Course Code: BHC01

History of Christianity from 1st to 18th Century

BD I, Semester 1, 4 Credit Hours, College Paper

Course Objectives

1. a. To help students understand the general history of Christianity from its beginning to the 18th century and learn the socio-cultural contexts in which Christianity originated and spread throughout the world.
2. b. To relate the history of Christianity in a particular region with the world-wide historical development of Christianity.
3. c. To be acquainted with the sources, problems, and issues in writing the history of Christianity.
4. d. To know the role of men and women in the history of Christianity.

Course Requirements

• Final Examination: 60%
• Internal Assessment: 40%

Course Outline

1. Introduction
   1. What is History?
   2. Nature and Scope of History
2. Methodological Issues in Historiography
   1. Historiography: Its meaning, types, and importance
   2. Historical sources and their significances
   3. World History and History of Christianity
3. Early Christianity
   1. Christian Origins: Social, political, cultural, and religious background of the origin of Christianity in Roman Palestine.
   2. Christianity during the Apostolic period
   3. Persecutions and Edict of Milan
   4. Life of the Church: Worship, Sacraments, Ministry, and Socio-Political Involvements.
4. Early Church Leaders
   1. Origen, Tertullian, Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Polycarp, Augustine of Hippo, John Chrysostom, Ephraim, Jerome, Athanasius, Philoxenus of Mabbug, Severus of Antioch, Cyril of Alexandria, etc.
   2. Role of women in the early Church: Tecla, Perpetua, Felicitas, etc.
5. Different Movements within Early Christianity
   1. Gnosticism
   2. Montanism
   3. Manichaeism
   4. Apollinarianism
   5. Arianism
   6. Nestorianism
6. Different Movements within Early Christianity (Continued)
   1. Oriental Orthodoxy and different Christian Communities
   2. Monasticism: Origins and development, Monastic Orders, Women’s role in the ascetic movement, Impact of Monasticism on Christianity
7. Christianity during the Middle Ages
   1. Rise and spread of Islam
   2. The Crusades
   3. Spread of Christianity to the East and the West, Divisions
   4. Development of Catholicate, Maphrianate, Papacy
8. Christianity and Reformation
   1. Early reform movements within the Church: Wycliffe, Huss, Conciliarism
   2. Political, social, economic, cultural, and philosophical developments
   3. Continental Reformation (including the British and the Radical Reformation)
   4. Catholic Reformation: Formation of the Jesuits and missionary movements
   5. Reformation and women
9. Christianity after Reformation
   1. Puritanism
   2. Pietism
   3. Evangelical Awakenings
   4. Great Awakenings
10. Modern Missionary Movements
    1. Missionary Expansion of the Church: Catholic and Protestant Missions
    2. Major events and issues of the missionary movements
    3. Role of women in the missionary movement and expansion of Christianity

Bibliography

Essential Readings

• Cairns, E.E. Christianity through the Centuries. Michigan: Zondervan, 1973.
• Gibbs, M.E. Jerusalem to New Delhi. CLS.
• Hrangkhuma, An Introduction to Church History.
• Latourette, K.S. A History of Christianity. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1953.
• Walker, W. A History of the Christian Church. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1959.

Suggested Readings

• Bainton, R. H. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Boston: Beacon Press, 1952.
• Bainton, R.H. The Penguin History of Christianity. 2 vol. New York: Penguin.
• Bettenson, H.S. Documents of the Christian Church. London: Oxford University Press, 1963.
• Burns, E.M. The Counter Reformation. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1964.
• Carr, E.H. What is History. New York: Vintage, 1967.
• Canon, W.R. History of Christianity in the Middle Ages.
• Chadwick, O. The Reformation. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972.
• Clark, E.A. Women in the Early Church. Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1983.
• Frykenberg, Rober Eric, ed. Christians and Missionaries in India: Cross-Cultural Communication since 1500. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
• Foster, I. Beginning from Jerusalem. Lutterworth, 1956.
• Gaikaolung, Dangmei. Growth and Development and Structure of the Church (Kyriakon) in the Roman World from 1st to 6th Century. In Ekklesia: Indian Conversations, edited by Samuel George, H. Joseph Lalfakmawia and Ajungla Jamir, 59-70. New Delhi: CWI&MCT, 2014.
• Gonsalves, J.L. The Story of Christianity. 2 vols. New York: Harper & Row, 1984.
• Gonzales, Justo L. History of Christian Thought. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992.
• Hares. The History of the Christian Church: First Six Centuries.
• Ipe K. A. Christian Witness from its beginning to the present. Kottyam: FIC Publishers, 2009.
• Imchen, Narola. Issues in Modern Historiography. Delhi: ISPCK, 2012.
• Irvin, T. Dale and Scott W. Sandquist. History of the World Christian Movement. New York: Orbis, 2001.
• Jayakumar, A. History of Reformation. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.
• Kelly , J.N.D. Early Christian Creeds.
• Kidd, B.J. The Counter Reformation.
• A History of the Church to A.D. 451.
• Kuriakose, M.K. Source Materials for Students of History of Christianity.
• Lefever, H.C. The History of the Reformation.
• Lorenzen, David N. The Scourge of the Mission: Marco della Tomba in Hindustan. New Delhi: Yoda Press, 2009.
• Neill, S. A History of Christian Missions.
• Nicholas, J.H. History of Christianity 1560-1950.
• Paulose, P. The Establishment of Catholicate in India. Mannathoor: SOC Publications, 2012.
• Ralte, Lalruata. Ekklesia – The Body of Christ Defiled in the Church: A Christian Counselling Perspective. In Ekklesia: Indian Conversations, edited by Samuel George, H. Joseph Lalfakmawia and Ajungla Jamir, 149-159. New Delhi: CWI&MCT, 2014.
• Stevenson, J. A New Eusebius.
• Thomas, V. V. Understanding Subaltern History: Theoretical Tools. Bangalore: SATHRI, 2006.
• Tierney, B. The Crisis of the Church and State.
• Vos, Howard F. Exploring Church History. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
• Walsh, Pakenham. Lights and Shades of Christendom.
• Wand, J. W.C. A History of the Modern Church.
• William, G.F. The Radical Reformers.
• Young, W. Source Materials of Church History.
• Zeliang, Elungkiebe. Persecution in the Early Church. Delhi: ISPCK, 2003.

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