The course will introduce the student to the history of the Church from its beginnings to the high middle ages (13th century). It will pay close attention to several historical movements of the Church: from its Palestinian base to the wider Mediterranean world of the Roman Empire, from the collapse of this empire through the Barbarian invasions and their consequences for Church life, structure and doctrine. The course will also give a general account of Early Christianitys diffusion to the East, and to the autonomous development of Eastern Christianity, with its base at Constantinople. It hopes to address in a general way developments in the Western Church in the areas of church organization and structure, spirituality, and doctrine, particularly through a consideration of the early councils.
TMP 248.03