Early and Medieval Church History (CH1202L)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit enables students to gain knowledge and understanding of the church’s historical development in theology, structure, worship, and mission from Pentecost through to the late medieval period (AD 1400) and in particular focusing on: the basic data of Christian history in respect to the church’s geographical growth in the Greco-Roman world, in the East and in Europe; the work of several outstanding bearers of Christian mission; important teachers of the church in their contexts and their distinctive contribution to theology; major theological issues the church grappled with in the early and medieval period; the significance of this history for the present situation of the church.

Unit code: CH1202L

Unit status: Archived (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1

Unit discipline: Church History

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Australian Lutheran College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Show awareness of the fundamental skills and approaches used in the study of church history
2.

Outline the basic data of Christian history in respect to the church’s growth and development in the early and medieval period
3.

Identify and use selected primary texts, and secondary material relevant to their study
4.

Demonstrate the basic knowledge and skills needed for theological reflection on the data of church history

Pedagogy

Lectures with class participation Media segments with discussion Seminar sessions based on readings Class presentations led by students

Indicative Bibliography

  • Coakley, John W. and Andrea Sterk, eds. 2004. Readings in world Christian history. Vol. 1: Earliest Christianity to 1453. Maryknoll: Orbis. (recommended for purchase)
  • Wilken, Robert Louis. 2012. The first thousand years: a global history of Christianity. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. (recommended for purchase)
  • Brown, Peter. 2013. The rise of western Christendom: triumph and diversity, AD 200–1000. Revised edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Chadwick, Henry. 1993. The early church. Revised edition. Penguin History of the Church. London: Penguin.
  • Comby, Jean, and Diarmaid MacCulloch. 1986. How to read church history. Vol. 1: From the beginning to the fifteenth century. London: SCM.
  • Gonzalez, Justo. 2010. The story of Christianity. Vol. 1: The early church to the dawn of the Reformation. Revised edition. New York: HarperOne.
  • Hinson, E. Glenn. 1996. The early church: origins to the dawn of the Middle Ages. Nashville, TN: Abingdon.
  • McGrath, Alister. 2013. Christian history: an introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Neill, Stephen. 1991. A history of Christian missions. 2nd edition. London: Penguin.
  • Stevenson, James, ed. 1987. A new Eusebius: documents illustrating the history of the church to AD 337. Revised edition, edited by W. Frend. London: SPCK.
  • Volz, Carl A. 1997. The medieval church: from the dawn of the Middle Ages to the eve of the Reformation. Nashville, TN: Abingdon.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

1,500 word essay

 0 40.0
Written Examination

30 minute examination 1000 words equivalent

 0 15.0
Written Examination

30 minute examination 1000 words equivalent

 0 15.0
Essay

Research essay on a topic chosen from a list of ‘starters’. In consultation with the lecturer, the topic is shaped so that the student defends a thesis and includes a reflection on the present situation of the church 2000 words

 0 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:51 +1000