Instructor: Andrew Drenas, D.Phil. Classroom: Coburn 303 Class Meetings: TuTh, 11:00-12:15 E-mail: Website: Office Hours: Andrew_Drenas@uml.edu http://faculty.uml.edu/adrenas/teaching/earlychristianity.aspx TuTh, 1:00-3:00 p.m., and by appointment, in Dugan 106N Texts: Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (New York: Penguin, 1993) Course Description: The New Testament New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia Online Internet History Sourcebooks Project This course serves as an introduction to the first 850 years of Christian history. The first centuries of Christian history have always been crucial to the Church as it has sought to define itself over the ages. The study of early Christianity still remains appealing especially in light of recent interest in Gnosticism and its Gospels, The Da Vinci Code, the role of women in the early Church, and the early interactions between Jews and Christians. In addition to these topics, the early Church always remains a focal point in ecclesiastical history because of the Christian martyrs, the emergence of orthodoxy with the first four ecumenical councils, the Church s triumph over paganism, the development of the papacy, and early missions, as seen with figures such as St. Patrick. Understanding the early Church results in our gaining not only a comprehension of the Christian religion s foundations but also how it became one of the most powerful forces ever seen in Western civilization. Grading: Quizzes/Participation 25% 100 points Mid-term Exam 25% 100 points Final Exam 25% 100 points Papers 25% 100 points Quizzes/Participation: This part of your grade includes two map quizzes to be given at the beginning and roughly midway through the course. Each is worth 25 points. Participation in class discussions is also a significant part of your grade, worth 50 points. Students need to be prepared for class and ready to engage in discussion. Discussions will focus primarily on the assigned primary source readings as well as questions relevant to the lecture materials posed to the students by the instructor. Students who know that they will have to miss a class meeting should let the instructor know in advance. Exams: There will be two exams for this course. They will consist of multiple-choice and essay questions. The mid-term will deal with the material covered during the first half of the class; the final, the second half. Each exam is worth 100 points. Study guides will be provided during the scheduled reviews. 1
Papers: There are two writing assignments for this class. Each student must choose two primary source documents of interest to him or her and analyze them based on criteria to be provided by the instructor. One paper needs to focus on a source relevant to the first half of the course (first-century Judaism and Jesus of Nazareth to Constantine the Great and toleration); the other, the second half (i.e. the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers to the Iconoclastic Controversy). Each paper is worth 50 points. Miscellaneous: Extra Credit: Extra credit options are available to students. Please be aware that the instructor will not permit students who do not attend class or who put little to no effort into their work to do extra credit. Extra credit assignment options should be discussed with the instructor, and include writing an extra primary source analysis paper and/or sharing an oral presentation in class that is germane to the course. Each extra credit assignment is worth a potential 10 points. Students can do up to two extra credit assignments. Grade values: A = 94-100 A- = 90-93 B+ = 87-89 B = 84-86 B- = 80-83 C+ = 77-79 C = 74-76 C- = 70-73 D+ = 67-69 D = 60-66 F The A Policy : All students who earn A grades (90-100%) on their exams, quizzes, and paper will be exempted from having to take the final exam, leaving the course with either an A or A-. The instructor wants to reward academic excellence. Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. All work submitted by students must be their own, not anyone else s. If the instructor has any reason to believe that a student has plagiarized information from the Internet or a book, then that student will receive an F on the assignment. For more information on what constitutes academic dishonesty and plagiarism, please see https://www.uml.edu/catalog/undergraduate/policies/academic-integrity.aspx Disabilities and Religious Observances: Students with a documented disability should let the instructor know right away so that any necessary arrangements for the classroom can be made. Let the instructor know at the beginning of the course, not after the fact once the course is underway. Also, students who may have a conflict between any religious observances and class assignments should let the instructor know well in advance so that alternate arrangements may be made. 2
