Historical Theology

Restricted to Theology majors and minors.

THE 460 Christianity's First Thousand Years: Emergence and Growth, 100-1200

The course traces Christianity's meteoric development in the first millennium. It examines the break from Judaism, the formation of the Christian Bible, the age of martyrs, the theological golden period of the late Roman Empire, and the rise of the papacy and monasticism. Its tools are chronological tracking, historical vignettes, analysis of selected texts, and profiles of important figures.

3

Prerequisites

THE 101 or THE 105, THE 205

Cross Listed Courses

THE 360

THE 461 Christianity's Second Thousand Years: Challenge and Renewal, 1200-2000

The course traces Christianity's vigorous but fragmented growth in the second millennium. It studies the grandeur of the medieval cathedrals, the ideas of scholasticism and mysticism, the challenges of the Reformation, the rise of modernity, and the course of Christianity in America. Its tools are chronological tracking, historical vignettes, analysis of selected texts and profiles of important figures.

3

Prerequisites

THE 101 or THE 105, THE 205

Cross Listed Courses

THE 361

THE 463 Saint Augustine, Teacher of Christianity

Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) grounds the history of western theology, and still informs modern fields like psychology and linguistics. While situating him in Roman antiquity, the course studies his thought as an account of Christian faith seeking understanding. We will read in depth his classic, theologically profound conversion story, the Confessions, and study his thought on God, Scripture, and the grace of Christ.

3

Prerequisites

THE 101 or THE 105, THE 205

Cross Listed Courses

THE 363

THE 465 A Concise History of Christianty Through Twenty Centuries

The course traces Christianity's development, from its origins as an obscure Jewish sect, through acceptance and growth in the late Roman Empire and mature self-definition in the Middle Ages, to the challenges of fragmentation and renewal in the Reformation and the modern world. Its tools are chronological tracking, historical vignettes, analysis of selected texts, and profiles of important figures.

3

Prerequisites

THE 101 or THE 105, THE 205

Cross Listed Courses

THE 365