Christian Belief and Thought RELS 1202 NA / CAST 1202 NA Fall 2008 Peter G. Ahr, Ph.D.   Course Requirements Scope and Purpose of the Course Class Schedule and Assignments Resources Class meets Tuesdays 5:45-8:15 p.m. in Fahy Hall, Room 101. November 11, 2008 version; check regularly for revisions

Cologne Cathedral

Sep 9	Introduction to the course: the roots of the Christian tradition in the Hebrew Bible Christianity is, first of all, a tradition (or perhaps better, a stream of traditions); we all encounter it at a particular point in the history of those traditions, and any look at the Christianity of a particular time and place is a look at a point in that history.  The history is a definite one, and by all accounts it begins with the collection of literature that Jesus and his contemporaries took as the word of God.  In this first class we will be giving an overview of that literature and its place in the development of the Christian tradition, and a quick overview of the tradition itself. The first class will also cover the course requirements and other matters dealt with in this syllabus. Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, Introduction
Sep 16	God, the Covenant and the Hebrew tradition The Exodus The stories of the ancestors The covenant Stories of the beginnings David, Solomon and the Temple The Prophets The Exile Second Temple Judaism   Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapters 1 through 5 The Bible:   Genesis and Exodus	Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam Sistine Chapel
Sep 23	Jesus and the Gospels Jesus The Gospel traditions The Synoptic question  (On the synoptic question, click here for an excellent analysis of this entire question) Writing Assignment Email to me (ahrpeter@shu.edu) three questions about the history of Christianity to which you'd like to know the answer.  We can decide which one will be an appropriate research question for you to do a paper of 5-8 pages on.  Do this as soon as possible so you can get working on your research.  An outline of your paper is due to me by October 14; and the paper itself is due no later than December 2. Note that the Resources on this syllabus can provide you with a number of valuable sources that will help you with your research project, although your final paper must reference both print and online sources.     Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 6 The Gospels of Luke and John	Sandro Botticelli, The Adoration of the Magi Florence: Uffizi
Sep 30	Christian beginnings: first preachers Paul and the first witnesses Early Christian churches Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 7 The Bible: The Acts of the Apostles, Paul's Letter to the Romans Letter of Pliny to Trajan on the Christians The Gospel of Thomas	The Tomb of Jesus, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Oct 7	Early Christianity Christianity and pagan culture Persecution Theological questions From persecuted sect to state religion   Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 8 The Didache Tertullian on pagan learning Origen on classical learning   Other reading: Letter of Ignatius of Antioch to the Romans Pagan charges of ritual cannibalism The Martyrdom of Polycarp The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity	Jesus as the Good Shepherd Rome, 3rd century
Oct 14	The Imperial Church Church councils Theology as response to philosophical inquiry Monasticism   Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapters 9 and 10 The Creed of the Council of Nicaea The Rule of St. Benedict Other reading: Eusebius on the conversion of Constantine The Edict of Milan Athanasius' Life of Anthony the First Hermit   Term paper outline due in class tonight	Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna
Oct 21
	Byzantine Christianity The sacred emperor The patriarchate Byzantine monasticism Devotion to the Virgin Mary Icons Byzantine mysticism Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 11 Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom Procopius on Justinian's Church of the Holy Wisdom (the Hagia Sophia) John of Damascus' Defense of the Icons The Martyrdom of Boris and Gleb Readings on Hesychiasm Quotations from the Philokalia Review for the Midterm Exam	Justinian and his court.  Mosaic, San Vitale, Ravenna
Oct 28	Midterm Exam on the preceding material The identification list and the essay questions for the midterm are available under "Course Documents" in Blackboard.  You will identify in a short paragraph for each, five items you choose from a list of ten taken from the posted list.  You will also answer in an extended essay one of the three essay questions posted on that list.  The exam will begin at 5:45, and will conclude by 7:15.  The remainder of the class time will be devoted to the topic of Islam. The rise of Islam Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 12	Alhambra, Granada, Spain
Nov 4	Latin Christianity in the Early Middle Ages Develpment of theology Conversion of the Germanic tribes Monasteries and bishops The Church in the developing feudal order Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 13 The Conversion of Augustine Vincent of Lerins' "canon" Pope Leo I and Attila Pope Gregory I's Life of St. Benedict	Pulpit, Aachen Cathedral
Nov 11	Latin Christianity in the High Middle Ages Monasteries and religious orders Cathedral building Devotion to the Virgin Mary Eucharistic Devotion Pilgrimage and Crusade Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapters 14 and 15 Description of the Abbey of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux' Apology, excerpt Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God The Murder of Thomas a Becket Joinville's Life of Louis IX The Testament of St. Francis of Assisi Thomas Aquinas on the Existence of God The Fourth Lateran Council's Decree against heresy Miracle Tales of the Virgin Tales of Confession	Sainte Chapelle, Paris
Nov 18	Reformations in the Western Churches Early reforms: Francis and others Late medieval devotional life: clergy and laity The late medieval papacy The question of justification The role of the church The churches and the rising national states Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I English Puritanism Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapters 16 and 17 Luther's Ninety-five Theses Luther's Preface to Romans The Heidelberg Catechism The Thirty-Nine Articles An Elizabethan Sermon on Salvation	Isenheim Altarpiece, Mattias Gruenewald
Nov 25	Roman Catholic Christianity  St. Peter's Basilica The Council of Trent The Jesuit order Baroque Catholicism Devotions   Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 20 The Creed of Pius IV (1564) The Council of Trent on Original Sin The Council of Trent on the Sacraments From the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola Poems of John of the Cross	Burial of the Count of Orgaz, El Greco Toledo, Church of Santo Tomé
Dec 2	European Christianity in the 18th and 19th centuries The French Revolution and its aftermath Development of Christian missions beyond the Americas Religion as expression of national identity Christianity and colonialism Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 21   Term paper due at tonight's class	Virgin of Guadelupe, Mexico D.F.
Dec 9	American Christianity Puritans and Cavaliers Established churches and the First Amendment Roman Catholic immigration The First Vatican Council Reading before class: The Christian Theological Tradition, chapter 23       Review for Final Examination	St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City
Dec 16	Final Examination The final examination will be in class, during the regularly scheduled class period.

