Seminar in Church
History:
BHIS 449
Fall 2007
TR 1:00-2:15 MCIN 162
Instructor: Dr. K. Stanglin
Office phone: 279-4620
Email: kstanglin@harding.edu
Websites: www.harding.edu/kstanglin
and www.facebook.com
Office hours: MCIN 209, 8:00-9:00, 11:00-12:00 (M-F)
I want you to do well in this course, so please let me know if you are
having difficulty with the class material.
Office phone, hours, and email should suffice for class business. Please don’t call me at home unless there is
an emergency.
Course Description:
This course is a study of the Ante-Nicene church, with
special attention to primary readings from and modern historiography of the
second-century church.
Core Values:
Because we love God, we love the church he created and
redeemed. Because we love his church, we
take its history seriously.
Course Objectives:
In light of the university’s mission and objectives, the
student who successfully completes this course will be able to:
1. Identify and describe significant movements, figures,
documents, and ideas in the second-century church.
2. Identify particular historical figures, events, and
theological trajectories that affect the church today.
3. Discuss and critically engage recent trends and
debates in the scholarly historiography of the early church.
4. Skillfully analyze primary and secondary sources and
present such analyses orally.
5. Challenge and rectify popular misconceptions about early
church history.
6. Understand, evaluate, and address current issues of
faith and practice in the church from an informed historical perspective.
7. Understand and appreciate the identity of today’s
church in continuity with its past.
Course Textbooks:
Required
Texts
Ehrman, Bart D. After
the New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity.
Guy, Laurie. Introducing
Early Christianity: A Topical Survey of Its Life, Beliefs, and Practices.
Bring these two books to each class meeting. A Bible will also be helpful for many
lectures.
Recommended
for Background
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. In the event of illness, family emergency, a
school-sponsored activity, or an extenuating circumstance, it is the
responsibility of the student to notify the instructor as soon as possible of
the reason for the absence. A doctor’s
note or Pipeline record is required for excusing personal illness. Print a hard copy for my records. N.B.: Excuses will not be accepted after
“dead week.”
According
to the policies stated in the student handbook (p. 9), the equivalent of one
week of unexcused absences (2) is allowed in this class. Each
additional absence above 2 automatically reduces your final grade by three
percentage points.
You will be considered tardy if you are not present when
the roll is checked or if you leave during class. 3 tardies = 1 unexcused absence.
Students with Disabilities:
It is
the policy for
Academic Honesty:
Classroom Expectations and
Decorum:
I expect all students to behave in a Christian manner in
and out of the classroom. Appropriate
behavior includes abiding by the conduct and dress codes set by the
university. Turn off all cell
phones. Do not eat food in the
classroom. Only drinks in spill-proof
containers are allowed in class. If
you make a mess, it is your responsibility to clean it up or pay for it to be
cleaned.
Class will be dismissed when I finish.
Course
Requirements:1
Do not use secondary research
to write the paper, unless you want to learn about the author and the
document’s occasion. Treat these papers
similar to short exegeses. Do not
include judgments about a writer’s orthodoxy, unless it is addressed in the
document and done in comparison with his contemporaries. Be an objective historian. Evaluation criteria: Careful reading and
insight. (Grade of 9-10 = superior
performance. 6-8 = average to good. 1-5 = you misinterpreted or missed a major
point.) Late papers will not be accepted.
(If you are sick, have a friend turn it in.)
In all sets of primary
readings, be attuned to the fundamental issues at stake in the early church,
and how each author addresses them.
These issues will be addressed in the first week of the course.
1) You
may examine a particular thinker, idea, or event of the Ante-Nicene era. Or…
2) You
may discuss the impact of the Ante-Nicene church on a particular area of life,
church, art, family, worship, or confessions and catechisms, etc. You may trace the influence of a particular
thinker, event, or doctrine. I want to
know how the early church impacted a particular area of life of interest to
you.
Additional guidelines:
a. 8-10 pages (Times New Roman, double-spaced, not
including bibliography).
b. Not optional.
