Asbury Theological Seminary

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1-1-2004

CH 501 Church History I

Meesaeng Lee Choi

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CH501XL Fall 2004 1
Syllabus

CHURCH HISTORY I (CH501XL)

Fall 2004 - 3 Credit Hours
Instructor: Meesaeng Lee Choi, Ph.D.
Email address: [email protected]
Office hours: Tuesdays 9:20-10:50 am (E.T.); Fridays 3:30-5 pm (E.T.); other times by arrangement
Phone: 859-858-2046 (office with voice mail)
Note: “The development of this extended learning syllabus is intended for distribution to members of the
course and others by my permission. It is not intended for general distribution on the Internet. Permission
to copy, in whole or in part, must be requested from the professor.”

Welcome to our great Christian heritage class, CH501XL (Church History I). I am looking forward to
joining with you in this new learning venture. We will have an opportunity to study the development of
the Christian church that Jesus Christ has built and the gates of Hades will not overcome (Matthew
16:18). We will examine the theological issues of the primary texts in their own historical contexts. The
story of the last two millennia that are full of examples of men and women can challenge, encourage, and
teach us. Our study of church history will provide an understanding of the present state of
Christianity/Christian Church and insights and wisdom for the future.
Preliminaries: This is my second time teaching this CH501 course online. Although I have taught the
same course several times on class setting, I still have much to learn about teaching and working in an
online environment. I would ask that you extend some grace to me as we learn to communicate and work
in this medium. Also, I will be looking forward to your comments on the class. Are the assignments and
discussions working? Are you having problems? Let me know.

OFFICE HOURS (Where do you find me?)

I will be keeping online office hours on Friday afternoons from about 3:30 pm to 5 pm Eastern Time.
During this time, I will be logged into the system, and I will be responding to all of your postings (in the
order in which they were received). I will also be checking on the class periodically throughout the week.
However, Thursday is my writing day, and I am not available to students on that day.
I will let you know if I am going to be away during my office hours. During this semester, there will be
three time conferences: September 29-October 6 (Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization,
Bangkok, Thailand), October 14-17 (Commission on Faith and Order, NCCCUSA, Pasadena, CA) and
November 19-23 (American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, TX). Please let me know if you will be
away for any extended periods as well. We can also arrange times to speak via telephone either during my
office hours or by special appointment. Just let me know if you would like to set that up. Note: If you
have an urgent matter, please flag your email with the word "Urgent" in the subject line.

ExL SUPPORT TEAM

ExL Contact Information:
For general questions regarding the ExL program, contact Dale Hale at
[email protected]
For technical support, contact Alex Miller or Jared Porter at [email protected]
For library research support, contact the Information Commons at
[email protected]
For library loans, contact Dot James at [email protected]

Obtaining Library Materials and Assistance

1. General Questions: [email protected], or Toll-free 1-866-454-2733
This is the best place to start when you have questions about library resources. Help is available
Monday-Thursday from 8am – 7pm and Friday and Saturday from 8am - 5:45pm. If the people at the
CH501XL Fall 2004 2
Syllabus

Information Commons desk cannot answer your questions, they will direct you to the person or
department who can.
2. Materials Requests: [email protected], or Toll-free 1-866-454-2733
ExL Students may request books, photocopies or email attachments of journal articles/reference
books from Asbury Seminary’s Library. Please allow 3-10 business days for all requests to be filled.
Contact the library loan office for information on costs and instructions on how to make requests.
ExL students are also encouraged to make use of local library resources. Students who live within
a 50 mile radius of either the Florida or the Wilmore campus should come to campus to obtain their
materials.
3. Research Questions: [email protected]
Or call the toll-free number and then Information Commons x2233.
ExL students are encouraged to contact Hannah Kirsch (x2189) for advanced research assistance
including help choosing a paper topic, determining the best sources to use for a paper, finding book
reviews, or research questions about using the online databases or any other library materials.
4. Online Databases:
To access the online library resources including the library catalog and full-text journal databases,
go to http://www.asburyseminary.edu/icommons/index.shtml and enter your 10-digit student ID# number
in the login box. Your student ID# is provided on the biographical information section of the student
registration webpage. Add a 2 and enough 0’s to the front to make a 10-digit number (20000XXXXX
where XXXXX = your student id). If you have questions, contact the Information Commons desk.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENT

If you send your work as an attachment, please use the following formula to name your attached file:
Your last name followed by PP for positional paper followed by the number, 1, 2, 3, etc., MQ for module
question, and FE for final exam. For example, if I were turning in my first positional paper using an
attachment I would call it ChoiPP#1 (For my first Module Question answer, ChoiMQ#1). Your assistance
in this way will help me keep all the papers that I get in order. Thanks.

