CHS/CTH 6620 DLS VARIETIES OF EARLY CHRISTIAN THOUGHT ASHLAND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Fall Semester 2017 Online (Aug. 28-Dec. 14) Brenda B. Colijn, PhD Professor of Biblical Interpretation and Theology bcolijn@ashland.edu (419) 289-5980 (office) http://personal.ashland.edu/bcolijn (614) 766-2255 (home) I. Course Description This is a reading and research seminar in extant literature produced by the church in the patristic period (ca. A.D. 95-750). Its goal is a working knowledge of early Christian thought in its unity and diversity, continuity and development. This course utilizes an online component (Blackboard) as its major teaching medium. Access to a reliable computer and the internet through a high-speed means (dial-up access does not usually work satisfactorily in this course) is required, as is familiarity with the use of Blackboard (assistance in Blackboard is provided in video format within the course). It is highly recommended that you be familiar with computer and web functions prior to starting the course since it is not advised to try to learn them while the course is in progress. Online learning often requires more self-motivation than a regular class and is not suitable for every student. II. Student Learning Outcomes As a result of this course, students will be able to do the following: 1. Use Scripture responsibly in evaluating patristic sources. 2. Not assessed 3. Not assessed 4a. Articulate the content and themes of selected patristic sources. 4b. Engage in critical historical and theological reflection on patristic sources. 5. Not assessed 6. Apply insights from patristic sources to life and ministry. III. Course Requirements A. Textbooks and other reading Athanasius, On the Incarnation (available from Christian Classics Ethereal Library at www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation.pdf). Jurgens, William A., ed. and trans. The Faith of the Early Fathers. 3 vols. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1980. Litfin, Bryan M. Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. 2 nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016. Ramsey, Boniface. Beginning to Read the Fathers. Rev. ed. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2012. B. Attendance According to the Student Handbook, attendance at all class sessions is expected, unless the professor has been notified in advance and has approved the absence. Students should be on time and should stay through the duration of all classes. Any student missing more than six class hours (2 weeks) will be required to do additional work, receive a lower grade, audit or withdraw from the class, or be penalized otherwise at the discretion of the professor.
2 Because this is an online course, attendance is measured by participation in weekly discussions and timely submission of assignments. Students are expected to participate every week unless an exception is granted by the professor for extraordinary circumstances. NOTE: As part of your course attendance, you are expected to watch lectures and read posted handouts. C. Assignments/Assessment of Student Learning This class will be delivered entirely online in Blackboard. To access Blackboard, go to https://ashland.blackboard.com and login. Please contact the professor immediately if on the first day of the semester you cannot access the course. You must log in several times each week (daily is recommended) to access announcements, content, and discussions. You are responsible for all information posted in the online course and all information sent to your ashland.edu email account. All papers must be submitted in the Blackboard course. Discussion postings will be graded on quantity, clarity, depth of insight, support for claims and arguments, meaningful interaction with other students, and integration of personal thought with course materials. Papers will be graded on clarity, coherence, depth of insight, and constructive engagement with course content. For all posts and papers, any sources you use must be appropriately documented in the text. All such material must be quoted exactly, using quotation marks, or paraphrased completely. Any biblical references should be documented in parentheses in the text. Papers should use gender-inclusive language about people and should conform to Turabian style. You are responsible to follow the ATS Writing Handbook. (See the link in the Blackboard course.) For due dates see the course outline. Online discussion. Each week a discussion question will be posted in the folder for that week. You will discuss the question as a class or in small groups, depending on the number of students in the class. The instructor will moderate the discussion and will sometimes contribute to it. You must post at least once in response to the discussion prompt, including a substantive question for further discussion, and you must also respond to at least one post by another student. See Discussion Posting Guidelines in the Course Resources folder for further information. Each week s discussion is worth 5 points. Your first post is due by Wednesday at 11:55 pm; failure to meet this deadline means a deduction of 3 points. Your first response is due by Friday at 11:55 pm; missing this deadline means a deduction of 2 points. The purpose of the assignment is to create a thoughtful theological conversation. Constructive disagreement is encouraged, but courtesy at all times is required. Any discourtesy will result in a deduction from your grade. Length: variable. Research paper on patristic writer. Choose one of the writers listed in the course schedule to study in depth, familiarizing yourself with both primary and secondary literature so that you can serve as a resource person for class discussion. Write a research paper exploring the writer s life, characteristic concerns, and contributions to the development of Christian thought. Support your discussion with the use of both primary sources and secondary sources (both articles and books). The paper must be typed and double-spaced, and must conform to Turabian style. Length: 6-8 pages. Due: when the writer appears in the course schedule.
