San Francisco Theological Seminary
Contact the Teaching Assistant: sehyukp@gmail.com
This course is an introduction to the history of Christianity from the second to the seventeenth centuries. During this time, Christianity developed the main features of what is today the world's largest religion, and it was transformed again and again, as it adapted to vastly different, changing cultural and social environments. Lectures will introduce students to these basic developments and their contexts. Readings from primary sources in translation will illustrate these histories. And students will study four classic theological texts of special importance in the history of western Christian traditions.
Learning Objectives (how they will be assessed in parentheses, while quotations are from the document "Habits and Skills of Theological Education at SFTS"): To gain basic knowledge of Christianity from the second century through the Reformation, and
1) To learn to study "classical" Christian theological texts and some undeservedly neglected ones in the context of "lived religion" (David Hall) in the Roman Empire, Central and East Asia, North Africa, and the Byzantine Empire from the second to the seventeenth centuries (discussion, examination essays or term papers, short paper)
2) To develop and demonstrate "critical awareness of the impact of social, political, economic, and cultural contexts on life and thought" as described in lectures and to apply this knowledge to the interpretation of theological literature as "evidence on which historical knowledge is founded," (discussion, multiple choice questions on midterm and examinations or term paper, short paper)
3) To recognize, analyze, and define "knowledge of, respect for, and intelligent use of the Church's manifold traditions," in particular, intellectual, political, ritual, and social contexts of Christian doctrines of the Trinity and Christology; the relations of Christianity to traditional Roman cults, Judaism, and Islam; and the wider cultural framework in which the Protestant Reformation occurred (multiple choice questions on midterm and final examinations or term papers)
4) To distinguish between Christianity's ideals and how it has actually existed in the world, for the sake of gaining "an ability to ground theology in practical reality" (all assignments)
As you can see, the emphasis of this course will be on the historical interpretation of theological literature, broadly conceived. Lectures will aim to contextualize the sources. Discussions will focus on the interpretation of primary sources.
To succeed in this class you must:
1. Attend all class sessions and participate in discussions! (10% of final grade)
2. Participate in one additional activity, as a reader, a member of reading group, or the plain chant group; or, for those taking the course on-line, participate in one of three point-counterpoint panels during a live web conference (10% of final grade)
3. Complete assigned readings for each class session (you will need to read 100-200 pages per week)
6. Complete a mid-term examination or a mid-term paper (40% of grade)
7. Complete a final examination or a final term paper (40% of grade).
Midterm and Final Examinations: The midterm and final examinations consist of multiple-choice questions and writing one essay.
Term Papers: Students may elect to submit a term paper in place of the midterm and final examinations. However, topics for term papers must be approved by the instructors. A brief prospectus must be submitted by the dates assigned in the class schedule (no late submissions will be accepted), and students must take into account the instructors' comments on them.
The prospectus must include:
1. the term paper title
2. a brief description of the problem to be studied (no more than 200 words)
3. a brief description of the primary sources to be used to solve this problem
4. a bibliography of about ten articles and books to be used, including the primary sources.
Extra Credit: Students may submit a critical review of one or more of the optional texts noted below (each is worth up to 10 % of final grade in extra credit).
Course Reading List
Anselm of Canterbury, The Major Works (Oxford World's Classics). Ed. Brian Davies, Gill Evans. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 192825259.
Benedetto, Robert, Rebecca Weaver, Christopher Ocker, and Carter Lindbeck, editors. The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Vol. 1. Louisville: John Knox Westminster, 2008. ISBN 978066422416
Bernard of Clairvaux. On Loving God. Commentary by Emero Stiegman. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1995. $9.95 ISBN 1449530931
Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995. ISBN 664241581.
2. Additional primary source readings will be available on-line through the class schedule.
3. Optional (for extra-credit book reviews).
Berend, Nora. At the Gate of Christendom: Jews, Muslims and 'Pagans' in Medieval Hungary, c. 1000-1300. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 521027209.
Brown, Peter. Augustine of Hippo. Second Edition. Berkeley: University of California, 2000. ISBN 0520227573
Bynum, Caroline Walker. Wonderful Blood: Theology and Practice in Late Medieval Northern Germany and Beyond. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007. ISBN 0812220196.
Dodds, Gregory. Exploiting Erasmus: The Erasmian Legacy and Religious Change in Early Modern England. University of Toronto Press, 2009. ISBN 9780802099006.
Gordon, Bruce. Calvin. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. ISBN 0300120761.
Lindgren, Erika Lauren, Sensual Encounters: Monastic Women and Spirituality in Medieval Germany. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008 (Open Source Gutenberg-e Book).