The History of Christianity I (3 credits) Syllabus 2016

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1 The History of Christianity I (3 credits) Syllabus 2016 I. Course information Start Time: Monday 7pm-10pm Dates: Sept Dec. 12 Break week: Oct. 10 Oct. 14 (we DO meet the week of Thanksgiving) Final exam: Dec. 19 Instructor: Dr Chad Van Dixhoorn Phone: cvandixhoorn@rts.edu If you have a question about the class, please ensure that you have read the syllabus carefully first. If you have a question about the syllabus, please let me know. II. Course overview A. Key issues in theology and apologetics in the history of the church The history of Christianity is, among other things, a history of ideas. These ideas shape the Christian church and contribute to our convictions as believers. This course aims to provide an overview of Church history and theology from the time of the Apostles to the birth of Martin Luther in a breathtaking thirty-nine hours of class time supplemented, of course, by many additional hours of reading time. While obviously a whistle-stop tour, I do hope that each one of you will get a feel for the contours of the Christian faith as they were hammered out in the patristic and medieval eras. This course aims to acquaint us with our past, and help us interpret the present. But since Christianity has been shaped as much by its failures as by its triumphs, these lectures will trace both the low and high points in the history of Christian doctrine and experience. Significant emphasis will be placed on key moments and key thinkers in church history. But we will also try to reflect on the lives of normal Christian people and ordinary Christian pastors. It was the collective experience of God s people, often in the ordinary settings of worship, church government, or pastoral counselling that helped clarify the central truths of God s word in the midst of persecution, heresy, and confusion. B. In class It is my conviction that reformation in the church today must involve a willingness not only to hear what the Holy Spirit is teaching us today, but to listen to what he has taught our brothers and sisters in the past. In this course students will have the opportunity to read and discuss historic source material most weeks as we examine the doctrine of God, the Scriptures and their formation, and the fall of humanity into sin. We will listen to what our forebears had to say about the good news of redemption planned, accomplished, and applied. We will try to deepen our understanding of the church, Christian worship, the sacraments, and the formation and relevance of creeds and confessions, each from an historical and theological perspective. While first seeking to understand the history of Christian doctrine on its own grounds and for its own sake, some lectures contain apologetic undertones and raise questions that are still relevant today: how 1

2 did early Christians engage with pagan culture? How did the medieval theologians confront the teachings of Islam? How are we to answer critics of the Bible today? Our heritage is a rich and varied one. I hope this course will equip teacher and student alike to be better articulate, defend and live out the gospel in our pluralistic society. C. At home Students will have extensive take-home reading, as well as readings in class. You will be well-advised to read as soon as possible the two class texts by Chadwick (or Hall) and Southern. PLEASE begin to read the two classic texts that we will read in full: Augustine s On Christian Teaching, and Anselm s medieval classic, Why the God man? (best known by its Latin title, Cur Deus Homo). If you can only read one of these texts prior to class, read Augustine s On Christian Teaching, for we will discuss this work first. The number of pages read for this course, although significant, will be lower than some other three-hour classes. The main texts are an easy, even delightful read. Each of the authors has been chosen not only for his astonishing knowledge of their period, but for his ability to write in an engaging manner. Here, reading may edge toward entertainment. The historic texts, on the other hand, are more difficult to penetrate. It is for this reason that the reading load has been adjusted downward. Here, reading will be work, but hopefully an investment that will pay long-term dividends. Note on historic texts: Many of the works of the church fathers were translated into English in rival nineteenth-century collections, American and British. The collections prior to the time of the first council of Nicea (325) are entitled Ante-Nicene Fathers. Those at and after the time of the council and continuing to the time of the second council of Nicea (787) are collected in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, in two different, but complementing series. The first series contains only works by Augustine and Chrysostom. The second series contains works from a wide variety of less prolific authors. Many or most of the historic sources listed below are freely available in these editions and can be found simply by searching for the title of the work. For additional texts, see Modern, often smoother, translations with up-to-date scholarly apparatus can be found in the following series: The fathers of the Church; Ancient Christian writers; and, for Augustine s vast corpus, The works of Saint Augustine. III. Reading list for students taking course for credit: A. Historic sources (circa pp) including, but not limited to: Reading Martyrdom of Polycarp, in W. H. C. Frend, ed., A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to A.D.337, pp Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, in The Ante- Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, pp , 270 (chapters 1-13, and 142). ALSO read each chapter heading in the Dialogue. Location Library or your purchase Supplied by professor AND Online: 2

