Humanities (HUMN) 321
Rome and Early Christianity II

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Overview

How did the Roman Empire evolve from the death of Nero in AD 68 to the reign of Marcus Aurelius in the late second century? What caused the crisis of the third century, and how did the Empire surmount this? How did Christianity evolve during these centuries, and who were the most important Christian thinkers contributing to the consolidation and elaboration of Christian doctrine? How and why did the Empire adopt Christianity as its official religion? What were the causes of the decline and fall of the Western Empire? These are some of the questions addressed in HUMN 321.

The course deals with the evolution of the Roman Empire from its expansion under Vespasian and his successors to its collapse under Valentinian III, examining, among other topics, the achievements of the "Five Good Emperors," the crisis of the third century, the reconstruction of the Empire by Diocletian and Constantine, and the eventual decline and fall of the Christian Empire in the face of "barbarian" invasions. The course also follows closely the development of early Christian thought from the writing of the Gospel According to John at the beginning of the second century to its culmination in the theological system of St. Augustine.

The writings of many Christian thinkers are explored, including those of St. John, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, St. Athanasius, and St. Augustine. Attention is paid as well to the growth of the Church as an institution, and to the impact on Christianity of persecution, monasticism, and the conversion of the Emperor Constantine. Although the course employs a historical perspective, its overall approach is interdisciplinary, drawing upon the insights of classical scholars, literary critics, theologians, and historians of the ancient world.

Outline

• Unit 1 The Roman Empire from Vespasian to Diocletian
• Unit 2 The Early Church and Christian Theology from John to Origen
• Unit 3 The Christian Empire: Constantine to Valentinian III
• Unit 4 St. Augustine

Evaluation

To receive credit for HUMN 321 students must achieve a course composite grade of at least "D" (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Short Essay	Research Essay	Final Exam	Total
25%	35%	40%	100%

Course Materials

Textbooks

Barrow, R. H. 1949. The Romans. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin.

Chadwick, Henry. 1967. The Early Church. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin.

Christ, Karl. 1984. The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Gonzalez, Justo L. 1970. A History of Christian Thought: From the Beginning to the Council of Chalcedon. Nashville: Abingdon Press.

The Holy Bible: New International Version-The New Testament. 1984. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

St. Augustine. 1961. Confessions. R. S. Pine-Coffin, trans. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Other Material

The course materials include a study guide and student manual.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice.
Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.


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