Prof. Candida Moss 336 Malloy Hall
University of Notre Dame
The Rise of Christianity
THEO 13183-03
Course Description The importance of Christianity in the modern world could lead us to assume that the success of Christianity was inevitable, but Christianity began as a small, demanding religious movement, the leader of which was executed as a common criminal. It was one of a slew of ancient religious movements, led by a charismatic Messianic leader and promising rewards to its followers. This course examines the origins and rise of Christianity as we now know it and the process by which this obscure movement became a powerful world religion. We will look at the roots of Christianity within Judaism, the appeal of Christian missionaries, the socio-economic factors that led to the success of the missionary movement, the compilation of the Christian Bible, the role of martyrdom in the spread of Christianity, and the ways that orthodoxy Christianity came to triumph both over other religious movements and over other forms of Christianity. Course Goals:
Through this course students will demonstrate:
1. A critical understanding of the emergence of the Christian Bible within its historical context; 2. An understanding of principal theological ideas and doctrinal issues of Christianity (i.e., Trinity, Christology, Church, Good and Evil, Human Suffering) in their early historical development; 3. An awareness of the diverse forms of Christianity in antiquity and the process by which orthodox Christianity emerged
4. Greater facility in research, writing, and seminar discussion at the university level.
Course Requirements
1. Class Participation, Responses, and Quizzes. Active participation in the Synchronous component of class, written and recorded responses in the asynchronous components and completion of the quizzes and the validators all factor into your final grade. While for certain elements (quizzes) you’re being graded on retention of the assigned material and facts, for many parts of the class you’re being asked to make a reasoned well-argued case for a particular position. In those cases you’re being evaluated on how well you articulate your opinions and construct your argument. (40%) 2. Midterm (20%) 3. Final Examination (20 %) 4. Two Short Papers (20% total).
General Guidelines: Your papers should be 3-5pages double-spaced 12pt Times New Roman, and contain a clear thesis and title. Imagine you are writing for your classmates. You don’t need to introduce the characters and texts unless that information is important for your argument.
a. Assignment 1: Read 1 Corinthians (especially chapter 12-13) and compare it to Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrnaeans. Take a position on whether or not Ignatius is a good interpreter of Paul, an innovator, and whether his views on church order (bishops, organization, structures) are a positive development in the early Church. (Hint: In order to make your case you will need to explain how Ignatius makes his case) Due: Before Class Week 8
b. Assignment 2: Read the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas again closely. Making sure to use the text itself, write a paper about how you think ancient audiences saw her. Things to think about: her role as prophet/visionary, her behavior as a mother and a daughter, her gender, the religious convictions of the author of the text. Due: Before Class in Week 12.
Grading The following chart shows how final grades will be calculated.
% Grade
100-95 A 94-91 A-
90-87 B+
86-83 B
82-79 B-
78-75 C+
74-71 C
70-67 C-
66-60 D
0-59 F
Required Readings
The following are required:
NRSV Bible (The HarperCollins Bible is available at the bookstore but feel free to use other versions so long as they are the New Revised Standard Version)
Maxwell Staniforth, Early Christian Writings (Penguin, 1987)
Bart Ehrman and Andrew Jacobs, Christianity in late Antiquity, 300-450 CE: A Reader (Oxford, 2003)
Candida Moss, The Myth of Persecution (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2012).
All other readings will be available electronically on Sakai.
Academic Honesty
While I am sure this is an unnecessary reminder, you should remember the pledge you made upon entering the University of Notre Dame not to participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty. For details, I refer you to the Academic Code of Honor: http://www.nd.edu/~hnrcode/docs/handbook.htm
Schedule
If the name of a Biblical book is listed without chapter numbers this means that you should read the whole book (I know, shocker).
It’s in your best interests to complete all the readings before you start the asynchronous components of the class. This will help you when it comes to understanding the lectures and interacting with me and your fellow students. At a minimum you must complete the readings before the interactive class on Tuesday afternoons.