3 AND select five additional chapters of your choice to read. Martyrdom of Justin, in A New Eusebius, pp (class) Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne, in New Eusbius, pp *Augustine, On Christian Teaching, trans. R. P. H. Green (Oxford 2008 edition or any edition) (145pp.) Gospel of Thomas (selections; in class reading) Chrysostom, On the priesthood, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, pp (OR ed (selections, 12pp.) The Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed, Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, Athanasian Creed, Chalcedonian Creed *Anselm, Cur Deus Homo, in Anselm of Canterbury: the major works, eds. B. Davies and G. R. Evans (Oxford, 2008 edition or any edition) 100pp. OR in A Scholastic Miscellany, pp (RTS library) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II.1, Question 82, in A. M. Fairweather ed., Aquinas on Nature and Grace, pp Library or your purchase Library or your purchase Library or your purchase Supplied by professor Supplied by professor Supplied by professor Library or your purchase Supplied by professor AND Online: B. Secondary sources (circa 650pp.) *1. Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (London: Penguin, 1993), 300pp., smaller paperback. OR Stuart Hall, Doctrine and practice in the early church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 250pp., larger paperback (designed to complement the New Eusebius) *2. Sir Richard Southern, Western Society and the Church in the middle ages (London: Penguin, 1970), 350pp. C. Recommended reading Jaraslov Pelikan, The emergence of the catholic tradition (Chicago: Chicago, 1971), 350pp. Jaraslov Pelikan, The growth of medieval theology (Chicago: Chicago, 1978), 300 pp. D. Purchase list (if possible) Students should purchase or borrow the following books: 1. Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (London: Penguin, 1993). OR Stuart Hall, Doctrine and practice in the early church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991). 2. W. H. C. Frend, ed., A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to A.D.337 (ANY EDITION) 3. Sir Richard Southern, Western Society and the Church in the middle ages (London: Penguin, 1970 OR ANY EDITION). 4. Augustine, On Christian Teaching, trans. R. P. H. Green. Oxford World Classics (Oxford, 2008). This edition and translation recommended. Any edition or translation accepted. 3

4 5. Anselm, Anselm of Canterbury: the major works, eds. B. Davies and G. R. Evans (Oxford, 2008 edition or any edition); OR Anselm, Cur Deus Homo, in A Scholastic Miscellany: Anselm to Ockham (Philadelphia, 1981). IV. Assessment for students taking course for credit: A. Reading reports and responses (40% of grade) Students will be required to submit reading reports on the assigned readings. In each case they will serve the student as aids to study and review. Typically the student will answer a question posed by the instructor. Please note the dates on which they are due as no late papers are accepted without a PRE- APPROVED reason or a significant personal or family emergency. B. Examination (60% of grade) Each student s understanding of the material will be assessed, in part, by examination. There will be two exams. (1) The first, covering the history of the early church first part of the course, will be worth 30% of the course grade. This two to three hour exam is designed to help students get a sense of their own comprehension of the course material. (2) The final, two to three hour exam, chiefly covers the medieval church and is worth 30% of the course grade. Typical examination questions include the following elements: Essays (perhaps choosing three or four major themes to discuss from a wider selection). The students discusses the history and theology of the relevant theme and, where appropriate, the differing perspectives presented in assigned texts and class lectures. Chronological arrangements Students may be asked to recall the names of fifteen to twenty theologians or heretics and list them in order of their birth, including their dates. Multiple choice: for historical facts that may not warrant an essay but should be known by the student, multiple choice questions allow students to recognize what they have read or heard in their assigned texts or lectures. Identifications Students may be asked to o recall the names of theologians in their context o the titles of one or two books by each theologian (but no less than 15 total) o provide two-sentence descriptions of each title All persons, councils and places mentioned in the student s answers must be those within the chronological frame of the course. The same persons can be mentioned in chronological arrangements, identifications and map placements. V. Grading for students taking course for credit: A. Grading Scale My seminary uses the following grading system: A (97-100) 4.00 quality points A- (94-96) 3.66 B+ (91-93) 3.33 B (88-90) 3.00 B- (86-87)

