UMBR RSHS 340 - The History of Early Christianity

Institution:

Arcadia University

Subject:

Description:

The course will explore in depth - from the historical, anthropological and factual point of view - what can be considered one of the most important phenomena in the history of humankind. It will explain why and how the teachings of an "unknown Jewish prophet" were able to conquer overtime the majority of the population living in the Roman Empire. In order to do this, we will cover several topics: the preaching of the first apostles, the birth of the first, simple communities, the persecution of early Christians by the imperial power and the eventual development of Christians into a well-established Church, complete with a powerful hierarchy and a widespread network of worshippers. In the end, we will see that in the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, the newly born Church inherited the legacy of the Roman culture and carried it into the new era. Students will read and analyze ancient documents about the new religion from both the Christian and the Greco-Roman perspectives. The course will also make use of the artistic and archaeological evidence to better illustrate the development of Christianity. (Perugia, Italy, http://www.arcadia.edu/abroad/itUmbraInstitute)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.arcadia.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 572-2900

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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