Courses

This course examines Christianity following the apostles, both in time and in message. We will consider evidence for the post-apostolic leaders’ determination to adhere to and pass on that message and the means they used to do so. This will lead to examination of how the structures of church government developed within Christianity and how the doctrinal controversies in Christian antiquity related to the apostolic message as it had been embraced and transmitted. (Students who already have facility in Greek will be able to use some primary sources with Greek and English on facing pages.)

Knowing

• to acquaint students with leading figures and main emphases in ancient Christianity
• to examine and evaluate the patristic claim to fidelity to apostolic teaching
• to help students appreciate the significance and importance of this period of the Church’s history

Being

• to stimulate an awareness of and appreciation for the early history of the Church
• to develop a sense of being rooted today in the apostolic message passed on in Christian antiquity

Doing

• to develop in each student an ability to assess documents from a historical perspective
• to help students acquire the ability to enter into and express in a historically responsible fashion the ways the church fathers expressed and defended the apostolic message