5 C+ (83-85) 2.33 C (80-82) 2.00 C- (78-79) 1.66 D+ (75-77) 1.33 D (72-74) 1.00 D- (70-71) 0.66 F (below 70) 0.00 I (incomplete) 0.00 W,WP (withdraw, withdraw passing) 0.00 S (satisfactory) 0.00 The grade I indicates that the work required for the course was not completed. It is given only when special, extenuating circumstances (such as illness) prevent the student from completing the work or taking the examination. A written request for an extension must be submitted prior to the due date of the work concerned. If the request is granted, it remains the responsibility of the student to complete all work for the course as soon as possible. In any case, an I grade must be removed within the extension time granted; otherwise it will be changed to F. VI. Class advice for everyone! 1. I recognize that many of you work long days and have awkward commutes. Please leave sufficient time to battle adverse traffic so that you can arrive on time. 2. Please come to each class prepared as you can be. I will call on students to discuss the lectures and assigned material. It is a courtesy to teacher and fellow students alike if your class contributions are informed by prior study. There are no reading reports due for the first class. 3. Take notes of these discussions. These exchanges are a vehicle for learning and you will be expected to retain (and be tested on) the material that we discuss. 4. Please ask questions in class. When necessary, I will establish the boundaries and let you know when I need to press on in delivering information and when we should to stop to enjoy a discussion. But a certain amount of class time is set aside each week for discussion and I would be disappointed if we did not pack it with useful comments and queries. 5. Give some thought to your questions. There is no question too simple to ask (although there are many that are too difficult to answer). But please do not stop the class to regale it with stories, ride hobbyhorses, play teacher to your fellow students, or ask to have a word spelled. 6. Please turn off your cell phones. Checking your mobile phone in a class discussion or lecture is as thoughtless as checking it while holding a conversation with another person. 7. Please do not use web access for web-surfing, chatting, and ing. 8. You may quietly snack and drink and stretch in class, or pace about the back of the room if it helps you stay alert. I ll pace around the room too. 5