The Beginnings of the Jesus Movement
Week 1: Introduction: Historical Overview and Daily Life and Religious Practice at the time of Jesus
Reading: Paula Friedriksen, From Jesus to Christ, Chapters 2 and 5
Religion in the Roman World at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/religions.html Roma n Religion Gallery at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/roman_religion_gallery.shtml
Week 2: Jesus of Nazareth
Reading: The Gospel of Mark and selections from Josephus, Jewish War (online); Selections from Apollonius of Tyana, Life of Philostratus (online)
Week Three: The Jerusalem Community and The Apostles
Reading: Acts of the Apostles Galatians and 2 Corinthians (Bible)
Listen to: http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/category/podcasts/ Series 6: Voluntary Associations in the ancient world.
Week 4: Evangelization and Women
Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 and the Didache (Staniforth), 1 Timothy (Bible); excerpts from Torjesen, When Women Were Priests; Acts of Paul and (online)
Week 5: Christianity and Judaism
Reading: The Gospel According to the Ebionites, Letter of Peter to James, The Homilies of Clement (all Ehrman) Epistle of Barnabas (Staniforth); Justin Martyr: Dialogue with Trypho (all Ehrman)
Week 6. Marcion and Heresy 1
Readings Marcion’s Bible, “the Gospel of the Lord” (http://www.marcionite- scripture.info/Marcionite_Bible.htm) and Bart Ehrman, Lost Christianities (Oxford, 2003), 95-112 (online)
Excerpts from Justin Martyr, 1 Apology and Irenaeus, Against the Heretics (in Ehrman)
Week 7. The Gnostics and Church Order
Reading: The Secret Book of John; The Gospel of Truth; Ptolemy's Letter to Flora (all Ehrman) and David Brakke, The Gnostics (Harvard, 2012), 1-28 (online)
Reading: Ignatius, Letters to the Smyrnaeans and Romans (Staniforth)
Week 8: Becoming Christian
Reading: Hippolytus, The Apostolic Tradition (online)
Athenagoras, Plea Regarding the Christians; Tertullian, Apology (all Ehrman)
Week 9: Persecution and Martyrdom
Reading: Origen, Against Celsus and Moss, “Why Did the Romans Dislike the Christians?” in Myth of Persecution (online), Pliny’s Letter to Trajan and Trajan’s Reply and Moss “How Persecuted were the Early Christians?” in Myth of Persecution (online)
Week 10: Attitudes to Martyrdom and Philosophical Christians.
Reading: Martyrdom of Polycarp, Letter of the Churches of Lyon and Vienne (online) and Moss “The Martyr’s Heaven” in Other Christs (online) and “Myths about Martyrs” in Myth of Persecution (online)
Excerpts from Clement, The Educator, Origen, Commentaries on Genesis, Origen, On First Principles (in Ehrman)
Week 11: Charismatics, magical, non-Canonical Writing
Reading: Passion of Perpetua and Felicity and Trevett, Montanism: Gender, Authority, and the New Prophecy, 77-121 and 141-151 (online) Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Ehrman) and Gospel of Judas (Ehrman)
Marvin Meyer, Ancient Christian Magic, 27-59 (online) and Acts of Peter (online)
Week 12. The Great Persecution, the End of Persecution, the Rise of Constantine
Excerpts from Cyprian, On the Unity of the Catholic Church and Lactatius, The Deaths of the Persecutors (Ehrman and Jacobs) and Chadwick, Early Church, 116-24.
Excerpts from Eusebius, The Life of Constantine and Zosimus, The New History (in Ehrman and Jacobs)
Week 13. Establishing Orthodoxy 1
Reading: Arius, Thalia; Alexander of Alexandria, Letter to Alexander of Constantinople; Arius, Letter to Alexander of Alexandria; Creed and Canons of Nicaea and Constantinople (in Ehrman and Jacobs)
Reading: Nestorius, Letter to Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Alexandria, Third Letter to Nestorius, Canons of Ephesus, and Definition and Canons of Chalcedon (in Ehrman and Jacobs)
Week 14: Establishing Orthodoxy 2
Reading: Pachomius, excerpts from the “Rules”; Sayings of the Desert Fathers (in Ehrman and Jacobs) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT7TDxZ9NpY
The Muratorian Canon, Irenaeus, Against the Heresies, Eusebius, Church History and McDonald, The Formation of the Christian Bible (in Ehrman and Jacobs)