Early Christianity Syllabus (43.200) Texts: Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (New York: Penguin, 1993) The New Testament (NT) New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia Online (NA) Internet History Sourcebooks Project (IHSP) Tentative Class Schedule and Assignments Tuesday, October 27 Chadwick, pp. 125-151, 213-236; Augustine s Acts or Disputation against Fortunatus, and Athanasius s Discourse 1 against the Arians, both at NA; BEGIN CONSIDERING PRIMARY SOURCE TOPICS Activity: Lecture on Fathers, Arian Controversy; primary source discussion Thursday, October 29 MAP QUIZ # 2; DEADLINE FOR PRIMARY SOURCE TOPICS, AND OPTIONAL ROUGH DRAFT Activity: Map quiz # 2; Review for primary source analyses, writing workshop Week of November 2 Chadwick, pp. 184-212; Leo the Great s Tome (Epistle 28), and the Altar of Victory Controversy Letters, all at NA The Nestorian and Monophysite Controversies Thurs. The Triumph of the Church in the Roman Empire; primary source discussion Week of November 9 Chadwick, pp. 174-183, 247-257; The Rule of St. Benedict and excerpts from Bede s Ecclesiastical History of England, both at IHSP; St. Patrick s Confessio online Asceticism and Monasticism Thurs. Early Christian Missions; primary source discussion Week of November 16 Chadwick, pp. 237-246; Leo the Great s On the Petrine Doctrine, Gregory the Great s Letters showing Papal Activity, and John of Damascus s In Defense of Icons, all at IHSP; The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, at NA The Papacy; the Eastern Church to the Ninth Century Thurs. Women in Early Christianity; primary source discussion Week of November 23 PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSES Early Christian Worship and Art; DEADLINE FOR PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSES Thurs. Thanksgiving no class! Week of November 30 Early Christian Worship and Art continued Thurs. Early Christianity and Christmas Week of December 7 Review for FINAL; DEADLINE FOR EXTRA CREDIT 3
Map Quiz 1 MAP TERMS Kingdoms, Regions, etc. Asia Minor Crete Egypt Gaul Italy North Africa Syria Britannia Cyprus Galatia Greece Macedonia Palestine Cities and Towns Alexandria Athens Jerusalem Nag Hammadi Rome York (Roman Eburacum) Antioch Carthage Lyon (Roman Lugdunum) Nazareth Smyrna Bodies of Water and Landmarks Adriatic Sea Dead Sea Mediterranean Sea Rhone River Tyrrhenian Sea Apennines Jordan River Nile River Tiber River *The vast majority of these terms can be found in the atlas maps found on pp. 10, 11, 14-17. You can also find them through online searches.* Location of map for quiz: Scroll down to Map for Map Quizzes at http://faculty.uml.edu/adrenas/teaching/earlychristianity.aspx You should be able to print this map off, or any other map you have found useful for preparing for the quiz, and increase its size through a xerox machine or other program. 4
Map Quiz 2 MAP TERMS Kingdoms, Regions, etc. Byzantine Empire Egypt Ireland Kingdom of the Franks Spain Cappadocia England Italy North Africa Syria Cities and Towns Canterbury Constantinople Ephesus Milan Nicaea Rome Chalcedon Edessa Hippo Regius Myra Ravenna Bodies of Water and Landmarks Aegean Sea Black Sea English Channel North Sea Thames River Alps Bosporus Mediterranean Sea Po River *The vast majority of these terms can be found in the atlas maps found on pp. 14-19, 30-31. You can also find them through online searches.* Location of map for quiz: Scroll down to Map for Map Quizzes at http://faculty.uml.edu/adrenas/teaching/earlychristianity.aspx You should be able to print this map off, or any other map you have found useful for preparing for the quiz, and increase its size through a xerox machine or other program. 5
Primary Source Analysis Papers For this course, you have had a lot of exposure to primary sources germane to early Christianity. Your task now is to compose two primary source analyses based on the instructions provided below. Instructions for Analyses 1. Choose two primary sources of interest to you that pertain to the material covered in this course. The first one needs to treat a subject relevant to the first half of the course, that is, from first-century Judaism and Jesus of Nazareth to Constantine and toleration. The second should focus on a theme germane to the second half of the course, that is, from the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers to the Iconoclastic Controversy. Your sources must be documents that we have not already read in class. You can choose from a biblical source or something available at the following websites: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook11.asp http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1c.asp http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1e.asp Please choose the topics you want to work on by Thursday, October 29. Once you know what you want to read and analyze, please e-mail me to let me know, providing me with the documents links. 2. Write the papers, and be prepared to address all of the following in each: a. What is the primary source you have chosen, and why have you chosen it? (5 points) So, tell me what you read and be sure to explain why you decided to read it. Maybe you were interested in the source s subject matter or just realized that it had a big impact on church history. You can let me know. This ought to be an easy 5 points! b. Who is the author of the document, and what potential preconceptions and goals did he or she have while composing it? (10 points) Here you want to tell me who was the actual writer of the text. DO NOT tell me who the recent editor and translator were. (Hint: if you find yourself about to write that your author was writing in 1995 or something, then this is INCORRECT!) No! You want to the original author. In the event that your source