This unit connects the ancient past to the present through the study of everyday practice, evolving beliefs, and compelling characters in the church. We will read text, art and artifact from the period 100-500CE and consider how and why historical interpretation of these sources has changed over time. We will explore the past with contemporary themes in mind, including: hospitality, conflict, community, authority, belonging, suffering, incarnation, and being a Christian in the world. Finally, we ask how the stories we tell about the past impact the present.
Unit code: CH8001S
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational
Unit discipline: Church History
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Stirling College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Identify significant dates, people and themes in the Early Church’s theology and practice |
| 2. | Apply key principles of historical interpretation to a diverse range of primary sources |
| 3. | Articulate an understanding of how an aspect of theology or practice developed within the Early Church |
| 4. | Demonstrate understanding of the role of interpretation in understanding the past |
| 5. | Discuss the implications of historical understanding for Christian identity |
Prohibited combinations: Foundational / first level Early Church History units
Lecture, tutorial, workshop, online resource provision
Burrus, Virginia, ed. Late Ancient Christianity: A People’s History of Christianity Vol. 2. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2005.
Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2017.
Guy, Laurie. Introducing Early Christianity: A Topical Survey of its Life, Belief and Practices. Downers Grove IL: IVP, 2004.
Humphries, Mark. Early Christianity. London: Routledge, 2006.
Jensen, Robin Margaret. Understanding Early Christian Art. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Lossl, Josef. The Early Church: History and Memory. London: T&T Clark, 2010.
Miles, Margaret. The Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005.
Osiek, Carolyn, Margaret MacDonald and Janet Tulloch. A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.
Williams, Rowan. Why Study the Past? London: DLT, 2014.
Young, Frances. The Making of the Creeds. London: SCM Press, 2002.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document Study | Written analysis of a primary source from the early church period |
1000 | 20.0 |
| Annotated Bibliography | Essay that explores perspectives in the secondary sources pertaining to an issue in the history of the early church |
1500 | 25.0 |
| Multi-media project | A creative project using more than one medium or material that is presented to the class and which demonstrates knowledge of an aspect of early church practice or belief and an awareness of historical interpretation |
1000 | 20.0 |
| Essay | Essay articulating an understanding of the uses of history of and by the early church |
2500 | 35.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 21 Sep, 2021
Unit record last updated: 2021-09-21 19:17:41 +1000