H7110/H8510 History of the Early Church
This unit provides an overview and general understanding of the early centuries of Christian history. It investigates the early Church in context: methodology and historiography; religious, cultural and social backgrounds of the early Church; the relationship between the early Church and the Roman state; Jewish, pagan and Christian perceptions; persecution and the phenomenon of martyrdom; internal tensions within the early Church: orthodoxy and heresy; aspects of an emerging Christian worldview; the ‘triumph of the Church’: Constantine, the Fathers, the Councils, and the Church in a declining Empire.
| Study Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Discipline | Humanities in the Christian Tradition |
| Sub Discipline | Church History |
| Credit Points | 9 |
| Prerequisites | Nil |
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of significant events in the early Church in light of their social, cultural and religious context
- account for contributions of leading figures in the early Church.
- illustrate the capacity to interpret primary sources from this historical period.
- 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