Course Description A study of the developing theology, ecclesiology, piety, and worship of the Christian church from the close of the apostolic age to 600 A.D. Special attention will be given to primary sources. Fall semester.

Course Goals

—Academic Goal:

To enable the student to understand and discuss intelligently the institutional, theological, and social history of the church from c. 100 AD c. 450 AD.

—Pastoral Goal:

To help the student gain a critical appreciation for the development of Christian theology, piety, and practice from c.100 AD to 450 AD.

Required Reading

NB: I do not discuss the background texts in class. The lectures assume that you have read them but you must read and master them in order to complete the course.

Henry Chadwick, The Early Church

J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines.

Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo.

Library of Christian Classics:

1. Early Christian Fathers
   1. Didache
   2. Justin, First Apology
   3. Irenaeus, Against Heresies
2. Christology of the Later Fathers
   1. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
   2. Gregory of Nazianzus, Letters on the Apollinarian Controversy
   3. Gregory of Nyssa, An Answer to Ablabius
   4. Documents (pp. 329ff.)
3. Early Latin Theology.
   1. Tertullian, All
   2. Cyprian, Unity of the Catholic Church and Letter 33
4. J. Pelikan and V. Hotchkiss, eds. Creeds and Confessions in the Christian Tradition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 1.58–61, 75–99; 158–81.
5. Augustine, City of God, Books 1, 11–18, 20, 22.

Course Structure

Each class session will involve lecture and discussion.

Course Requirements:

Despite the fact that we live in a post-everything world of endless options, it is nevertheless true that, in this course, your options are rather more limited. In order to pass the course you must demonstrate that you have learned and can adequately summarize and repeat the important material from the lectures and the readings. Refusal or failure to meet this test will result in failure of the course.

It is impossible to benefit from this course without the reading.

Mid-term 35% (Lectures to that point; Chadwick, chs 1–11; Kelly, chs 1–10; Pelikan/Hotchkiss (all) and LCC readings.

Final exam 35% [Lectures since mid-term; Augustine).

NB: A failing grade on the final exam means a failing grade for the course. The exam covers the lectures and assigned readings.

Reading 20%

Attendance 10%

NB: The WSC catalogue requires attendance to class. Class conflict petitions will not ordinarily be approved for this course.

Anyone found to be using the computer in class inappropriately will face discipline.

It is not possible to pass this course and fail the final exam.

Advice

Students who take class notes by computer tend to create a large, detailed transcript but they also tend not to analyze the information they are receiving. They hear the lecture but they do not listen to what is being said. In such a case, it is difficult to think about and interact with what is being said. As a consequence, students end the course with a large transcript of material with which they are not intimately familiar. This means that students have only reading week to master a large amount of relatively unfamilar class material for the final exam.

The student who takes notes by hand must synthesize and prioritize material. As a result, the student with handwritten notes has relatively less material to review before the exam. An informal survey of students with handwritten notes suggests that they felt better prepared for the final exam than they had with a large transcript.

Helps

Early Christian Resource Page

"The Chart"

Adler on Reading

Christian Classics Ethereal Library

St Augustine

Project Gutenberg

Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum

Christian Latin

Internet Archive

Patrologia Latina

Biblical, Judaica, Early Christian Resources

Disclaimer
The statements, views and opinions...more

Contact Information
Email Dr Clark: rsclark at wscal dot edu
760.480.8474
Office Hours: Wed 10:40 AM-12:40 PM

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