History of the Early Church

Prerequisites, corequisites or exclusions

Nil

Attendance Requirements

During the Semester, students must attend two scheduled tutorials live online, so long as time zone permits.

Academic Staff

Rev. Dr. Samuel Fanous BCommerce/Laws (USYD), MBBS (Notre Dame), MTh (UON),

Curriculum Objectives

This course unit is designed to provide students with an overview of the early centuries of Christian history. It will furthermore equip them with the critical tools necessary in order to understand historical phenomena and circumstances related to the early Church.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to: 1) demonstrate knowledge of significant events in the early Church in light of their social, cultural and religious context 2) account for contributions of leading figures in the early Church. 3) illustrate the capacity to interpret primary sources from this historical period. 4) exhibit the capacity to utilise the secondary sources relating to this period. demonstrate the importance to the Church‘s present mission of key events and personalities in the early Church from the available literary sources

Content

1. Studying the early Church in context; methodology and historiography 2. Religious, cultural and social backgrounds of the early Church 3. The relationship between the early Church and the Roman state; Jewish, pagan and Christian perceptions 4. Persecution and the phenomenon of martyrdom 5. Internal tensions within the early Church; orthodoxy and heresy 6. Aspects of an emerging Christian worldview 7. The ‘ triumph‘ of the Church: Constantine, Fathers, councils 8. The Church in a declining Empire

Unit Weekly Schedule