CLASS STRUCTURE or Course Navigation (Windows and Icons)

The Course Center will contain a copy of the syllabus as well as all class modules.
The Discussion Center will be used for all public communications. Anytime you have a question or
comment about the course, the modules, the assignments, or anything else which would be of interest to
your classmates and me, you should post to the Discussion Center.
The CH501X-MC Office is for private correspondence between you and me. This will contain items that
you do not want to appear publicly before all of your classmates or items that you think may embarrass
me if they were to appear publicly.
The Archives Center will be used for storing conversations that have already taken place during the
course of the semester. This keeps the Discussion Center from becoming too unmanageable.
The Chat Center is intended primarily for real-time interaction among students. You can get together with
other members to study, ask questions, or to explore topics. None of the conversations carried on in this
location are ever saved.
The Resource Center provides access to a number of specific tools available to all ExL students. These
include access to the B.L. Fisher Library, the Services in Estes Chapel, ExL Updates, Guidelines for
Success, Helpful Hints, Interesting Links, a Powerpoint Viewer as well as a Real Audio player. I
encourage you to take advantage of all these resources, and particularly to utilize the chapel access in
order to connect with the seminary's on-campus opportunities for spiritual growth.
CH501XL Fall 2004 3
Syllabus

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the development of the Christianity from the Apostolic Period to the
dawn of the Reformation. Emphasis is placed upon the central historical movements, figures, and
theological issues of the period from the global perspective, with attention to their relevance for Christian
ministry today. Major primary texts and interpretive studies will be read and reflected.

LEARNING GOALS (Adopted from the Area of Church History, ATS)

A. General Learning Goals
1) To feel and appreciate the Christian Tradition so the student understands that our generation
lives on the growing edge of a vast Christian heritage.
2) To grasp the normative historical expressions of the church that defined its community and
mission. The historical traditions developed within the history of Christianity will be related to
the challenges to, and opportunities for, Christian ministry today.
3) To acquire basic factual knowledge of the persons, places, dates, events, and movements that
shaped the history of the Christian Church.
4) To comprehend the issues that motivated the Church to develop its beliefs, practices, and
structures and to grasp why, from time to time, the Church modified them.
5) To understand the development of Christian doctrine with respect to scripture and tradition and
to learn to discern between form and content.
6) To appreciate the importance of primary sources and the nature and effects of historical
interpretation.
7) To view the present in the light of the prior beliefs and actions of the Christian community.
8) To evaluate one’s Christian vocation in the light of the historical and theological currents of the
Christian tradition.
9) To gain insight into the nature and practice of Christian ministry.
10) To grasp the global aspects of Christian movement and acquire insight into the multi-ethnic
and cross-cultural nature of ministry.
11) To participate in the task of developing capable and effective Christian leadership for the
contemporary church, which will maintain its faithfulness to its vital heritage.
B. Specific Learning Goals
1) To identify the key historical periods of the pre-Reformation church.
2) To demonstrate an understanding of the major heresies that confronted the early Christian
community, especially in terms of their departure from scripture.
3) To grasp the importance of the early ecumenical councils.
4) To clarify the meaning of heresy, error, and schism with applications to Christian ministry
today.
5) To survey the essential components of early Christian music and worship in the light of their
relevance to the contemporary church.
6) To explain the developments in church polity, which gave, rise to the monarchical episcopacy
and ultimately the medieval ecclesiastical hierarchy.
7) To distinguish the Apostolic Fathers, the Apologists, and major Church Fathers in terms of their
key representatives and theological tasks.
8) To reflect critically on the issues of church and state relations during the early and medieval
centuries.
9) To articulate the monastic vision and its impact on Christianity.
10) To explore the interplay between church and culture as leading theologians developed their
theologies, with a view to current applications in Christian ministry, and also including an
examination of the rise of non-Western traditions of Christianity in their historical
development.
11) To gain a basic understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy.
12) To explain the nature of Islam and its challenge to Christianity.
CH501XL Fall 2004 4
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13) To acquire an understanding of the types of scholasticism.

