Aim
of the course:
- To
provide the student with a sense of the historical variety and
development of Christian doctrine;
- To
facilitate the understanding of the theological ideas within a
particular historical content;
- To
cultivate both historical and philosophical skills.
At
the end of the course, the student will:
- Have
an overview of the movement of theological ideas from the New
Testament to the 20th century;
- Have
a grasp of the link between theological ideas and historical
periods;
- And
have a good historical and philosophical sensitivity.
Content
of Course.
Session
1: An overview of the course.
Grappling with the Past.
Session
2: Moving from the Bible. (P/ chapters 1 & 2.)
Session
3: Patristic Period: part 1 – Gnosticism and the Apologists. (P/
chapters 4 & 5)
Session
4: Patristic Period: part 2 – Trinitarian and Christological
Controversy. (P/ chapter 6)
Session
5: Augustine (P/chapter 8)
Session
6: The Middle Ages. (P/chapters 9/10/11)
Session
7: Aquinas
Session
8: Luther and the Reformation (P/chapter 12/13)
Session
9: Calvin and the English Reformation. (P/chapter 14)
Session
10: The Enlightenment. Kant and Schlieremacher. (P/chapter 15)
Session
11: Theology in the United States (P/chapter 16)
Session
12: Modern Theology (P/chapters 17 & 18)
Session
13: Where to now?
Required
texts:
William
Placher, A History of Christian Theology. An Introduction
(P = reading required from Placher)
Henry
Bettenson and Chris Maunder, Documents of the Christian Church.
This will be used in the class.
Augustine,
Confessions, translated by Henry Chadwick. (Oxford World
Classics)
Course
pre-reading:
Anderson,
W. P & Diesslin, R. L. A Journey through Christian Theology
(Fortress 2000)
Select
Bibliography:
McGrath,
Alastair Historical Theology.
Chadwick,
Henry, The Early Church (Penguin 1967)
Chadwick,
Owen, The Reformation
(Penguin 1964)
Frend,
W. H. C. The Early Church (Fortress 1982)
Gonzalez,
Justo, A History of Christian Thought (Abingdon 1988)
Hodgson,
Peter C. & Robert H. King, Christian Theology.
An Introduction to its
Traditions and Tasks
(Fortress Press 1982)
Neville,
Robert, A Theology Primer
(SUNY)
Russell,
Jeffrey B. A History of Medieval Christianity
(Harlan Davidson 1968)
Assessment:
- (By
week five). Take
Augustine’s Confessions and (a) locate the text
historically, (b) describe the main themes of the text, and
(c) offer an analysis of his contemporary value for modern
theology.
- Write
a 15 page paper on a particular controversy, which can be
individually determined with the instructor.