Scope and Purpose of the Course

This course is intended to provide you with an understanding of the variety of ways in which Christian people have lived their faith in God.  We will begin with a study of the basic stories and themes in the Hebrew Bible, which formed the religious consciousness of Jesus and the early Christians, and have served ever since as part of the authoritative sources of Christian tradition.  We will then look at the evidence of the first generations of Christians: their recollection of the person and meaning of Jesus of Nazareth, and the ways in which they preserved his story in the New Testament and other early Christian writings.  We will then look at the early Christian churches in the Roman empire, to see the variety of ways in which they understood and lived out their faith in Jesus: the issues which confronted them, and the ways in which they dealt with these issues.

The sudden recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire brought to the fore the variety of understandings of the meaning of Christian belief.  The Roman imperial system from Constantine forward looked to a unified Christian church as a fundamental unifying force in the crumbling empire; we will look at the ways in which the variety of Christian understandings came in conflict with the imperial need for a unitary church.

We will look particularly at two basic forms of Christianity which developed out of this imperial synthesis: the Byzantine church, Greek-speaking and centered in the imperial capital of Constantinople; and the Latin church of the western Mediterranean and north-west Europe.  We will look both at the "high" theology of these churches, and at the popular forms of religious belief and practice as they developed over the centuries.

As European civilization developed in the middle years of this millennium, a variety of movements led to the development of a number of very different forms of Christianity over the course of the sixteenth century.  Out of these movements developed the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches we recognize today, each with its distinctive forms of belief and practice, and each with its own sense of fidelity to the ancient Christian tradition.

In the last weeks of the course, we will examine the impact of the European contact with the non-European world on the development of the Christian tradition, with particular attention to the religious history of the United States.

Obviously, an introductory course of this scope can not cover all that might be said or known about this enormously rich topic; all we will be able to do is examine some representative movements, texts, objects and other evidence of the rich diversity of Christian belief and practice over the past two millennia.  At the same time, however, this understanding of the development of Christianity as a religious tradition should help you understand something more of your own religious background, and give you some of the tools to refine your sense of religion well beyond the few weeks of this course.  If you are not of a Christian background, this course should give you a sense of who these curious "Christians" are.
 
 

Course Requirements:

The text for this course is The Christian Theological Tradition, by Catherine Cory and David Landry, published in second edition by Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-130-99167-8.  It is available in the University Bookstore.  Each class during the semester will cover topics discussed in the textbook; you are expected to have read the assigned chapters of the textbook before the class in which the chapters are to be discussed, since the class time will be devoted to discussing the matters raised in these chapters.

The other book you will need for this course is the Bible.  Any 20th-century translation of the Bible is acceptable; I personally prefer the Revised Standard Version for its fidelity to the linguistic structure of the original texts.  Certain books of the Bible are included in the course reading, as noted above.

In addition, many classes will also be discussing other materials available on the Web, especially primary source text and visual materials.  Links to these materials are in the syllabus; you are also expected to have studied these materials before the class in which they will be discussed.  Links are visible as lines of blue text in the syllabus.

Grading Criteria:

• In order to make sure that you come to class prepared for discussion, you are to write a paragraph of your reaction to the reading for the class in your Blog in the Blackboard version of this course, before the class begins..  The blog entries will count for 20% of your final grade.
• You will also be required to prepare a paper of some 5-8 pages on a topic related to the course.  This paper will count for 15% of your grade. 
• Your class participation will count for another 15% of your final grade.
• There will be a midterm examination, worth 20% of the final grade, given on the assigned date.
• There will also be a cumulative final examination, worth 30% of the final grade, given on the assigned examination date.  The final examination will be based on the in-class review done the previous week.
   
   

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Resources:

In addition to the textbook and the materials referenced in the syllabus, you may find additional material of interest in the following locations:

Internet Resources for the Study of Judaism and Christianity

Prof. Mahlon Smith's Virtual Religion Index: a very comprehensive set of links to materials on the history of Christianity and of other religions
The New Jerusalem Mosaic (website)
The Ecole Initiative, a Hypertext Encyclopedia of Early Church History on the World Wide Web
The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook (website with hundreds of links to ancient documents)
The Internet Jewish History Sourcebook (website with hundreds of Jewish documents)
The Christian Catacombs of Rome (website)
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (website)
List of Popes from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia (somewhat dated, but still useful)
Byzantine Sources in Translation (index of available texts, with links)
Byzantine Studies on the Internet (website with hundreds of texts)
Orthodox Resources from the University of Athens
The Internet Islamic History Sourcebook (website with hundreds of Islamic documents)
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook (website with links to hundreds of medieval texts)
An excellent website (in German) on the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
The Modern History Sourcebook (website with links to hundreds of texts on modern history)
 
 
 
 

Image at top of page: The Cathedral of Cologne, in Germany.  Its soaring height (over 140 feet from floor to top of ceiling vaults) and brilliant illumination (10,000 square meters of glass) testify to the aspirations and public place of Christianity in its time and place.