Fall 2009/Houston

CH500

Feldmeth

CH500: EARLY CHURCH HISTORY. Nathan P. Feldmeth.

DESCRIPTION: This survey course will chart the early history of Christianity from about 100 until 590 CE. The focus will be upon key personalities and major movements in the development of Christian doctrine in this turbulent and formative period. The class will meet for lecture and discussion and regular attendance is required.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing this course, will have : 1) a basic grasp of how the Church developed in the first five centuries; 2) a working knowledge of the people, doctrinal issues and the historical context of the early Church period; 3) practical insights in applying the lessons and events of the early Church history in preaching, teaching, and resolving current doctrinal disputes; 4) a foundation for continuing study of Church history; 5) skills in researching the original sources; 6) and finally, the end result of this study will have a deeper appreciation of the breadth, unity, and diversity of the Church.

RELEVANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Christianity is a uniquely historical faith. To minister effectively in any age requires a thorough knowledge of the past. This course will provide the student with a historical context for ministry, and will be especially helpful for teaching and preaching.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet four times in a Friday night, Saturday model for a total of 30 hours. Time in class will center on lecture and student interaction.

REQUIRED READING:

Bettenson, Henry, ed. Documents of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press, 1970.

Froehlich, Karlfried, ed. and trans. Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church. Fortress, 1984.

Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. The Liturgical Press, 1983.

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity. Vol. 1. Rev. ed. Harper & Row, 1975.

Rausch, William C. The Trinitarian Controversy. Fortress, 1980.

Feldmeth, Nathan. Pocket Dictionary of Church History. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrines. 3rd ed. Harper & Row, 1978.

Livingstone, E. A., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

ASSIGNMENTS: The course grade is determined by student work consisting of a 12- 15 page research paper (35%); a midterm examination (20%); and the final examination (45%). The paper must be typed, double-spaced, using standard Turabian documentation style, and submitted as per a schedule found in the course syllabus.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History “a” (CHA): MAT/MACL: Meets CH core requirement.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (07/09)