A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 - 1650)
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Approx. 46 hours to complete
Course Summary
Explore the history of Western Christianity from 200-1650 in this course. Learn about the development and evolution of the Christian faith during this time period.Key Learning Points
- Discover the origins of Western Christianity
- Examine the development of Christian thought and practice
- Understand the impact of Christianity on Western society
Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have
- USA: $70,000
- India: ₹5,000,000
- Spain: €45,000
- USA: $70,000
- India: ₹5,000,000
- Spain: €45,000
- USA: $65,000
- India: ₹4,500,000
- Spain: €40,000
- USA: $70,000
- India: ₹5,000,000
- Spain: €45,000
- USA: $65,000
- India: ₹4,500,000
- Spain: €40,000
- USA: $50,000
- India: ₹3,500,000
- Spain: €30,000
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the origins and development of Western Christianity
- Analyze the impact of Christianity on Western society and culture
- Examine the evolution of Christian thought and practice
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic knowledge of Christianity
- Interest in religious history and theology
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
Similar Courses
- The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation
- The Bible in Light of the Ancient Near East
- Introduction to the New Testament
Notable People in This Field
- Karen Armstrong
- Bart D. Ehrman
Related Books
Description
This course follows the extraordinary development of Western Christianity from its early persecution under the Roman Empire in the third century to its global expansion with the Jesuits of the early modern world. We explore the dynamic and diverse character of a religion with an enormous cast characters. We will meet men and women who tell stories of faith as well as of violence, suppression, and division. Along the way, we encounter Perpetua and her martyrdom in Carthage; the struggles of Augustine the bishop in North Africa; the zeal of Celtic monks and missionaries; the viciousness of the Crusades; the visions of Brigit of Sweden; and the fracturing of Christianity by Martin Luther’s protest. We hear the voices of great theologians as well as of those branded heretics by the Church, a powerful reminder that the growth of Christianity is a story with many narratives of competing visions of reform and ideals, powerful critiques of corruption and venality, and exclusion of the vanquished. The troubled history of Christian engagement with Jews and Muslims is found in pogroms and expulsions, but also in the astonishing ways in which the culture of the West was transformed by Jewish and Islamic learning.
Outline
- Welcome to A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 - 1650)
- Course Introduction
- Course Description
- Precourse Survey
- Meet Your Instructional Team
- Bonus course resources
- Introduction: From Persecution to Empire
- The Great Church (180 - 313)
- Diversity in the Year 200: Dura Europos (c. 240), with Dr. Lisa Brody [Yale University Art Gallery]
- The Conversion of Constantine
- The Arian-Nicene Controversy
- The Nature of Christ
- The Rise of Rome
- The Creed of Nicaea
- Conversion of Constantine
- Yale University Art Gallery—Dura-Europos: Excavating Antiquity
- From Persecution to Empire
- Augustine and the North African Church
- Alexandria
- North African Christianity
- Martyrdom and Persecution
- The Martyrdom of Perpetua (with Max & Nazanin)
- Augustine
- Islamic Invasion of North Africa
- Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
- Augustine on Donatists
- A timeline of the Great Persecution
- See the Coptic necropolis el Bagawat (Egypt), one of the earliest Christian cemeteries
- Augustine and North African Church
- Monastic Lives: Desert Fathers to Celtic Christianity
- Desert Monasticism
- Saint Catherine’s (with Max)
- Saint Benedict
- Irish Monasticism
- The Viking Age (with Nazanin)
- Venerable Bede, Saint Cuthbert, and Northumbria
- Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance
- Life of St. Anthony
- Benedict Rule
- Explore the Gutenberg Bible and its history
- Browse the Book of Kells medieval manuscript
- View the Lindisfarne Gospels' early medieval illuminations
- Monastic Lives, Desert Fathers to Celtic Christianity
- Reformers and Crusaders
- The Medieval World (Yale University Art Gallery)
- Feudalism
- Christian Reform
- Bernard of Clairvaux (with Max)
- Divided Christianity
- Crusades
- Innocent III
- Cathar Heresy (with Nazanin)
- Fulcher of Chartres, Speech of Urban II
- The Capture of Jerusalem (1244)
- Christian Attacks on Jews
- Henry IV's letter to Gregory VII
- The Romance of the Rose
- Hagia Sophia's Christian mosaics
- Reformers and Crusaders
- Learning and Light
- Mendicant Orders
- Saint Clare of Assisi (with Nazanin)
- Rise of Universities
- Abelard & Heloise (with Max)
- Thomas Aquinas
- Cathedrals and Theology of Light
- Mysticism