3 Research paper on patristic theme. Select a particular theme and analyze it in the works of several patristic writers (at least three). Reflect on the theme in light of Scripture, discuss the significance of the theme in the development of theology, and draw any relevant applications for the life and thought of the church today. Use both primary sources and secondary sources (both articles and books). See the doctrinal index in Jurgens for help finding primary material on a theme. The paper must be typed and double-spaced, and must conform to Turabian style. Length: 8-10 pages. Due: last day of class. D. Calculation of Grade and Connection of Learning Outcomes Assignments Learning Outcomes Percent of Final Grade Online discussion 4a 45% Paper on writer 4b 20% Paper on theme 1, 4b, 6 35% IV. Course Schedule Week Date Topics Readings/Assignments 1 Aug. 28 - Sept. 3 Introduction Litfin, Timeline, Introduction Ramsey, chapter 1 2 Sept. 4-10 Apostolic Fathers Litfin, chapter 1 Ramsey, chapter 2 3 Sept. 11-17 Greek Apologists: Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch 4 Sept. 18-24 Irenaeus, Tertullian, Muratorian Fragment 5 Sept. 25 - Oct. 1 Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen 6 Oct. 2-8 Cyprian, Lactantius, Arius, Council of Nicea Jurgens, 1:1-42 (pages) Litfin, chapter 2 Ramsey, chapters 3, 11 Jurgens, 1:48-77 Litfin, chapter 3-4 Ramsey, chapter 9 Jurgens, 1:84-161 Litfin, chapters 5-6 Ramsey, chapter 12 Jurgens, 1:162-215 Ramsey, chapter 6 Jurgens, 1:216-241, 264-272, 275-289 7 Oct. 9-15 Athanasius Litfin, chapter 7 Ramsey, chapter 5 Jurgens, 1:320-346 8 Oct. 16-22 Eusebius, Ephraim the Syrian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Hilary of Poitiers, Council of Constantinople 9 Oct. 23-29 Basil the Great, Gregory of 10 Oct. 30 - Nov. 5 Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa Theodore of Mopsuestia, John Chrysostom On the Incarnation (www.ccel.org) Litfin, chapter 8 Jurgens, 1:290-299, 309-315, 347-389, 397-401 Ramsey, chapter 8 Jurgens, 2:3-59 Litfin, chapter 9 Ramsey, chapter 10 Jurgens, 2:77-127
4 11 Nov. 6-12 Ambrose, Jerome Ramsey, chapter 7 Jurgens, 2:145-214 12 Nov. 13-19 Augustine, Part 1 Litfin, chapter 10 Ramsey, chapter 4 Jurgens, 3:1-90 Nov. 20-26 Thanksgiving week no class 13 Nov. 27 - Augustine, Part 2, Pelagius, Litfin, chapter 12 Dec. 3 Caelestius, Julian of Eclanum 14 Dec. 4-10 Prosper of Aquitaine, John Cassian, Nestorius, Cyril of Alexandria, Council of Ephesus, Theodoret of Cyr, Vincent of Lerins, Leo the Great 15 Dec. 11-14 Pseudo-Dionysius, Gregory the Great, Isidore of Seville, John of Damascus Jurgens, 2:214-218, 3:90-178 Litfin, chapter 11 Jurgens, 3:188-249, 261-281 Litfin, Epilogue Jurgens, 3:300-302, 308-350 Paper on theme due. V. Recommendations for Lifelong Learning To develop a deeper understanding of the church fathers, start by reading the selections we did not read in the anthology. If you have not done so, read a survey of the development of theology during the period, such as Gonzalez, Pelikan, or Kelly. Select one of the fathers to study in more depth. Read the section on that father in Quasten s Patrology. Use the selections in our anthology to guide you to complete works by that father. Many works are available in the Ancient Christian Writers series (Paulist Press). The course bibliography will direct you to other useful resources. VI. Seminary Guidelines A. ATS Academic Integrity Policy Ashland Theological Seminary expects each student to uphold the Seminary s core value of academic excellence by contributing to an environment that is both challenging and supportive. In such an environment a student will neither seek nor offer improper assistance. All students have an obligation to be forthright in their academic endeavors and to respect ethical standards. The work that one submits for academic evaluation must be one s own, unless an instructor expressly permits certain types of collaboration. Academic integrity requires that each student will use one s own capabilities to achieve one s fullest potential and will neither offer nor accept aid that is not in keeping with regularly accepted standards of academic integrity. Failure to conform to this conduct shall constitute academic dishonesty. The full Academic Integrity Policy statement may be found in the Student Handbook. B. Seminary Writing Consultation Service The Seminary Writing Consultation Service can help you brainstorm, draft, and revise your writing assignments in your graduate Seminary classes. Masters-qualified Consultants can advise you online or in person. E-mail your request for assistance to swc_group@ashland.edu. Include the following information: your name, the course number and professor s name, a brief description of the assignment, and your timeline. For more information, visit: http://seminary.ashland.edu/services/student-services/seminary-writingconsultation-services.
