RELG 2100 - History of Early Christianity

Hours: 4
This course is a survey of the rise and expansion of Christianity from the beginning of the second century to the Reformation, and it details both the institutional and the intellectual history of the Christian Church during those centuries. Institutional history involves questions such as: When and how did the Papacy first appear? What events precipitated the Protestant Reformation? Intellectual history focuses on the important theological ideas one finds in early Christianity such as how did Christianity arrive at an explanation of the doctrine of Trinity? How did beliefs about the nature of salvation change across the centuries? The course balances these historical and theological issues with detailed examinations of the lives and thought of important Christian theologians. Students need not have any background in Christianity to do well in this course. The textbooks and the lectures all presume that the student has very little knowledge of Christianity. In addition to lectures, films and class discussions are used to present the course material.
Notes: This course may be used as a substitute for the INST Reflection and Responsibility requirement.

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RELG 2100 - History of Early Christianity