Winter 2021/Fuller Online

HT500

Sumner

HT500: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND CHRIST IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT (4 Units: 160 hours). Darren Sumner.

DESCRIPTION: HT500 is a survey of patristic theology and early church history that focuses especially on the doctrine of God, including the Christian church’s development of Trinitarian and Christological theology and creeds in its dialogue with its opponents and with its multiple cultural contexts, including the empires, languages, religions, and philosophies of the ancient Asian, African and European regions. Related topics and themes to be addressed may include the role of the apostolic fathers and apologists, the controversy with Gnosticism, tensions between Eastern and Western forms of Christianity, and selected doctrinal developments that extend through the Protestant Reformation to today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT500 will demonstrate: (1) a basic historical and theological knowledge of the doctrines of God and Christ as those and other selected doctrines emerged in the early church and developed to this day; (2) a basic competence in interpreting this history and theology and an ability to evaluate these theological issues and their historical development; and (3) a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of the Christian church.

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. 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: Approximately 1,035 pages.

Cyril of Alexandria. On the Unity of Christ (Popular Patristics Series). St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0881411331, Pub. Price: $17.00 [85 pp. assigned].

González, Justo. A History of Christian Thought: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon. Vol. 1. Rev. ed. Nashville,TN: Abingdon, 1987. ISBN: 978-0687171828, Pub. Price $34.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [361 pp. assigned].

Muir, Elizabeth Gillan. A Women's History of the Christian Church: Two Thousand Years of Female Leadership. University of Toronto Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-1487593841, Pub. Price $34.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [76 pp. assigned].

Need, Stephen W. Truly Divine & Truly Human: The Story of Christ and the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. ISBN: 978-0801047299, Pub. Price: $25.00 [155 pp. assigned].

Placher, William and Derek Nelson, eds. Readings in the History of Christian Theology. Vol. 1., Rev. ed. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox, 2015, ISBN: 978-0664239336, Pub. Price $30.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [104 pp. assigned].

Other selected primary source readings to be made available weekly via the online course site, including selections from Anselm, Athanasius, Cyprian of Carthage, Gregory Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Hippolytus, Irenaeus, John of Damascus, Tertullian, and others [approximately 225 pp. assigned].

Instructor-approved readings from primary sources for two Document Analysis Papers. [30 pp. minimum].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Cameron, Euan. Interpreting Christian History: The Challenge of the Churches’ Past. Wiley-Blackwell, 2005. ISBN: 978-0631215233, Pub. Price: $49.75.

Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1983. ISBN: 978-0814653326, Pub. Price $29.95.

Livingstone, Elizabeth A., ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0199659623, Pub. Price $22.95 [640 pp.].

McGuckin, John Anthony. The Westminster Handbook to Patristic Theology. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2004. ISBN: 978-0664223960, Pub. Price $40.00 [416 pp.].

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 8th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s (Macmillan), 2015. ISBN: 978-0312610418, Pub. Price $27.75.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Online instruction through reading and audio/video lectures [11 hours].
2. Approximately 1,050 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [69 hours].
3. Weekly forum posts as assigned, including both original posts and replies to peers (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3] [20 hours].
4. Five bi-weekly quizzes over course lecture content (10%). [This assignment Is related to learning outcome #1]. [2 hours, including preparation]
5. Document analysis paper (1,500 words) on Cyril of Alexandria's The Unity of Christ (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [16 hours].
6. Two additional document analysis papers (1,500 words each) on primary source documents selected by the student (15% each). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [16 hours each, 32 hours total].
7. Final examination (2,500 word maximum) covering readings and lecture material (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [10 hours, including preparation].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH1 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs. Option to meet the TH1 requirement in the 80 MATM and MAICS programs. Meets the CHA requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

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.