Week 1:
Lecture – Introduction to Church History
Discussion – Noll, Clean Sea Breezes
Discussion – Singer, Biblical View of History
Lecture – Old & New Test. Background
Readings
Discussion – Old & New Testament Background
Lecture – The Canon of Scripture
Readings
Lecture – The Roman Empire and the Context of the Early Church
Readings
Week 2:
Lecture – Apostles
Lecture – Apostolic Fathers
Readings
Discussion – The Apostles & Apostolic Fathers
Lecture – Persecution
Readings
Discussion – Persecution
Week 3:
Lecture – Second Cent. Apologists
Readings
Discussion – Justin & Biblical Theology
Lecture – Gnosticism
Readings
Discussion – Gnosticism
Lecture – Montanism
Discussion – Montanist
Week 4:
Lecture – Second Cent. Polity
Readings
Lecture – Second Cent. Worship
Lecture – A Second Cent. Worship Service
Readings
Four Discussions
Week 5:
Lecture – Clement
Discussion – Plato’s wisdom
Readings
Lecture – Origen
Discussion – Origen & Scripture
Readings
Lecture – Tertullian
Readings
Lecture – Cyprian
Discussion – Cyprian
Readings
Week 6: Midterm Exam
Week 7:
Lecture – Third Century Worship Service
Readings
Lecture – Baptism
Readings
Week 8:
Lecture – Hermeneutics & Preaching
Discussion – Allegorizing in Diodore
Discussion – Theodore & the Allegorizers
Week 9:
Lecture – Empires & Religion
Reading
Lecture – Final Wave of Persecution
Discussion – Lactantius & the Persecutors
Lecture – Constantine
Readings
Week 10:
Lecture – Arius
Reading
Lecture – Athanasius
Reading
Lecture – The Lives of the Cappadocians
Reading
Lecture – The Theology of the Cappadocians
Reading
Lecture – Chrysostom
Reading
Week 11:
Lecture – Ambrose
Reading
Lecture – Jerome
Lecture – The Growth of Hierarchy & Ceremony
Reading
Lecture – The Rise of Ritual & Ceremony in Worship
Reading
Week 12:
Lecture – Fourth & Fifth Cent. Controversies
Readings
Week 13:
Lecture – Biography
Discussion – Augustine, City of God
Readings
Lecture – Donatism
Lecture – Pelagianism
Discussion – Augustine’s Confessions
Bibliography on Augustine
Week 14: No further assignments
Week 15: Final exam