History of Christian Thought I -- Calendar

Religion 241: History of Christian Thought I
Calendar of Readings & Subjects

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Diversity and Conflict

I. Beginnings

Sept. 9-11 (W-F)

Topics:: The "Jesus Movement" and its place in the Judaism of the day; Who's in charge? The Disciples & Family of Jesus; What's Central: Jesus' Teaching or his Death?; Paul and the Mission to the Greco-Roman World; Relations between Jewish and "Hellenist" Christians
Readings on the Beginnings of Christianity from the New Testament:: Vol. I: Gospel According to Mark (NT); Vol. 2: Luke's 2nd Volume: The Acts of the Apostles (NT); Paul the Apostle, Epistles 1-2 to the Corinthians (NT); Paul's epistle to the Galatians (NT)

II. Oriental Regional Traditions: Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor

Sept. 14 (M)

Palestine & Syria: the Foundation of the Catholic Apostolic Church

Topics:: Encratism ("self control"): the first ascetics and hermits; Apostolic tradition: centralized & authoritative doctrine; The "Imitatio Christi"
Readings:: The Martyrdom of James (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. Bk 2, ch. 23, §5); The Didache

Sept. 16-18
(W-F)

Topics:: Transcendent Father God & Immanent Mother Spirit; Free will and human perfection; The divine Christ who couldn't have suffered (Docetism); The opposition of the Bishops (Controlling spiritualists and putting women in their place)
Readings:: The Odes of Solomon, nos. 3-4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 18, 19, 39 (Charlesworth); John, Epistles 1-3 (NT); Ignatius of Antioch, Epistles to the Trallians and to the Smyrnaeans; Ps. Paul, First Epistle to Timothy (NT)

Sept. 21-25 (M-F)

Asia Minor: Prophetism, millenarism and induced "out-of-body" experience

Topics:: "Phrygian Ecstasy" (Montanism); What to do about prophetesses?
Readings:: Paul's letters to the Corinthians, Galatians (NT, review); The Revelation of John (NT); Montanus and his followers, fragments of lost writings related to Montanism (Grant, Second Century Christianity, pp. 63, 65-82, 94-108

IV. The Kingdom of God and the Roman Empire

Sept. 28 (M)

The State and the Divine Order of Creation

Topics:: Imperial and ecclesiastical political order; The Stoic cosmology and the Jewish-Christian views of the natural world
Readings:: Clement of Rome, To the Corinthians

Sept 30 - Oct 2 (W-F)

The Roman Empire: Apologetic & Christian Witness. (In class video)

Topics:: Philosophy (Stoicism and Platonism) Christianized; A Philosopher's view of the Devil; The "Word" (Logos) of God" in Christian Platonism
Readings:: The Epistle "To Diognetus"; Justin Martyr, The First Apology; Minucius Felix (in-class video dramatization)

Oct. 5-9
(M-F)

The Roman Empire: two centuries of Martyrdom and Persecution.

Oct. 5 (M)	Introduction: survey of the history of persecution (in-class video)
Oct. 7 (W)	Topics: Martyrdom as political resistance in the early Roman Empire Group control through martyrdom in the early Church (D. W. Riddle theory) Martyrdom as an individualistic route to personal salvation Readings: Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., Books IV-V,5. Pliny the Younger, Epistles, Bk. 5, ch. 10, nos. 96-7 (Radice) The Martyrdom of Polycarp (Richardson, pp. 149-58 The Martyrdom of Justin Tacitus, Annals (handout; in class video dramatization) Optional Readings: IV Maccabees, chs. 4-12: Martyrdom of the Jewish high priest Eleazar and a mother and her seven sons (Charles, Pseudepigrapha, pp 670-78 or other edition)
Oct 9 (F)	Women and martyrdom in the early church Topics: Was there a distinctively women's way of understanding finding meaning in martyrdom? Readings: The Martyrdom of Perpetua (Musurillo, The Acts of the Christian Martyrs, pp. xxiv-xxv, 107-131; in class video dramatization). The Martyrdom of Crispina (Musurillo, The Acts of the Christian Martyrs, pp. xliv, 304-309.

