Course Description:

Nearly every major doctrine of the Church was established before the Reformation. In this course, learners discover how the Church's doctrine, faith, and practice developed from Pentecost to the time of the Protestant Reformation. The lectures focus on the cultural, political, and economic backgrounds of both the Patristic and Medieval periods of church history, and emphasize the contributions of key figures up to the Reformation. The course culminates with the Renaissance, which was the cultural context for Luther's Reformation. From Augustine to Wycliffe, students will see how God graciously used human people to accomplish divine purposes.

Course Objectives:

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Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Articulate the development of Christian doctrine, faith, and practice from Pentecost to the Reformation.
2. Reflect upon their significance for the church today.
3. Describe the process by which only certain documents came to be regarded as authoritative.
4. List the salient elements of early Christian worship.
5. Ponder the implications of "martyr faith" for his/her own life and ministry.

Course Texts:

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity, Volume One: Beginnings to
1500. Rev. ed. New York: Harper and Row, 1975.

Richardson, Cyril, ed. Early Christian Fathers. New Jersey: MacMillan Publishing,
1995.