 978-9004348684. Pub. Price: $187.00.

King, Daniel. The Syriac World (New York, NY: Routledge, 2018). ISBN: 978-1138899018. Pub. Price: $245.00.

Menze, Volker L. Justinian and the Making of the Syrian Orthodox Church (Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 2008). ISBN: 978-0199534876. Pub. Price: $142.39.

Mikhail, Maged S.A. From Byzantine to Islamic Egypt: Religion, Identity and Politics after the Arab

Conquest (New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2014). ISBN: 978-0857736826. Pub. Price: $30.95.

Moffett, Samuel Hugh. A History of Christianity in Asia: Volume I: Beginnings to 1500 (Maryknoll,

NY: Orbis Books, 1988). ISBN: 978-1570751622. Pub. Price: $48.00.

Ruffini, Giovanni R. Medieval Nubia: A Social and Economic History (Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2012). ISBN: 978-0199891634. Pub. Price: $97.00.

Tang, Li & Dietmar W. Winkler. Winds of Jingjao: Studies on Syriac Christianity In China and Central

Asia (Zurich: Lit Verlag, 2016). ISBN: 978-3643907547. Pub. Price: $74.95.

Terian, Abraham. Patriotism and Piety In Armenian Christianity: The Early Panegyrics on Saint Gregory

(Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2005). ISBN: 978-0881412932. Pub. Price: $30.00.

Welsby, Derek A. The Medieval Kingdoms of Nubia: Pagans, Christians and Muslims along the

Middle Nile (London: British Museum Press, 2002). ISBN: 978-0714119472. Amazon Price: $57.50.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Readings/Forums (30%): Students will be assigned approximately 871 pages of required reading which will be assessed through directed learning activities and other assignments. Students are expected to fully read, critically analyze and respond with original thoughts in forum discussions. Students will submit a reading report by the end of each week indicating the total percentage of assigned readings completed on Canvas. Students are expected to submit their reading reports with integrity, exhibiting honest, biblical character. Reading Reports must be submitted electronically via Canvas (no paper copies or email attachments-simply enter the percentage number in the text box) before midnight of the Sunday of that week. Students will reflect on the readings in weekly forum questions. Each student will post a 250-word response to the weekly forum question and then post a 100-word response to another student's post. Both the initial post and the response must demonstrate original thought and critical engagement with the readings and forum discussion. Each forum post must be submitted by the end of the Wednesday (11:59PM CST) of each week; the 100-word response must be submitted by the Sunday night (11:59PM CST) of each week. Students are expected to engage in forum discussion with a spirit of grace, civility and honesty (Eph. 4:15). (This assignment is related to Learning Outcome #1 and #4). (90 hours).
2. Devotional- (10%): Students will select an ancient African and/or Asian Christian text, architectural site, liturgical relic or tradition to reflect on and from which to create content for contemporary spiritual formation. Students will select an ancient source (non-Greek/Latin) and use It as Inspiration In creating devotional material purposed to be used by the student's congregational members. Drawing upon the ancient source, the student will create their own devotional material that Is aimed to be a spiritual guide to modern Christians In the student's church context. The devotional material created by the student can take the form of a sermon, Bible study, song, poem, dance, artwork or any other media that the student would like. While this Is not a research project and does not require academic citation, significant engagement with and inspiration from the ancient source should be demonstrated In the project. While there is no length requirement for this project, each devotional will be graded on the depth of engagement with the original source and the creativity and pastoral heart with which the devotional addresses modern believers. Devotional material must be uploaded to Canvas by 11:59PM on November 6, 2020. Each student must post at least two 50-word responses to two other students' devotional content by 11:59PM on November 13, 2020. (This assignment is related to Learning Outcome #3 and #4). (10 hours)
3. Presentations- DLA (20%): Students will do a site visit to an African or Asian orthodox church (Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syrian, Armenian, Thomas Indian, Church of the East). Students may visit one of these churches during any of the weekly worship services (Sunday mass, vespers, etc.). The visit must take place during the course of this class (previous visits not counted). Please be sure to respect the theological and cultural norms of the congregation remembering that you are representing Fuller Theological Seminary. The primary focus of the site visit is for the student to reflect on the learning of contemporary Christian traditions from African and Asian ancestral traditions. Students will prepare 10-minute presentations to be delivered submitted on Canvas by 11:59PM on November 27, 2020. Presentations will focus on three primary areas: a report on the student’s experience during their site visit, a profile of the student’s ministerial context among diverse people groups and the student’s reflection on what lessons can be gleaned from ancient African and Asian Christian traditions for contemporary Christians engaging in multiethnic ministry and de-colonizing theology. Students will be gathered In groups and will create a group presentation that focuses on similarities and differences between the various student experiences and ideas for modern ministry application. Students are encouraged to use any form of media or communication that is useful in the delivery of their presentation. All students will be responsible to provide two 200-word commentary reflecting on two different student groups' presentations via Canvas. The reflections will be due by 11:59PM on December 4, 2020. (This assignment Is related to Learning Outcome #2, #3 and #4). (30 hours).
4. Final Paper- Signature Assignment (25%): Students will prepare a research paper exploring a topic relative to early Christian history and theology. Each paper must be centered on a specific historical question and specific primary text(s). Students are free to select any topic within the parameters of early Christian history and are encouraged to select a topic from which they might derive spiritual and ministerial benefit. Paper topics must be identified to the professor via Canvas (not email) by 11:59PM (CST) November 13, 2020. As a research project, each paper must critically engage at least 15 relevant, academic (non-website) sources (i.e. monographs, edited volumes, journal articles, academic encyclopedias/dictionaries, etc.). Papers should adhere to the Chicago Style of Writing and avoid grammatical errors. However, grading will mostly take into account research and critical engagement with primary texts. Each paper should also include a final section of practical implications. After forming an original argument in response to the initial historical question, each paper should reflect for no more than one page on any theological and/or ministerial applications on the life and ministry of the student's contemporary church. The paper should be 12 typed, double-spaced pages and include a bibliography and proper footnotes throughout. Final papers must be turned in electronically via Canvas (no paper copies or email attachments) by 11:59 PM (CST) December 11, 2020. (This assignment is related to Learning Outcome #1, #3 and #4). (30 hours).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.