A course grade of “F” will be assigned to anyone not turning in a paper.
c. Use Turabian style footnotes and proper, academic
English style.
d. Read the handouts in my syllabus on writing
papers. Assessment criteria will include
such things as: clearly stated purpose, logical organization, faultless style,
evidence of research, and interaction with sources.
e. No less than 11 sources are to be used. These sources should include relevant
surveys, special monographs, and at least three peer-reviewed journal
articles. In addition, at least two
sources should be primary documents. Do
not cite sources in the bibliography unless they are used in the paper.
f. Your paper topic must be turned in to me by Sept.
27.
g. Papers are due at the beginning of class on Nov.
13. A penalty
of 10% each class period will be assessed to late papers. Papers will not be accepted after Nov. 29.
h. In addition to the hard copy, you must also submit the
paper electronically before the deadline.
Go to www.turnitin.com. The class ID is 1950223, and the password is anchurch. Click “submit” and follow the
instructions. Papers not submitted
through this website will not be accepted.
Grading
Scale:
Total points: 430.
90-100% = A
80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 0-59 = F
Although
it is your responsibility to keep up with your grades and absences, I will
periodically post them on my website.
Check your grades with your last name and password (H number).
Course Schedule:
Date,
topics, and assigned readings
Wk. 1
T 8/21 Introduction
R 8/23
Guy 1.
Christopher A. Hall, “What Evangelicals and Liberals Can
Learn from the Church Fathers,” Journal
of the Evangelical Theological Society (2006). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3817/is_200603/ai_n17175350/print
C. S. Lewis, “Introduction,” in Athanasius On the Incarnation. http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm
Wk. 2
T 8/28 Apostolic Fathers
Guy 2.
R 8/30
1 Clement, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-roberts.html
Shepherd of Hermas, Visions
and Commandments (not Similitudes),
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd.html
Didache, in Ehrman, 70, 61, 56
*Paper 1: Describe the thought and worship of the early Christians
to whom the Didache was addressed. In a
brief final paragraph, mention what struck you most about this work and why.
Wk. 3
T 9/4 Life in the Empire and Ethics
in the Church
Guy 6
R 9/6
E 1-3, 71-72
Clement of
*Paper 2: What are the various evangelistic techniques of the early
church? What are the outstanding
characteristics of early Christian ethics?
Wk. 4
T 9/11 NO CLASS – Bible Majors’ Retreat
R 9/13 Persecution and Martyrdom
Guy 3
E 4-8
*Paper 3: How did suffering and martyrdom seem to shape early
Christians’ understanding of their religion?
Wk. 5
T 9/18 Second-Century Apologists
E 9-14
*Paper 4: What
were the accusations against Christians?
Describe and illustrate Justin’s apologetic strategies.
R 9/20 Exam 1
Wk. 6
T 9/25 Orthodoxy, Heresy, and
Bauer
Rowan Williams, “Does It Make Sense to Speak of
Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy?” 1-23. [on
reserve]
R 9/27 Gnosticism
B. Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism, 7-24.
[on reserve]
Research Paper Topic Due
Wk. 7
T 10/2 NO
CLASS – Reading Break
R 10/4
E
19-24, 26-30, 35-36
*Paper 5: What are some prominent Jewish-Christian themes? Compare and contrast Gnostic texts with
“orthodoxy.”
Wk. 8
T 10/9 Marcionism and Montanism (33)
Guy 7
R 10/11
E 33
*Paper 6: What are the two objections to the flesh of Christ, and
how does Tertullian respond?
Wk. 9
T 10/16 Oral Tradition: Canon of Faith and
Creeds
Eric Osborn, “Reason and the Rule of Faith in the Second
Century AD,” 40-61. [on reserve]
R 10/18
E 31-32, 34, 73
*Paper 7: Irenaeus argues that Scripture must be interpreted
according to the Rule of Faith/Truth, transmitted by apostolic tradition. Do you agree?
Why or why not? What are the
implications for “anti-creedal” fellowships such as the
Wk.
10
T 10/23 Theology of Irenaeus
R 10/25 Exam
2
Wk.
11
T 10/30 Written Tradition: Canon of
Scripture
Bruce M. Metzger, The
Canon of the New Testament, 251-66.