C. Students with Disabilities It is Ashland University s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on a disability, please contact Disability Services at 419-289-5904, or send an email to dservices@ashland.edu. The Disability Services office and the course instructor will work together in order to establish accommodations, and to meet your learning needs. D. ATS Grading Scale Grade Percent Description A 97-100 Superior achievement of course objectives, diligence and originality, high degree of freedom from error, outstanding evidence of ability to utilize course knowledge, initiative expressed in preparing and completing assignments, positive contributions verbalized in class. A- 92-96 B+ 89-91 B 86-88 Good work submitted, commendable achievement of course objectives, some aspects of the course met with excellence, substantial evidence of ability to utilize course material, positive contributions verbalized in class, consistency and thoroughness of work completed. B- 83-85 C+ 80-82 C 77-79 Acceptable work completed, satisfactory achievement of course objectives, demonstrating at least some ability to utilize course knowledge, satisfactory class contribution. C- 74-76 D+ 71-73 D 68-70 Passing but minimal work, marginal achievement of course objectives, poor performance in comprehension of work submitted, inadequate class contributions. D- 65-67 F Below 65 Unacceptable work resulting in failure to receive class credit, inadequacy of work submitted or of performance and attendance in class. 5
6 VII. PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY Altaner, Berthold. Patrology. Trans. Hilda C. Graef. New York: Herder & Herder, 1960. Ancient Christian Writers Series. New York: Paulist Press, 1946-. Bercot, David, W., ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. Cross, F. L., ed. Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3 rd ed. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Douglas, J. D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974. Fathers of the Church Series. Universities of America Press. Ferguson, Everett, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. New York: Garland, 1990. Gonzalez, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought. 3 vols. Rev. ed. Nashville: Abingdon, 1970-1975.. The Story of Christianity. 2 vols. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984-1985. Hall, Christopher A. Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998.. Learning Theology with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Hall, Stuart G. Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992. Haman, Adalbert. How to Read the Church Fathers. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1993. Hinson, E. Glenn. The Church Triumphant: A History of Christianity up to 1300. Macon, GA: Mercer, 1995. Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrines. Rev. ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978. Martin, Ralph P. and Peter H. Davids, eds. Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997. Oden, Thomas C., gen. ed. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Olsen, Roger E. The Story of Christian Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition. 5 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971-1979. Quasten, Johannes. Patrology. 3 vols. Westminster, MD: Christian Classics 1950-1960. Ramsey, Boniface. Beginning to Read the Fathers. New York: Paulist Press, 1985. Roberts, Alexander, and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979. Robinson, James M., ed. The Nag Hammadi Library in English. 3 rd ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. Schaff, Philip and Henry Wace, eds. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. First and Second Series. 28 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974-1976. Staniforth, Maxwell, trans. Early Christian Writings. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Wiles, Maurice. The Christian Fathers. 2 nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.