The Story of Christianity (Part 1)

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

Undergraduate

1. outline key aspects of the Christian story from early to late-medieval times;
2. identify some of the social, political, and cultural factors influencing the development of Christianity;
3. demonstrate basic skills in interpreting historical documents; and
4. assess the significance of selected movements and personalities for the church’s history; and
5. Level 2: describe the contribution of the study of church history to the development of Christian identity.

Postgraduate

1. outline key aspects of the Christian story from early to medieval times;
2. identify some of the social, political and cultural factors influencing the development of Christianity;
3. demonstrate basic skills in interpreting historical documents;
4. assess the significance of selected movements and personalities for the church’s history;
5. describe the contribution of the study of church history to the development of Christian identity; and
6. critically evaluate historical evidence and the construction of historical accounts.

Undergraduate

Level 1:

• One document study (1,000 words) (20%)
• One half-hour written test (20%)
• Five 100-word forum posts or equivalent (one 15-minute oral exam) (20%)
• One essay (1,500 words) (40%)

Level 2:

• One document study (1,000 words) (25%)
• Five 200-word forum posts (25%)
• One essay (2,000 words) (50%)

Postgraduate

• One document study (1,000 words) (15%)
• One tutorial paper (1,500 words) (20%)
• Five forum posts (total 1,500 words) (15%)
• One essay (3,000 words) (50%)

Set texts recommended for purchase are highlighted in blue

• Brox, Norbert. A History of the Early Church. London: SCM, 1994.
• Chadwick, Owen. A History of Christianity. New York: Thomas Dunne, 1995.
• Comby, Jean. How to Read Church History, Volume 1. London: SCM, 1985.
• Frank, Isnard W. A History of the Medieval Church. London: SCM, 1995.
• Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume 1. New York: HarperOne, 2010.
• Guy, Laurie. Introducing Early Christianity. Downers Grove: IVP, 2004.
• Hall, Stuart G. Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church. 2nd edn. London: SPCK, 2005.
• Hamman, Adalbert G. How to Read the Church Fathers. London: SCM, 1993.
• Harries, R and H. Mayr-Harting (eds). Christianity: Two Thousand Years. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Hinson, E. Glenn. The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
• McGrath, Alistair. Christian History: An Introduction. Wiley: New York, 2012.
• Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. 3rd edn. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012.
• Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language. 4th edn. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013.
• Stevenson, James. Creeds, Councils and Controversies. Rev. edn. London: SPCK, 1989.
• Stevenson, James. A New Eusebius. Rev. edn. London: SPCK, 1987.