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. (elective; 2 hours. Prerequisites: CH231/631 and CH241/641).

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 chief Reformers of the sixteenth century. Attention will be given to distinguishing the views of the various authors. (elective; 2 hours. Prerequisites: CH351/651).

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).

An historical consideration of the Christian creeds from the apostles to the present. Particular attention will be given to the early ecumenical creeds and the confessions of the Reformation. The effects of these creeds on church and society will also be considered. (2 hours.* Prerequisites: CH231/631, CH351/651. The student may elect to take CC311/711 and CC312/712 in place of this course).