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae
- Meister Eckhart, “The Attractive Power of God”
- Julian of Norwich
- The stained glass windows of Chartres
- The Flowers of Saint Francis
- Peter Lombard’s The Sentences
- Aquinas’s hymn, Pange Lingua
- Learning and Light
- Three Religions: Christians, Jews & Muslims in Medieval Spain
- Jews and Muslims in Iberia
- Convivencia
- The Alhambra of Granada (with Nazanin)
- Maimonides and Averroes
- Inquisition and Expulsion
- Christians, Jews, and Muslims: Discussion
- Moses Maimonides, Guide to the Perplexed, Introductory Letter
- A Christian/Muslim Debate (12th century)
- Muslim and Christian Piety in the 13th Century
- Gregory X: Letter on Jews, (1271-76) - Against the Blood Libel
- The Murdered Chorister
- Chant from the Mozarabic tradition
- David Nirenberg’s Communities of Violence
- Arabic's influence on the Spanish language
- The works of Averroes
- Images of the Alhambra
- Documents related to the Spanish Inquisition
- Three Religions: Christians, Jews & Muslims in Medieval Spain
- Medieval Devotion
- The Isenheim Altar
- Introduction
- Sacraments
- Saints & Relics
- Joan of Arc (with Nazanin)
- Pilgrimages
- Rome and the Papacy
- Avignon Papacy (with Max)
- Heresy and Dissent
- Seven Sacraments
- Tales of Relics
- Tales of the Devil
- Art of Dying, (Ars Moriendi)
- Requiem Mass for the Dead
- Relics, and what they meant for medieval Christians
- Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
- Book of Hours
- Medieval Devotion
- Luther's Reformation
- The Early Modern World (Yale University Art Gallery)
- Young Luther
- Break with Rome
- Katharina von Bora (Nazanin)
- Opponents & Opposition
- Theology
- Luther and the Jews (Max)
- Reformation Church
- Discussion
- Martin Luther, “Freedom of a Christian”
- Luther’s 95 Theses
- A Mighty Fortress
- Protestant print propaganda
- Luther’s original German Mass
- Luther's Reformation
- Fragmenting Reformation
- Radical Visions
- Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster (Max)
- Zwingli
- John Calvin: Life
- Calvinism
- English Reformation
- Foxe's Book of Martyrs (with Nazanin)
- Fragmenting Reformation: Discussion
- Hans Schlaffer, A Brief Introduction for the Leading of Truly Christian Life
- Preface to the Psalter - John Calvin
- England, Thirty-Nine Articles
- The Martyrs' Mirror
- Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
- Huldrych Zwingli’s reforming principles
- Professor Gordon’s books on Calvin and Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion
- Fragmenting Reformation
- Catholic Reform
- Erasmus and his Legacy
- Pre-Trent Catholic Reform
- The Council of Trent
- Catholic vs. Counter Reformation (Max and Nazanin)
- Catholic Bibles
- Teresa of Avila & Spanish Mysticism
- El Escorial (Nazanin)
- The Council of Trent’s Decree on Justification (1547)
- Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle: Preface
- Erasmus’s Novum Instrumentum
- The Complutensian Polyglot Bible
- El Greco and other works from leading Catholic Baroque artists
- Peruse the poetry of Saint John of the Cross
- Carlos Eire’s Reformations
- Catholic Reform
- Jesuits and Missions
- The Founding of the Jesuits
- Ignatius of Loyola (Nazanin)
- Francis Xavier
- Mateo Ricci & China
- Brazil
- Closing words from Bruce, Nazanin, and Max
- Francis Xavier to Ignatius Loyola on Missions
- Francis Xavier, Letter from Japan, 1552
- Memorial for Matteo Ricci
- Japanese depiction of the arrival of the Portuguese
- A timeline of the colonization of Brazil
- Moxos Ensemble
- An early modern Jesuit’s account of the martyrdom of his fellow missionaries
- The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci,
- Post Course Survey
- Jesuits and Missions
Summary of User Reviews
Discover the history and development of Western Christianity from 200-1650. This course is highly recommended for anyone interested in learning about the evolution of Christian beliefs, practices, and institutions throughout history.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
Many users praised the course content and found it informative and engaging.Pros from User Reviews
- In-depth coverage of the evolution of Western Christianity
- Engaging and informative content
- Highly knowledgeable and supportive instructors
- Flexible course schedule and pacing
- Access to a wide range of resources and materials
Cons from User Reviews
- Some users found the course to be too challenging or difficult
- Limited interaction with other students
- Occasional technical issues with the course platform
- Some users felt that the course was too focused on a single perspective or viewpoint
- The course may not be suitable for those who are not already familiar with Christian history and theology
Bruce Gordon
4.7 Raiting
A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 - 1650)
- 4.7
-
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We explore the dynamic and diverse character of a religion with an enormous cast characters. It is a journey that has shaped our world....