14) To trace the evolution of the papacy.
15) To describe the late medieval movements of protest and understand the rise of the Renaissance
and Humanism that ran parallel to the waning of the Middle Ages.
16) To situate the Wesleyan tradition in the broader streams of Church History.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

All written work must be submitted on time. Late papers will be applied an automatic graduated
grade deduction and will receive no written comments. Inclusive languages are encouraged for
class discussions and required for all written work.
1. A Reading Report
An email reading report, which indicates that you have completed all of the required reading, is due on
Dec 10 (by midnight), the last day of the class, in the CH501 Office. Failure to read all of the
assignments will result in grade reduction. For example, if you leave out one hundred pages from the
Irvin and Sunquist text, then instead of receiving an “A-” you will receive a “B+.” If you leave out more
material, then the grade will fall even lower.
Additional Reading Sources are available on reserve in library.
Samuel Hugh Moffet, A History of Christianity in Asia, 216-71, 287-373 (Orbis, 1998)
Elizabeth Isichei, A History of Christianity in Africa, 13-44 (Eerdmans, 1995)
Bernard McGinn, The Growth of Mysticism, 149-57 (Crossroads, )

2. A Historical/Theological Autobiography (4%)

Write a one-page theological history (500 words, a personal inventory in the ecclesiological and/or
movement context), reflecting your own journey around Christian communities (traditions, churches,
mission organizations, para-church movements and so on). What might be one or two central theological
themes that have given you interests, questions, and challenges in your life, study, and ministry? You are
to post your autobiography in the discussion center by midnight, on Thursday, Sep 9.
3. Class Participation (36%)
Class participation and completion of the assigned tasks (readings) will count as 36% of your grade. I
pose a key question (or questions) in each module (3%). You should consider this query in light of your
readings and experience and attempt to respond to it in the Discussion Center on a weekly basis. I am
looking for theological reflection, the ability to think globally, and the capacity both to see the larger
picture of church history and to make appropriate connections. Be creative, feel free in your deliberations
and do have fun. A suitable response might be composed of a paragraph or two of about 200 words per
question. Try not to be too wordy. I look for quality of thought and reflection not quantity of words. You
must post your response by midnight on Fridays.
4. Five Positional Papers from Primary Source Reading for Team Discussions (24%)
You are required to read the assigned primary source text and prepare a one-page position paper on
each text for the class discussions (approximately 500 words, single spaced, with a standard 12-point
font like Times New Roman and one inch margins). The positional paper should focus on the
evidence, which the text provides for understanding ancient Christian beliefs, practices and attitudes.
First, send your papers to me and post them for team discussion (by midnight on the following
assigned Wednesdays: Sep 15, 29; Oct 13; Nov 17; Dec 1). Read the papers of other members of
your team, and make constructive comments in about 100 words and post your comments during the
same week. You will find the sources at CH501XL\CH501XL-MC\Primary Sources for Discussion.
Sep 15: Perpetua, “The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas” (Intra).
Sep 29: Athanasius, The Incarnation of the Word of God (Intra).
Oct 13: Benedict, The Rule of Benedict (Intra).
Nov 17: Anselm, Why God Became Human (Intra).
Dec 1: Thomas À Kempis, Imitation of Christ (Intra).
CH501XL Fall 2004 5
Syllabus

5. Final Exam (35%)

The Final Exam is to be answered in essay form. Detail guides will be given with exam questions. Due by
midnight on Dec 16.

LET’S DO THIS WAY

Inclusive language is encouraged for class discussions and required for all written work.

All written work must be turned in on time. Late papers will be marked down one full letter
grade unless you get permission for extension.

Papers are to be accompanied by footnotes/endnotes/in-text notes and bibliographies
appropriately (see Handout 3). If you have any questions about writing style, consult Kate L.
Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 6th ed. (Chicago,
1996).