V. Internal Conflict

Oct 12-14 (M-W)	Irenaeus of Lyons and the Gnostic Challenge to Catholic Apostolic Tradition in the West Topics: Marcion Gnostic mythology Gnostic inspiration and the problem of authority The "Rule of Faith" Readings: The Gospel of Truth and The Apocryphon of John (Robinson, pp. 37-49, 98-116) Irenaeus, bp. of Lyons, The Refutation and Overthrow of the Knowledge (Gnosis) Falsely So Called (Bettenson, pp. 12-13, 65-102) Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., Book V,6-13.
Oct 16, 19 (F-M)	The Ascetical Gnostic Challenge to Catholic Apostolic Tradition in the East Topics: Syrian Ascetical Traditions & Gnosticism Sexual continence and female power Syrian Gnosticism as a female counterculture (the apostle: counterculture hero or villain?) The concept of the "redeemed redeemer" Readings: The Acts of Thomas, Acts 9-10 (Schneemelcher, pp. 486-512) The Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca and The Hymn of the Pearl Optional Reading: Stephan Davies, The Revolt of the Widows (reserve)
Oct 20-25	Fall Recess
Oct 26-28 (M-W)	Introduction to the School of Alexandria: Clement of Alexandria & Origen Topics: Allegorizing the scriptures Christian Platonism and human deification Readings: Selections, Bettenson, pp. 16-18, 168-84 Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., Bk. 6, chs.; 1-32
Oct. 30 - Nov 2 (F-M)	Task Group Projects: Prepare arguments inquisition of Origen to be held on Oct 21 Topics: Biblical interpretation as the foundation of theology Presuppositions of Origen's Biblical interpretation Origenism and the theory of "Apokatastasis" Readings: Origen, On First Principles, chs. 3-4 (Greer, pp. 189-216; focus on chs. 1-4) Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., Bk. 6, chs.; 1-32 (review) Chadwick, ch. 6 (for reference & orientation)
Nov. 4-6 (W-F)	The Bates Inquisition of 1993: Origen on trial as a heretic

Self Definition & Dominance

VI.The Third Century Persecutions and the Triumph of the Church in the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great

Nov. 9-11 (M-W)

Constructing a sociohistorical theory about the Great Persecution

Topics:: (Nov. 9) Video: From Christ to Constantine, the trial and testimony of the early church, Part V.
Readings:: Diocletian, Edicts against the Christians; The Account of the Scillitan Martyrs Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. bks. 9 (complete) and 10 (chs. 5-end); Eusebius, The Conversion of Constantine; The Edicts of Toleration, 311/313
Nov. 11 (W) The Arian Controversy, the Council of Nicea, and the Nicene Creed
Topics:: Conflicting views of free will & human progress toward perfection; Conflict over the nature of Christ & his role in salvation
Readings:: The Nicene Creed; Athanasius, selections (Bettenson 24-27, 274-99); the letters of Arius and Eusebius, and the "Confession of the Arians" (Hardy, pp. 329-40); Chadwick, chapters 8-9

The Beginnings of Medieval Christianity

VII. The Construction of a Holy World: Monasticism and Pilgrimage

Topics:: introspection, guilt, transcendence
Readings:: Augustine, The Confessions; paper topics on Augustine's confessions (one professor's suggestions)

Nov. 16-18 (M-W)	The transformation of the martyr mentality after the persecutions Topics: The ascetic imagination: the world as the arena of struggle against demons and the inward contemplation of God Readings: Athanasius, The Life of St. Antony Chadwick, ch. 12
Nov. 20 (F)	Topics: The ascetic imagination and the Desert Fathers martyrdom transformed: death as an ideal of human perfection Readings: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (selections)
Nov. 22-29	Thanksgiving Recess Thanksgiving Recess Reading: Augustine, The Confessions
Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 (M-W)	St. Augustine and the introspective conscience of the West or . . . What happens when the classical intellectual mindset and the medieval ascetical imagination meet
Dec. 4 (F)	Mount Athos: Concepts of holy land and human deification in Medieval Eastern Orthodoxy (slide lecture)
Dec. 7 - 11	Reading Week

Communications may be addressed by e-mail to
Robert W. Allison
Associate Prof. of Religion and
Chair of Classical & Medieval Studies

http://www.bates.edu/Faculty/Philosophy%20and%20Religion/rel_241/241_calendar.html

Religion 241: History of Christian Thought I Calendar of Readings & Subjects