Winter 2014/Fuller Online

CH500

Waldrop

CH500: EARLY CHURCH HISTORY. Jeffrey Waldrop.

DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the more important themes, people, events, and doctrines in church history. Attention will be given to a variety of leading apologists, theologians, monastics and church leaders of the church in the West and in the East, from the post-apostolic fathers through about the end of the sixth century.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Early church history provides a theological foundation for the work of the ministry by surveying the historical development of such pivotal doctrines as the Trinity, Christology, and soteriology. The course also introduces the student to the sacramental practices and creedal confessions of the early church. Through studying the teachings and practices of early Christians, students will learn to love the church and its mission, and will seek to apply the lessons from history to ministry contexts today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated (1) the ability to place their own confessional tradition within the broader framework of early catholic Christianity, (2) an understanding of the ways in which the doctrines and the practices of the church emerge in specific historical contexts, (3) an understanding of the vocabulary of the Trinitarian, Christological, and soteriological debates of the first four centuries, and (4) an increase of their critical skills in reading and writing through the study of primary source materials and by the writing of an analytical essay.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. 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.

In addition to longer--‐term projects (such as papers, exams, and special presentations), a typical week’s required activities and interactions will (approximately) include the following:

Read the assigned texts (100 pp., 5 hrs.)
Listen to audio lectures (1–1½ hrs.)
Engage In the class forum (300—word Initial post, 1½ hrs.)
Respond to another student’s post (100–150 words, ½ hr.)
Take a short quiz on the reading (250–500 words, ½ hr.)

REQUIRED READING:

Bettenson, Henry, and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199568987, Pub. Price $29.95 [sections on the period through to A.D. 600 only––100 pp. assigned].

Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. Penguin, rev. ed., 1993. ISBN: 978-0140231991, Pub. Price $18.00, [314 pp.].

Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. The Liturgical Press, 1984. ISBN: 978-0814653326, Pub. Price $24.95 [258 pp.].

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity Vol. 1. Harper Collins, 1975. ISBN: 978-0060649524, Pub. Price $25.99 [320 pp. assigned].