CH003-506 - Overview of Christianity through History A (pre 1550)

  • 1,392 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 6
    Credit Points
  • 0.0625 EFT 
  • 5
    AQF level
  • Category foundational unit
    A
  • church historyUnit Discipline

Exclusions

Prior to 2020, this unit content was delivered under the unit code CH341a. Unit exclusions: CH001-512, CH001-712, CH040-512

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

Demonstrate Foundational knowledge and understanding of an overview of the history of Christianity.

B. Be able to

1. Trace major events in the history of Christianity until 1550

2. Outline the contribution of some key people to the development of Christianity until 1550

3. Draw on selected primary and secondary sources to formulate historical viewpoints on the period until 1550

4. Present Organised evidence-based perspectives on the history of Christianity until 1550

C. Be in a position to

1. Relating perspectives from ‘Overview of Christianity through History A (pre-1550)’ to inform ministry contexts

Content

There are many ways that an overview unit of Christianity through History could be approached. The content below aims to provide lecturers with flexibility whilst retaining a structure consistent with the aims of the unit.

Students must study at least 9 of the topics below, including at least 3 from each section:

The Early Church

  • The spread of Christianity to 312
  • Persecution of the Church, the apologists and Constantine.
  • Theological threats to the Church: Gnosticism, Marcion and Arianism
  • Recognition of the Canon
  • Church and religious practices to 500AD.
  • Augustine.

Medieval Church

  • The conversion of Europe.
  • The battle of Church and State in the medieval period.
  • Islam and the Crusades.
  • The Church in the early Renaissance period.
  • Church and religious practices in the medieval period.

The Reformation on the Continent

  • Luther and the Reformation in Germany.
  • The Magisterial Reformation – Geneva and/or Zurich
  • The Anabaptist movements
  • Catholic Reformation

Set Readings

Standard:

Atherstone, Andrew. Reformation: A World in Turmoil. Oxford, UK.: Lion Hudson, 2015.

Birkett, Kirsten. The Essence of the Reformation. Third. Sydney: Matthias Media, 2017.

Cameron, Euan. The European Reformation. Second. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Coulton, Stuart. Hitting the Holy Road: A Guided Tour of Christian History from the Early Church to the Reformation. Nottingham: Inter-varsity Press, 2011.

Davidson, Ivor J. A Public Faith: From Constantine to the Medieval World, A.D. 312-600. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2005.

———. The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312. Vol. 1. The Monarch History of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2004.

Ferguson, Everett. Church History: Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context. Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan, 2005.

Hall, Stuart George. Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church. Second. Eugene, OR.: Wipf and Stock, 2011.

Heinze, Rudolph W. Reform and Conflict: From the Medieval World to the Wars of Religion, A.D. 1350-1648. Vol. 4. The Baker History of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2005.

Litfin, Bryan M. Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI.: Brazos Press, 2007.

Logan, F. Donald. A History of the Church in the Middle Ages. London: Routledge, 2002. 2002.

Lynch, Joseph H. Early Christianity: A Brief History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

———. The Medieval Church: A Brief History. London: Longman, 1992.

Nichols, Stephen J. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. Wheaton, IL.: Crossway Books, 2007.

Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Third. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 2012.

Olson, Roger E. The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform. Leicester: Apollos, 1999.

Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

Volz, Carl A. The Medieval Church: From the Dawn of the Middle Ages to the Eve of the Reformation. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997.

Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 1999.

Wilken, Robert Louis. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. New Haven, CT.: Yale, 2012.

Woodbridge, John, and Frank A. James III. Church History, Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context. Zondervan, 2013.