Church History

A study of the ancient church from the birth of Christ through the accession of Pope Gregory I (AD 590). Emphasis will be given to the development of doctrine, worship, ecclesiology, and the growth of the papacy. (2 hours).

A study of the doctrinal and organizational development of the church in the Middle Ages. The effects of scholasticism and the sacerdotal theology on European church and society will be considered. (2 hours).

A seminar in primary source materials from the first century through the middle ages. (2 hours; elective. Prerequisites: CH 111 and CH 121).

A study of the sixteenth-century Reformation, focusing on the pre-Reformers, the relationship between the Renaissance and the Reformation, the work of the Reformers (specifically Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and Knox), and the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation. (2 hours).

A seminar in primary source materials from the chief Reformers of the sixteenth century. Attention will be given to distinguishing the views of the various authors. (2 hours; elective. Prerequisite: CH 211).

A study of doctrinal developments since the Reformation. Attention will be given to changes within Lutheranism, Calvinism, Evangelicalism and Romanism. An examination of modern theological liberalism will be included. (2 hours).

A study of the issues of American Protestantism. Topics will include New England Puritanism, Edwards and the New Divinity, the impact of the Civil War and slavery on the development of the American church, Princeton and the Southern Presbyterians, Darwinism and the Social Gospel. (2 hours).