2011 unit archive

Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Theological Issues of the Early Church

in
Unit Code: 
CH/CT189
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit explores the development of theology within the early church that have been seminal for later generations. The theological themes investigated include the unity and diversity in the faith of the early Christian communities, the tension between charismatic and institutional forms of ministry and authority, the Trinitarian and Christological debates within the church, and the Donatist and Pelagian disputes. It aims to help students appreciate the distinctive flavour of early Christian texts, and to understand both the questions which led to the classic formulations of Christian doctrine and the shape and limitations of those answers.

Learning Outcomes: 

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

  1. demonstrate a basic understanding of the historical environment in which Christian thought developed in the first 500 years
  2. demonstrate an awareness of the key personalities in the various controversies of this period
  3. appraise the corresponding theological positions of these personalities
  4. comprehend selected original sources of the controversies of this period in English translation 
Lecturer/s: 
Andrew Hamilton
Lecturer/s: 
David Gormley O'Brien
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 2
Day: 
Thursday
Time: 
2:15 - 5:15
Location: 
Trinity College Theological School
Unit Frequency: 
Annual
Years Offered: 
2010
Years Offered: 
2011
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2013
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Bachelor of Theology
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Church History
Department Name: 
Department of Christian Thought and History
Unit Level
Undergraduate Level: 
1
Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

3 hours of lectures and tutorials per week for 12 weeks, including some online coursework preparation

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
6
Total workload hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours for unit: 
108
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

1 x 2000 word essay

Weighting: 
50%
Assessment Type: 

1 x take home written examination

Weighting: 
50%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • Augustine. The Confessions, trans. H. Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.
  • Behr, J. The Way to Nicaea, Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004.
  • *Brown, P. Augustine of Hippo – A Biography. Berkeley: University of California, 2000.
  • Chadwick, H. Heresy and Orthodoxy in the Early Church. London: Variorum, 1991.
  • *Gonzalez, J. A History of Christian Thought. Vol. 1. Rev. Ed. Nashville: Abingdon, 1987. 
  • Hall, S. Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church. London: SPCK, 1991.
  • Norris, R. A. (ed.). The Christological Controversy. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980.
  • Studer, B. Trinity and Incarnation. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1993
  • Williams, R. Arius: Heresy and Tradition. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2001.
  • Williams, R. (ed.). The Making of Orthodoxy. London: SCM, 1983.
  • Young, F. From Nicaea to Chalcedon. London: SCM, 1983.
  • Young, F. The Making of the Creeds. London: SCM, 1991.

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.