6 Appendix 1 Assignments Paper 1: Persecution DUE Sept. 19 Using either Chadwick or Hall, describe the persecutions of Christians prior to the edict of Milan. When known, indicate the date of the persecution, the emperor(s) reigning at the time (if relevant), the geographical extent of the persecution, the manner of persecution (fines, church-burnings, imprisonment, torture, etc) and the response of the Christians. Your paper should be 3-5 pages in length. (And don t you think this would make a splendid examination question?) Paper 2: Augustine DUE Oct. 3 In this second assignment, summarize in 7-10 pages Augustine s main concerns in writing On Christian Teaching. Discuss specific examples. Answer this question from your own reading. Paper 3: Owen Chadwick or Stuart Hall DUE Oct. 17 Please read Chadwick s or Hall s history and in 7-10 pages consider 5 episodes or moments that strike you as turning points in church history. Explain why, using examples. Paper 4: John Chrysostom DUE Oct. 24 Read the assigned selection from On the Priesthood. In 2-3 pages identify the themes that appear most important to Chrysostom. Highlight any which strike you as having continuing relevance for ministry today. Paper 5: The canon of the New Testament DUE Nov. 14 You will be provided with five readings center around a group of works which became attached to the name of Thomas. A handful of ancient writers have attributed the authorship of their texts to the apostle Thomas (called Judas Thomas by Syrian Christians and cults). I have included a selection from each text as a part of this week s reading. One Gospel of Thomas (sometimes called the Infancy Gospel of Thomas) records folktales of Jesus youth, usually without explanation of their meaning or importance. This text is printed in the nineteenthcentury Ante-Nicene Fathers set (volume 8). It is largely ignored by those who advocate the importance and authenticity of the second, third, and final texts that we will be reading this week. The second, much-publicized Gospel of Thomas was discovered in Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt in It provides a catalogue of over an hundred independent sayings by Jesus, some of them similar to those found in the canonical gospels. The recovery of this text has been heralded as a landmark event, the discovery of the fifth, but in another sense, the first gospel. Scholars and novelists have found in this text the original Jesus suppressed by the dominant orthodox element of the early church. The third reading is the Book of Thomas, discovered in Nag Hammadi in It contains secret sayings related to Thomas by Jesus, albeit not so secret that a disciple named Matthias could not manage to overhear each saying and record them for posterity. 6

7 The fourth reading is from the Apocalypse of Thomas, a prophetic, and often political, vision of the future given to Thomas by Jesus. The fifth is the Acts of Thomas, a Gnostic text relating the travels of Thomas to India, a story popular with religious syncretists, and advocates of eastern religions trying to explain continuities between Indian religions and Christianity. Versions of this text circulated with the Gnostic elements largely removed, making it palatable folk-lore (like Thomas s Infancy Gospel) for pious Christians wishing for further stories about Jesus and the twelve. Read these excerpts. Then in 2-3 pages, briefly, and in general, compare and contrast each of these readings with the closest literary parallels that you can find in the Bible, paying attention to genre (do not match Gospel with Epistle). Conclude by answering this question: might some familiarity with these texts have any apologetic usefulness for Christians? If so, how? Paper 6: Anselm DUE Nov. 21 One of the highlights of this course in an opportunity to read a work by Anselm of Canterbury (c ). Anselm was an unwilling Italian Archbishop of Canterbury and has been described by Richard Southern as the most original and widely attractive theological and devotional writing in western Europe between St. Augustine (c. 400) and the author of The imitation of Christ (c. 1450). Anselm is perhaps best known for his intriguing proofs for the existence of God, his Monologion and Proslogion, Latinized Greek words meaning something like Monologue and Address. He also authored works on the fall of Satan, original sin, meditations on predestination and free will and the procession of the Holy Spirit. I append a partially Latinized bibliography of his works given what I have just told you, you should be able to piece it together. De Grammatico, c ; Anselm s earliest Prayers and Meditations, c ; Monologion, c ; Proslogian, c ; De Veritate, c ; De Libertate Arbitrii, c ; De Casu Diaboli, c ; Finishes Epistola de Incarnatione Verbi, 1094; Cur Deus Homo, c ; Finishes Cur Deus Homo, 1098; De conceptu virginali et de peccato originali, 1099; Meditatio de humana Redemptione, 1099; De processione Sancti Spiritus, 1102; De concordia Praescientiae et Praedestinationis et Gratiae Dei cum Libero Arbitrio, His student Eadmer completes Vita Anselmi, c , and Historia Novorum, c Our focus will be on Anselm s most famous work, Cur Deus Homo, translated as Why the God-man? or Why God became man? The book is an inexpensive and widely available classic. I recommend that you purchase the book if you can find the time and money. The title indicates that it is a work about the incarnation but it is most famous as a study of the atonement. It is expected that you will have read the complete work prior to class. In seven to ten pages, summarize the argument of Cur Deus Homo, first in Book I, and then in Book II. It won t be easy but give it your best effort. Paper 7: Aquinas DUE Nov. 28 No theologian between Augustine and Luther even approaches the prominence of Thomas Aquinas. In the history of the Christian Church, Aquinas ranks as one of the most creative thinkers. After Augustine, he is the arguable the most influential writer in the history of Roman Catholicism and arguably the high point of medieval genius and doctrinal synthesis. 7

