History 3565: History of the Church
Dr. Darleen Pryds
Virginia Tech
(The Early and Medieval Periods)
Fall, 1997
This course is designed to offer an overview of the institutionalization of Christianity and its development up to the Reformation. Special attention will be given to critical readings of primary documents and of studies on historical developments to discern the role of interpretation in our understanding of the history of the Christian Church.

All students taking this class are expected to follow the university's honor code. The code can be accessed on the Internet: Honor Code

Required Reading:
Carolyn Walker Bynum, Holy Feast, Holy Fast
Henry Chadwick, The Early Church
Ted Harrison, Stigmata. A Medieval Mystery in a Modern Age
Malcom Lambert, Medieval Heresy
R.I. Moore, Formation of a Persecuting Society

Suggested and Available at bookstore (esp. if you are taking Hist. 3536 next semester):
Francis Oakley, The Western Church in the Later Middle Ages

Requirements:
The grade will be determined as follows: one Midterm (20%); one take-home final (40%); one book review (5 pages; 15%); and one research paper (10-13 pages; 20%); class participation (5%).

I. The Early Church

Week One: August 26 and 28

The Institutionalization of the Jesus Movement
Methodology
Chadwick, pp.9-73

Week Two: September 2 and 4

Persecution of Christians
Determination of Christian Doctrine
Chadwick, pp.116-183

Week Three: September 9 and 11

Doctrine, (continued)
Religious Practice: Institutions and Ritual
Chadwick, pp. 192-290

II. The Medieval Church

Week Four: September 16 and 18

The Meaning of Heresy
Lambert, pp. 3-214
Recommended: Oakley, chapter 4
NO CLASS ON SEPTEMBER 18

Week Five: September 23 and 25

Christian Persecution of Others
Moore, pp. 1-65

Week Six: September 30 and October 2

Persecution (continued)
Moore, pp. 66-153

Week Seven: October 7 and 9

EXAM OCTOBER 9

Week Eight: October 14 and 16

Food and Religious Practice
Bynum, pp. 1-69

Week Nine: October 21 and 23

Sanctity in the Medieval Church
Bynum, pp. 73-186

Week Ten: October 28 and 30

Medieval Spirituality
Bynum, pp.189-302
Recommended: Oakley, ch. 5-6

Week Eleven: November 4 and 6

The Physical Settings of Christian Experiences:
Art, Architecture, and Music
Recommended: Oakley, ch. 1
BOOK REVIEW DUE: NOVEMBER 6
Week Twelve: November 11 and 13
Tension between Lay and Clerical Spheres
Lambert, pp. 217-283

Week Thirteen: November 18 and 20

Tension (continued)
Lambert, pp. 284-396
Recommended: Oakley, ch. 3

Week Fourteen: November 25 and 27(Thanksgiving)

NO CLASS MEETING THIS WEEK

Week Fifteen: December 2 and 4

Medieval Spirituality in the Modern World
Harrison, entire book
Recommended: Oakley, chapters 2, 5

Final Day of Class: December 9

The Medieval Church and the Reformation
Conclusions and Review