[on reserve]
Annotated Bibliography Due
R 11/1
E 37-54
*Paper 8: What do you observe about each apocryphal genre—gospels,
acts, epistles, apocalypses? What strikes
you as noteworthy in the canonical lists?
Wk.
12
T 11/6 Research Paper Presentation
R 11/8 Biblical Interpretation (OT, NT)
Karlfried Froehlich, Biblical
Interpretation in the Early Church, 1-29.
[on reserve]
E 15-18, 25, 67-69. Also read Origen in Ehrman, pp. 423-29.
*Paper 9: List all the principles of interpretation you can find in
Origen’s writings, whether he states them explicitly or only implies/assumes
them (provide references). With which
principles do you agree?
Wk.
13
T 11/13 Research
Paper Due
Old Catholic Theology
Guy 10
E 74-76
*Paper 10: How do these authors “flesh out” the rule of faith?
R 11/15 In Class Video
THANKSGIVING
BREAK
Wk.
14
T 11/27 Ministry and Church Structure (57-60)
Guy 4
R 11/29
E 57-60
*Paper 11: To what extent are the descriptions of ministry still
accurate today? To what extent are the
authority and goals of the episcopate/priesthood biblical?
Wk.
15
T 12/4 Worship
Guy 8-9
R 12/6
E 62-66
*Paper 12: What is striking to you about Hippolytus’ description of
baptism? Why? Could any church practices described in these
early documents be profitably adopted by the church today?
Final: Friday, December 14, 10:30-12:30
Historical-Theological-Pedagogical
Counsels for Students
Herbert
Butterfield
“Real historical understanding is not achieved by the
subordination of the past to the present, but rather by our making the past our
present and attempting to see life with the eyes of another century than our
own.”
“If we turn our present into an absolute to which all
other generations are merely relative, we are in any case losing the truer
vision of ourselves which history is able to give; we fail to realize those
things in which we too are merely relative, and we lose a chance of discovering
where, in the stream of the centuries, we ourselves, and our ideas and
prejudices, stand. In other words we
fail to see how we ourselves are, in our turn, not quite autonomous or
unconditioned, but a part of the great historical process; not pioneers merely,
but also passengers in the movement of things.”
(The Whig Interpretation of
History, 16, 63)
A.
Grillmeier
“We do not understand the present condition of our faith
in Christ unless we have taken the measure of this faith as it was in the past.”
(Christ in
Christian Tradition, Volume One, xxiii)
Etienne
Gilson
“It takes much more cleverness to understand a philosophy
than to refute it.”
G. K.
Chesterton
“Tradition is only democracy extended through time…an
extension of the franchise. Tradition
means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead.”
Benjamin B. Warfield
“You
cannot build up a religious life except you begin by performing your simple,
daily duties….You must faithfully give yourselves to your studies, if you wish
to be religious men. No religious
character can be built up on the foundation of neglected duty.”
(The Religious Life of the Theological
Student)
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
“Becoming
a real student of God and of creation—becoming alert, respectful, and honest in
your studies—is an act of flagrant intellectual obedience because it is an act
of flagrant intellectual love….Love the Lord your God with all your mind.”
(“Intellectual
Love,” Convocation Sermon, Calvin Theological Seminary, 1996)
Paul
“Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”
(Col. 3:23).
“I have learned the secret of being content in any and
every situation….I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil.
4:12-13).
Seminar in Church History – Ante-
Select Bibliography
compiled by Dr. K. Stanglin
I. Primary Source
Collections
Ante-Nicene
Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325.
Corpus
Christianorum: Series Apocryphorum. Turnhout: Typographi Brepols, 1983–.
Corpus
Christianorum: Series Graeca. Turnhout: Typographi Brepols, 1977–.
Corpus
Christianorum: Series
Corpus
scriptorium ecclesiasticorum latinorum.
Meyer,
Marvin W., ed. The Nag Hammadi
Scriptures: The International Edition.
Migne, J.-P., ed. Patrologia Graeca. 161 vols.
. Patrologia Latina. 221 vols.
Robinson, James, ed. Nag Hammadi Library in English.