8 Your Aquinas reading will give you a flavour of the great man s scholastic writing (rather than, say, his biblical commentaries). With the rise of the medieval universities a particular mode of argument came to dominate theological discourse. This method of argument is labelled scholastic because it flourished in the schools or universities. The scholastic method was characterized by a process called dialectic: First a question is posed; then traditional authorities are cited on the issue, both pro and con; finally the author or speaker presents his own response. This method was very useful as a form of teaching in the schools and it spread to written works of theology as well, such as Thomas Aquinas s Summa Theologicae. The topic I have chosen is a key one for understanding Aquinas on humanity and salvation; it is also important for understanding later Protestant critiques of Roman Catholicism. Your assignment this week is an exercise in interpretation and comprehension, and not in theological evaluation. First read Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II.1, Question 82. Then answer in your own words the following four questions in 3-5 pages. You will probably need one or more dictionaries: According to Aquinas Is original sin a habit? 2. Are there several original sins in one man? How does Aquinas defend himself? 3. Is original sin the same thing as concupiscence? 4. Is original sin equally in all of us? Paper 8: Richard Southern DUE Dec. 12 Answer only one of the following questions in 3-5 pages, based on your reading of Sir Richard Southern s classic, Western Society and the Church in the middle ages. 1. What are some possible divisions of time in medieval ecclesiastical history, and how would you characterize each major period? Give the dates for each period. OR 2. What contributed to disunity and schism in the medieval church? What was the most significant division, and what were some contributing factors? OR 3. What were the most significant religious orders in the medieval period? How did they grow and where do they differ? What are the main differences between the orders of monks and nuns, and the orders of friars? (Wouldn t these make excellent examination questions!) NOTES: 1. Print all submissions: Please PRINT any assignments for grading. If possible, staple assignments together. 2. Late papers: Late papers are not accepted. 3. Format: All papers are to be double-spaced, Times Roman, 12 pt. Bibliographies and cover pages are not necessary. 8

9 4. Purpose: These papers will help you to digest the readings and will give you practice answering questions that are typical of CH I examination questions. 9

10 Reading and Class Schedule Wk Date Main texts reading schedule Lect. Discussion reding schedule 1 9/ Martyrdom of Polycarp 2 9/19 Chadwick, Early Church, Chs 1-4 OR Hall, Doctrine and Practice, Chs Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew (NOTE reading instructions) 3 9/26 1. Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bk 1 2. Chadwick, Early Church, Chs 6-9 OR Hall, Doctrine and Practice, Chs /3 1 Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bks Chadwick, Early Church, Chs OR Hall, Doctrine and Practice, Chs /17 1. Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bk 4 2. Chadwick, Early Church, Chs OR Hall, Doctrine and Practice, Chs /24 Chadwick, Early Church, Chs OR Hall, Doctrine and Practice, Chs Martyrdom of Justin - Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bk Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bk Augustine, On Christian teaching, Bk Chrysostom, On the priesthood 7 10/31 MIDTERM EXAM 8 11/7 Anselm, Why God became man, Bk /14 Anselm, Why God became man, Bk /21 Southern, W.S. and the Church in the M.A., 18- Chs The Apostles, Nicene, Niceno- Constantinopolitan, Athanasian, and Chalcedonian creeds - Gospel of Thomas, etc. - Cur Deus Homo 11 11/28 Southern, W.S. and the Church in the M.A., Aquinas, Summa Theologicae Chs /5 Southern, W.S. and the Church in the M.A., Ch /12 Southern, W.S. and the Church in the M.A., Ch /19 FINAL EXAM 10