Early Church History

The aims of this module are to familiarize students with the historical and theological issues involved in the first four centuries of the church. To engage students with key doctrinal issues in church history (especially christological and pneumatological). To encourage students to reflect on the common heresies in the early church and their similarity to many controversies today. And to equip students to reflect on the impact of monasticism and mission in the early church. Students engage with the Moore College course material on Reformation Church History for 10 weeks and then engage in 2 weeks in independent study.

Syllabus

• Christianity under the Roman empire
• Jewish and Greek influence in teh early church
• The apostolic fathers and the emergence of Bishops
• Gnosticism and other first century heresies
• The formalization of the early church
• Early church creeds
• Persecution and martyrdom
• Concepts of the trinity and the Council of Nicaea
• The writings of Augustine and his contemporaries
• The roles of women in the early church
• The council of Chalcedon
• The rise of papacy, monasticism and missionaries

Other set texts include:

Bray, G. (1997) Creeds, Councils and Christ CFP

Chadwick, H. (1990) The Early Church Penguin

Frend, W. (2003) The Early Church SCM

Students are provided with all necessary set texts as part of their module study pack

Assessment

This module is assessed by an examination, an essay and a short exegesis paper