CH 2108 (HYB)

Class Link

Instructor: David Deane

Office: Zoom, Teams, or in person

Office hours: By appointment on Zoom or Teams or Thursdays 1:30-3:30 in person

Email: [email protected] and feel free to shoot me a message in Teams if you see the green light on.

Using this syllabus

This syllabus is a "live" document with interactive elements. You can click on various items for quick access. For instance, clicking "Class Link" above will connect you to our class . Likewise, clicking on the readings listed below will open PDF versions of the books. The "weekly schedule" section also features clickable links to to the relevant texts.

Course Description

This course offers an introduction to the core story of Christianity during its first 500 years. It examines history and doctrines. We examine it from an "outside" perspective by reading historical accounts of what occurred. We also examine it from an "inside" perspective as we explore early Christian thoughts on the nature of Christ, scriptural interpretation, the procession of the Triune God, and the response to this procession known as "the Church".

Course Objectives

This course aims to provide students with an overview of the historical and theological developments during the first 500 years of Christianity. While a comprehensive overview is beyond the scope of a single course, we will focus on three key aspects that will help ministers and scholars of Christian theology establish a solid foundation in the theology and history of this period. These aspects are:

  1. Early Christian growth: Studying Christianity's period of greatest expansion may be particularly relevant during its current decline.
  2. Early Christian theological culture: We'll examine how the early Church engaged with scripture and sacrament, as well as explore some of its more unusual aspects, such as the veneration of relics.
  3. The development of doctrine: While the first two aspects provide a general foundation using accessible texts, this final aspect delves deeper. Using a text aimed at advanced postgraduate students, we'll explore how theological debates functioned within the developing theological culture. We'll focus on how distinct theological perspectives intertwined in the debates surrounding the Council of Nicaea.

Course Outcomes

(1) Students will gain the ability to discuss the historical and social development of the Church in the patristic period from a scholarly perspective.

(2) Students will explore, critique, and be challenged by the distinctive patristic perspectives on God, the human person, salvation, knowledge, and theological methodology.