GRADING
A letter grade will be given based on the grades of work done:
A (95-100), A- (90-94)
B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82)
C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72)
D (60-69), F (less than 60)
From the Seminary 2001-03 Catalog, 28:
A Exceptional work: surpassing or outstanding achievement of course objectives
B Good work: strong, significant achievement of course objectives
C Acceptable work: basic, essential achievement of course objectives
D Marginal work: inadequate, minimal achievement of course objectives
F Unacceptable work: failure to achieve course objectives

REQUIRED BOOKS

Dale T. Irvin and Scott W. Sunquist, History of the World Christian Movement, vol. 1: Earliest
Christianity to 1453 (Orbis Books, 2001)

Roger E. Olson, The Story of Christian Theology (InterVarsity Press, 1999)

Bart D. Ehrman, After the New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity (Oxford University
Press, 1999).

COLLATERAL

Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, vol. 1 (Harper San Francisco, 1984)

John D. Hannah, Charts of Ancient and Medieval Church History (Zondervan, 2001)

Bart D. Ehrman, Christianity in Late Antiquity 300-450 C.E. (Oxford University Press, 2004)

References
Henry Bettenson, ed., Documents of the Christian Church
E. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, eds., Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed.)
E. Ferguson, ed., Encyclopedia of Early Christianity
Trevor A. Hart, ed., The Dictionary of Historical Theology
Ken Parry and als, eds., The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity

The followings are the list of other general introductions to Church History from various
perspectives as well as History of Theology. Most of them are in libraries:
Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church
CH501XL Fall 2004 6
Syllabus

Adrian Hastings, ed., A World History of Christianity

Howard Kee and als, ed., Christianity: A Social and Cultural History
W. H. C. Frend, The Rise of Christianity (covers years to 600)
Henry Chadwick, The Early Church
Richard Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
Marcia L. Colish, Medieval Foundations of the Western Intellectual Tradition 400-1400
Steven Ozment, The Age of Reform 1250-1550
Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Samuel Moffet, A History of Christianity in Asia
J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrine
Jaroslav Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600); The Spirit of Eastern
Christendom (600-1700); The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300)
Angelo Di Berardino and Basil Studer, eds., History of Theology
Alister E. McGrath, Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought
(Blackwell Publishers, 1998)

Course Schedule (MODULE Listings) and Reading (Subject to modification.)

Remember that these are just outlines and the modules themselves will spell out the procedures in detail.

Module One (Sept 6 - Sept 12)

Introduction and Overview
The Emergence of Christian Movement
Judaism (Hellenism & Greco-Roman World)
Jesus Movement (The Jerusalem Church)
World Christian Movement (to the Gentiles): Unity and Diversity
Reading from: Irvin & Sunquist, 1-46; Olson, 13-23; The Book of Acts
Reading from Primary Sources: Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho,” Ehrman, 18-24

Module Two (Sept 13 - Sept 19)

Diversity and Unity in the Spread of the Christian Movement
In Syria and Mesopotamia
In Greece and Asia Minor
In Western Mediterranean
In Alexandria and Egypt
Mission to India
Early Christian Worship
Conflicts with the State and Culture (Greco-Roman/Pagan Culture)
Persecution and Martyrdom
The Question of the Lapsed and the Ecclesiology (Cyprian/Novatian)
Apostolic Fathers
Defense and Apology
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 47-97; Olson, 25-27, 40-67, 113-23
Reading from Primary Sources:
“The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve),” Ehrman, 385-87, 346-47, 323-25
Ignatius, “The Letter of Ignatius to the Romans,” Ehrman, 28-30
Ignatius, “The Martyrdom of Polycarp,” Ehrman, 30-35
Discussion 1: Perpetua, “The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas,” Intra or Ehrman, 42-50
CH501XL Fall 2004 7
Syllabus

Module Three (Sept 20 - Sept 26)

Challenges to Christianity and Christianity's Response
Gnosticism; Marcionism; Manichaeism
Development of Apology
Canon, Creed, and “Apostolic”
The Ancient Catholic Church and Its Teachers
Irenaeus of Lyons
Clement of Alexandria
Origen of Alexandria
Tertullian of Carthage
Hyppolytus
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 99-153; Olson, 28-39, 68-112, 124-35
Reading from Primary Sources:
“The Muratorian Canon,” Ehrman, 311-312
Hippolytus, “The Apostolic Tradition,” Ehrman, 353-56
Tertullian, “Apology,” Ehrman, 75-82, 349-52
Origen, “Against Celsus,” Ehrman, 82-93

Module Four (Sept 27 - Oct 3)

The Imperial Church
Constantine and Official Theology
The Donatist/Catholic controversy
The Trinitarian controversy and the Ancient Christian Orthodoxy
Arius and Arianism
The Council of Nicaea (325)
Athanasius and the Cappadocians
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 155-83; The Nicene Creed; Olson, 137-96
Discussion 2: Athanasius, The Incarnation of the Word of God (Intra).

