Resources

A 2004 course by Jim Watts at Syracuse University traces "the history and literature of Second Temple Judaism by focusing on two key features: the Jerusalem Temple in history and in religious imagination, and the reinterpretation of Jewish tradition in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It will conclude by considering the developing role of scripture in religious thought and literature, to set the stage for interpreting the emergence of rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity."

A course by James Kitts at the University of Washington on the "organizational dynamics of new religious movements" with attention to their origins, "recruitment, conversion, and charisma."

A 2010 course by Cliff Kirkpatrick and Amy Plantinga Pauw at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary that examines "recent theologies coming from Latin America, Asia, and Africa."

A 1998 course by Nicola Denzey at Bowdoin College examines "some of these different "Jesuses" which emerge from the "Quest for Jesus" through the ages, including several interpretations of Jesus in historical studies, and several interpretations of Jesus from art and literature."

A 2007 course by Wayne Rollins at Hartford Seminary explores "the portraits of Jesus in the major New Testament writings, the non-canonical gospels of recent Da Vinci Code fame, and in the history of the church and the arts from the first to the twenty-first century, concluding with contemporary Christologies in the writings of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, in film, and in the newer psychological approaches of John Miller and Don Capps . . . ."

A 2011 course by Amy Plantinga Pauw and Sean Hayden at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary acquaints students "with central themes and issues in contemporary Christology, including Christology written from Global South perspectives."

A course by Michael Foat at Reed College looks at the origins of Christianity.

A 1998 course by Timothy Gregory at Ohio State University "covers the history of the Byzantine Empire from the end of Iconoclasm (843) to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks (1453)."

A 2001 course by Ann Matter at the University of Pennsylvania "introduces students to the major intellectual issues of Christianity from the period of the formulation of orthodox theology (the third to the fifth centuries), through the early medieval era, to the dawn of scholastic theology around the year 1000. . . . several aspects of social and political history will also be considered, for example, the growth of ascetic movements and the monastic ideal, relationship between Christianity and the Roman Empire, and the role of women in Christian history."

A 2017 course by Jim Papandrea at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary "is a survey of the history of the Christian church, including its doctrines and practices, from the beginning into the middle ages . . . with special emphasis on the first five centuries."