UMS : Unit: CH1020P

Content

This unit explores dangerous and creative memories within the Christian community from the second century until the 1400s, noting that history is always in dialogue with the contemporary world. It equips you with skills, approaches and new perspectives to tell nuanced and interesting stories. Using historical case studies that still resonate today, we will explore how and why some assumptions about the church and people of faith proved widely popular, while other Christian histories have been forgotten, neglected or distorted. We will focus in particular on disagreement and divergence of opinion in order to understand the impact of particular kinds of source material and how historical tradition can serve particular purposes. We will explore how memories of people and events have been shaped and show how new work drawing on different sources and asking new questions can enrich, enliven and challenge understandings of the past. Within a timeline that covers the Early Church and Middle Ages, we will explore key events and ideas that shape and re-shape the church's memory and identity.

Unit code: CH1020P

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1

Unit discipline: Church History

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.	Outline a chronology of key events in the history of the Christian community from the Jesus movement to the present;
2.	Analyse the reasons for differing interpretations or neglect of issues in the history of the Christian community;
3.	Articulate key principles of interpretation of a range of historical evidence (including varieties of documents, artefacts, music and art);
4.	Demonstrate the ability to interpret a range of historical sources;
5.	Discuss the implications of historical understanding for ministry in the contemporary Christian church.

Unit sequence

An introductory unit in CH (also available as AH) providing a methodological foundation and introduction to content areas to inform later units.

Pedagogy

guided seminar reading and discussion, lecture input, student research and reflection on source material

Indicative Bibliography

Doerfler, Maria. Church and Empire. Fortress, 2016.
Glancy, Jennifer. Corporal Knowledge: Early Christian Bodies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Jenkins, Philip. Jesus Wars. London: SPCK, 2010.
Lieu, Samuel N. C., & Glen Thompson, eds. The Church of the East in Central Asia and China. Brepols, 2021.
Lössl, Josef. The Early Church: History and Memory. T&T Clark, 2010.
Miles, Margaret. Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought. Hoboken: Wiley, 2013.
Parks, Sara, Shayna Sheinfeld, & Meredith J. C Warren. Jewish and Christian Women in the Ancient Mediterranean. Routledge, 2022.
Rubin, Miri, ed. Medieval Christianity in Practice. Princeton University Press, 2009.
Stark, Rodney. God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades. New York: Harper One, 2009.
Taylor, Joan E., & Ilaria Ramelli, eds. Patterns of Women's Leadership in Early Christianity. Oxford University Press, 2021.

Assessment

Type	Description	Word count	Weight (%)
Document Study	Study of a historical source relating to a key controversy, forgotten question or new interpretation in the history of the Christian community	750	20.0
Intertextual Study	Intertextual study comparing literature relating to a key controversy, forgotten question or new interpretation in the history of the Christian community.	750	20.0
Essay	Essay demonstrating an understanding of reasons for change over time in interpretation of a key controversy, forgotten question or new area in history of the Christian community	1500	50.0
Interview	Respond to questions and discussion on the significance of a key controversy, forgotten question or new interpretation in the history of the Christian community	500	10.0

Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 10 Jul, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-07-10 14:58:40 +1000