Module Five (Oct 4 - Oct 10)

Chalcedon and Christology
The Alexandrian/Antiochene perspectives
The Council of Chalcedon
The Christian Movement in the East and in Africa
Syrio-Persian Church (East Syrian)
India
West Persian Church
Armenia
Egyptian and Ethiopian Churches
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 184-219; Olson, 197-249

Module Six (Oct 11 - Oct 17)

Rome and the Latin Church in the West
Marcellina and Ambrose of Milan
Jerome
Monica and Augustine of Hippo: Confessions; De Doctrina Christiana; Pelagius; The City of God
Patrick (Ireland) and Clovis (Franks)
CH501XL Fall 2004 8
Syllabus

Christian Monasticism as Renewed Spirituality

Early Monastic Movement (in Egypt)
Benedictine Monasticism (in the West): Benedict of Nursia (480-540)
Fall of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Christianity
Beginning of the Papacy
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 220-39; Olson, 251-77
Discussion 3: St. Benedict, The Rule of St. Benedict (Intra).

Module 7 (Oct 18 - Oct 24)

The Eastern Church
John Chrysostom
The Road to Eastern Orthodoxy
The Iconoclast Controversy
The Filioque Controversy
New Challenges and the Rise of Islam
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 240-88, 354-71; Olson, 290-310
Additional Reading: Moffet, A History of Christianity in Asia, vol. 1, 324-73 (on reserve)

Module 8 (Oct 25 – Oct 31)

Christian Movement in Africa, Spain, and Asia
Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia
Spain
India, Central Asia, and China
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 289-322
Additional Reading:
A History of Christianity in Africa, 13-44 (on reserve)
A History of Christianity in Asia, vol. 1, 216-71, 287-323 (on reserve)

Module 9 (Nov 1 – Nov 7)

The Making of Christendom in the West
Gregory the Great
Bede the Venerable
Imperial Restoration and the Carolingian Theology
John Scottus Eriugena
The Papacy and the Empire (Church and State)
Investiture Controversy
The Crusades and Christian Expansion
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 323-42, 372-405

Module 10 (Nov 8 – Nov 14)

Renewal or Reform Movements
Monastic Reform: Cluniac Monasticism, Cistercian Reform
Women Monasticism and Visionary Authority
Papal Reform
Spiritual Renewal (12th-13th century)
Peter Waldo and Waldensians
Apocalyptic Movement of Joachim of Fiore
Mendican Orders: Francis, Clare, Dominic
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Syllabus

The Beguines
Margaret Porette
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 343-53, 406-22
Additional Reading: Bernard McGinn, The Growth of Mysticism, 149-57 (on reserve)

Module 11 (Nov 15 – Nov 21)

Intellectual Renewal: Scholastic Theology and Universities
Forerunners: Anselm (11th C), Abelard (12th C)
Peter Lombard’s Sentences
Aristotle and the Averroists
Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas
Hildegard of Bingen
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 423-33, 435-39; Olson, 311-47
Discussion 4: St. Anselm, Why God Became Human (Intra).

Reading Week (Nov 22 – Nov 26): Happy Thanksgiving!

Module 12 (Nov 29 - Dec 5)

The Great Schism (The Age of Unrest)
The Schism between the East and the West (1054)
Eastern Orthodoxy in Byzantium
The Western Schism (1378-1417)
Catherine of Siena
The Age of Reform: The Papacy and the Collapse
Conciliar Movement
Mystical Alternative
Independent Movement: Hus, Wycliffe, Savonarola
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 390-94, 440-49, 476-91; Olson, 356-61
Discussion 5: *Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 27-89 (on reserve)

Module 13 (Dec 6 – Dec 12)

The Revival of Classical Learning
Renaissance
Humanism
Christian Expansion in Asia and Africa
Reading from Irvin & Sunquist, 433-35, 450-75, 492-504; Olson, 348-56, 361-67

Final Exam (by midnight, on Dec 16)