Sources
Chrétiennes: Textes, Traductions, Introductions et Notes.
Sparks, Jack, ed. The
Apostolic Fathers.
II. Secondary
Sources
A.
General Surveys and Methodology
Bradley, James E., and Richard A. Muller. Church History: An Introduction to Research,
Reference Works, and Methods.
Harnack, Adolf von. History
of Dogma. 7 vols. in 4. Trans. Neil Buchanan.
Lane, Anthony N. S. A
Concise History of Christian Thought. Rev. ed.
Noll, Mark. Turning
Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity.
Pelikan, Jaroslav. The
Christian Tradition. 5 vols.
Placher, William C. A
History of Christian Theology: An Introduction.
Schaff, Philip. The
Creeds of Christendom, 3 vols. Available at www.ccel.org
. History of the Christian Church. 8 vols.
3rd ed., rev.
Seeberg, Reinhold. Textbook
of the History of Doctrines. 2 vols. in 1.
Walker, Williston, et al. A History of the Christian Church. 4th ed.
B.
Achtemeier, Paul J. The
Quest for Unity in the New
Bauer, Walter. Orthodoxy
and Heresy in Earliest Christianity.
Bock, Darrell L. The
Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth behind Alternative Christianities.
Brown, Raymond E. The
Churches the Apostles Left Behind.
Crouzel, Henri. Origen.
Trans. A. S. Worrall.
Donovan, Mary Ann. One
Right
Dunn, James D. G., ed. Jews and Christians: The Parting of the Ways, A.D. 70 to 135.
. Recent Studies in Early Christianity: A
Collection of Scholarly Essays. 6 vols.
. Studies in Early Christianity. 18 vols.
Frend, W. H. C. The
Early Church. 3rd ed.
. The Rise of Christianity.
Froelich, Karlfried, ed. Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church. Sources of Early
Christian Thought.
Grant, Robert M. Augustus
to
. Gods and the One God.
. Greek Apologists of the Second Century.
. Heresy and Criticism: The Search for
Authenticity in Early Christian Literature.
. Irenaeus of
Green, Michael. Evangelism
in the Early Church. Rev. ed.
Greer, Rowan A. Broken
Lights and Mended Lives: Theology and Common Life in the Early Church.
Grillmeier, A. Christ
in Christian Tradition, Volume One: From the Apostolic Age to
Hinson, E. Glenn. The
Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages.
Horsley, Richard A. Christian
Origins. A People’s History of Christianity, vol. 1.
Jefford, Clayton N. The
Apostolic Fathers: An Essential Guide.
Kelly, J. N. D. Early
Christian Creeds.
. Early Christian Doctrines. Rev. ed.
King, Karen L. What
Is Gnosticism?
Logan, Alastair H. B. The
Gnostics: Identifying an Early Christian Cult.
McGiffert, A. C. A
History of Christian Thought, Volume 1: Early and Eastern, from Jesus to John
of
Meeks, Wayne A. The
First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul.
Metzger, Bruce M. The
Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance.
Norris, Richard A. God
and World in Early Christian Theology.
Pearson, Birger A. Ancient
Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature.
Pétrement, Simone. A
Separate God: The Christian Origins of Gnosticism. Trans. Carol Harrison.
Quasten, Johannes. Patrology.
4 vols.
Robinson, Thomas A. The
Bauer Thesis Examined: The Geography of Heresy in the Early Christian Church.
Rudolph, Kurt. Gnosis:
The Nature and History of Gnosticism. Trans. Robert McLachlan Wilson.
C. Peer-reviewed Journals on the
Church History
Journal of Early Christian Studies
Journal of Ecclesiastical History
The Second Century: A Journal of Early
Christian Studies
Vigiliae Christianae: A Review of Early
Christian Life and Language
D. Websites
www.ccel.org Christian
Classics Ethereal Library. A collection
of primary sources.
www.earlychristianwritings.com NT, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church
Fathers.
www.earlychurch.org.uk An internet resource for studying the
early church.
www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-history.html Guide to early church documents.
www.ntgateway.com/patristi.htm Early church and patristics links.
www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/result_browse.aspx?topic=664&pid=650