Christian Witness from the First Centuries: Discovering the Sources

This course explores the various ways by which the Christian faith created new ways of expression in literature, art and architecture. Who was Jesus? How should we interpret the Holy Scripture? How should Christian communities be ruled and organized? How should Christians react in the face of incomprehension and persecution? How can we present the Christian faith to a pagan world? These questions, and many others, have been discussed by Christians from the very beginning. Letters, homilies, prayers, acts of martyrs, liturgies, treatises, as well as paintings, sculptures, mosaics and basilicas, reflect the intensity and richness of the first Christians’ life and thought. We shall discover some of those gems, confront texts (in English translation) and works of art, learn how to read them and how to interpret their rich symbolism. After the New Testament, the Church Fathers (as those writers are known) and the early Christian art constitute a fundamental (and too often neglected) reference in order to understand our faith as well as many aspects of the Church in its historical evolution. It is also a fascinating world to be discovered, rich and diverse, which can provide deep spiritual teachings and inspirations.