Overview
Early Christians was written by Dr. Lisa Micheelsen, Ph. D. (Alberta), an expert in ancient religion, philosophy, history and culture. The course helps students to explore the identity, history and thought of the early Christians from the forces that shaped the birth of Christianity down to approximately the sixth century CE.
This is not so much a course on the development of doctrine or texts, but on who the early Christians were, what they practiced, how they lived, and how they came to formulate a religious identity. The course begins with the historical context, and considers the development of Jewish monotheism, history, and conflict with the Romans. It then discusses Roman historical, cultural, and religious factors, and from there explores the development of the religion that these two cultures together produced. We will explore not only the development of religious identity, but acceptance and persecution of those who affiliate themselves with it, and the eventual rise of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Consideration will be given to the composition of key texts—their sources and social factors at work in their development—as well as controversial claims concerning “lost Christianities” and the idea that Christianity should be classified as a Roman mystery cult.
Evaluation
To receive credit for RELS 313, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent) and a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the final examinations. The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Short Essay–Primary Source Report | 20% |
| Assignment 2: Research Plan for Long Essay | 5% |
| Assignment 3: Long Research Essay | 30% |
| 4 Online Quizzes | 10% |
| Final Examination | 35% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Burrus, Virginia, ed. Late Ancient Christianity. A People's History of Christianity, 2. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010.
Horsley, Richard A., ed. Christian Origins. A People's History of Christianity, 1. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010.
Wilken, Robert Louis. The Christians as the Romans Saw Them. 2nd. ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
Other Materials
The balance of your course materials will be accessed online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the RELS 313 challenge registration, a student must obtain approval from the Course Coordinator and achieve at least a D (50 percent) on each of the three challenge components and a composite grade of at least a D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Research Report | 40% |
| Exam 1 (3 hours) | 30% |
| Exam 2 (3 hours) | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form