does not have a known author, then please just state that. Regarding preconceptions and goals, this is where you would identify things like the author s specific religious, philosophical, and maybe even political beliefs, that influenced what he or she said or did. For example, was the person a Gnostic? A Neo-Platonist? Nicene? A staunch supporter of the Roman Empire? As far as goals are concerned, address what the author was trying to accomplish by writing the text. Students frequently struggle with this part of the paper; if you any queries about it, please let me know so I can help you. c. When was the document written and what is the historical context surrounding its composition? (10 points) While answering when, all you need to do is provide me with a date or an approximate date. If you see more recent dates connected to the text, it is probably the date the document was edited or translated. You don t want that. Concerning the historical context, you want to explain here what was going on in history at the time your primary source was written. You can go straight back to the Power Points to find that information, or my Western Civilization 1 lectures at http://faculty.uml.edu/adrenas/teaching/westcivi.aspx. (Should you decide to go there, the Power Point presentations on Rome, Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, will be the ones of interest to you.) Students often struggle with the context, so beware! 6
d. Summarize and analyze the content of the document, providing quotations from the text (10 points) Explain to me what you read about. Make sure you include enough direct quotations from the text in your summary. e. What impact did this document have on Christians and/or society during the time it was written; and has it impacted modern Christianity and modern society today? (10 points) I think this is self-explanatory. But do answer BOTH aspects of this question. If your document does not impact us at present, then please at least say so. Also, please remember to talk about the DOCUMENT S impact, not the impact of the subject matter or theme addressed in the document. f. Make sure your paper is written in the proper format! (5 points). See some guidelines below. Potential: 100 points (50 per paper) 3. The papers are due in hard copy in class on Tuesday, November 23. Feel free to submit your papers early. If they are tardy, 10 points will be deducted from your grade for each paper each day they are late. Please contact me if you have any questions or need any help. Please also consult the sample primary source analysis on the course website. Scroll down to Primary Source Analysis Sample at http://faculty.uml.edu/adrenas/teaching/earlychristianity.aspx. It will offer you a clear model as to what I am looking for. 4. Please answer the questions in the order in which I ask them, with each question having a paragraph of its own. Proper block quotes must be used for direct quotations exceeding four lines. For more details, see http://www.englishdiscourse.org/block.quotes.htm. 5. No citations and/or works cited pages are required if you are relying only on your primary source documents and our class lectures. If you are making use of outside books and legitimate academic online sources (i.e. no Wikipedia, personal websites, etc.), they must be cited in your papers and included in works cited pages. You may use either footnotes (preferable for historical prose!) or parenthetical notes. For the proper format for footnotes and works cited pages, see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Regarding the proper format for MLA parenthetical notes, see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/. 6. Writing Guidelines a. Papers must be a minimum of 4 full pages, or 5 pages, in length. The works cited page does not count toward the page limit. b. Papers must be written in ESSAY format. Papers with bullet points and incomplete sentences will be rejected! c. Prose related to historical documents should be written in the past tense, not the present tense. (E.g., Origen taught in Alexandria, and not Origen teaches in Alexandria. ) d. Font: Times New Roman (size 12) e. Format: Double-spaced with one-inch margins all around f. Pages must be stapled, numbered, and have your full name on at least the first page g. Absolutely no slang or text-speak h. Make sure that you spell check! 7
Primary Source Analyses Checklist If you are able to check off all the following, you increase your chances of scoring very well on your primary source analyses. I e-mailed the instructor to alert him of the primary source documents I wanted to analyze I have taken a look at, and understand, the sample primary source analysis posted on the course website I have answered the analysis questions in essay format, and in the order in which they were asked My prose is written in the past tense, not the present My papers are each at least a full 4 pages, or 5 pages, in length In my papers, I have provided parenthetical notes or footnotes, and works cited pages, for all sources I consulted and quoted outside my primary source documents and the course s lecture materials I have abided by the font, font size, and margin guidelines described in the syllabus My pages are stapled and numbered, with my name being on at least the first page I have proofread and spellchecked my work 8