1. Class 1: Introduction Church History
Dr. Ann T. Orlando
Sept. 5, 2017

2. Introduction to Church History
Introductory remarks
Importance of Church History
Review Syllabus
Structure of course
Requirements
Course Web Site
Primary sources
Periods or eras in histiography
History as Theology: Augustine as our guide
Assignments

3. Importance of Church History
An appreciation for importance of Catholic Church in Western civilization
Papacy is oldest continually functioning institution in the world
Witness (testimony) of holy men and women
Context for the theological answers that have been developed and taught by the Church
Often, can’t appreciate the answer without knowing the question
Example: Jesus Christ whom we confess as one person with two natures
God’s plan of salvation unfolds in history
History is an aspect of theology, Providence

4. Pilgrim Church
The Pilgrim Church is moving toward her celestial home at the end of time
Individual members as members of the society of the Church
The Pilgrim Church is in the world but not of the world
Martyrs
Political entanglements
The Pilgrim Church is not a church of the pure
Sinful members
History helps us to understand where the Church has been so far on her pilgrimage

5. Structure for Course
Course covers Church History from Pentecost through late Middle Ages
Divide semester into four parts
Antiquity, especially late antiquity (100 – 604)
Rise of Islam and Carolingians (612 – 900)
Early Middle Ages (900 – 1225)
Late Middle Ages (1225 – 1453)

6. Requirements
Class attendance and active participation.
Papers and discussion on primary source readings during semester at conclusion of each Part
Papers should be 1-2 pages
Theme of thesis statement
FOCUS ON PRIMARY SOURCES
At end of class, a longer reading and paper with a 10 min presentation will be required. Reading likely will be selected from:
St. (and doctor) Peter Damien
St (and doctor) Hildegard von Bingen
St. (and doctor) Bernard of Clairvaux
St. (and doctor) Thomas Aquinas
St. (and doctor) Catherine of Sienna
Two Exams:
Midterm will cover first half of semester (closed book)
Final will cover second half of semester (closed book)
Both midterm and final will include matching quotes to primary source authors; identification of terms and people; geography identification (midterm only)
Grade:
1/3 papers and discussion
1/3 midterm
1/3 final

7. Texts for Class
1. Modern text (secondary source) recommended text from list in syllabus
James Hitchcock, History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium is strongly recommended.
2. Augustine, City of God, available at or Dyson translation (Cambridge University Press, 1998); or New City Press translation, 2013
3. Many primary sources available on web, see syllabus for details
Anselm, Why Did God Become Man

8. Web Site for Class http://web.mit.edu/aorlando/www/SaintJohnCHI/
Several files
Word file of syllabus
Web file (html) with links to web primary readings; other background resources of interest;
Basic map of key historical regions (large pdf file)
Lecture slides; posted day after each lecture, in a folder called Lectures; PowerPoint format

9. Sources
Primary Source: original works from the historical period under study
Secondary Source: later works written about earlier historical periods or works
Primary Source readings are FOCUS in class
Different, multiple sources each week; should be focus of papers and presentations
Reference ancient works using Book/Chapter/Paragraph numbering (e.g., Luke 1:1-4)
Most are available on the web; URL provided in syllabus and web site
Read everything critically (includes secondary sources)
What is author’s perspective
Bokenkotter: late 20th C American Catholic
Hitchcock: early 21st C American Catholic
Orlando: early 21st C American Catholic
What issues is the author addressing;
How important is the historical circumstance to those issues
Who is the audience
What is genre of the work (homily, thesis, poem, letter, Biblical commentary, histiography)
Caution using Web Resources
Anybody can put anything on the web and claim that it is ‘authoritative’
Many ancient works, especially early Church Fathers, are available, but in older translations
Maintenance of a web resource is still on an individual basis; no guarantee that information will be well maintained

10. Difficulty of Primary Source Readings
I know that this is a lot of material
I know that it is often very difficult to read
Therefore
At the end of each class I will strongly suggest what should be read carefully, and what should be skimmed
I will try to point out key themes
It will serve you well to bring the next weeks’ readings with you
Remember when referring to primary source use Book.Chapter.Paragraph; NOT page number
Would you refer to a Biblical passage by page number??

11. Marking Sacred and Secular Time: B.C. and A.D.
Almost all journals and books in the last 20 years have gone to BCE and CE
BCE = Before the Common Era
CE = Common Era
I stubbornly hold on to B.C. and A.D.

12. Historical Eras or Periods…
Are arbitrary fictions of later historians
All historians have an agenda (e.g., Dark Ages)
But are convenient ways to arrange historical material.
Periods usually marked by some dramatic change causing a disruption in the ‘old’ order
But even dramatic changes do not change all of society all at once
Commonly referred to eras:
Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
Renaissance
Reformation
Early Modernity
Enlightenment

13. Important Concepts in Antiquity
Actually concepts that will be unchallenged until the Enlightenment
There is no separation of Religion and State
Limited concept of individual rights – emphasis on individual duties
The antiquity of something was a direct measure of its value
Prophecy is not predicting the future like magic; it is more like cause and effect

14. History as a Theological Study
Providence
History as the unfolding of Providence in creation; space and time
Our guide: St. Augustine of Hippo, The City of God

15. God’s Providence Providence: a Stoic term Stoicism
Most important Greek philosophy for early Christians
Begun by Zeno in opposition to Epicureans
Philosophy the handmaid of theology
Philo of Alexandria (1st C AD), Jewish Stoic philosopher

16. Epicureans
Epicurus (Athens, 4th C BC) begins with the theodicy question
Answer: God or gods are uninterested in created world
No life after death
Happiness (tranquility) and Ethics based on achieving pleasure and avoiding pain
Passions subordinated to intellect
Encouraged celibacy; sex too emotionally messy, does not lead to happiness
Women encouraged to join as full members of schools
Friends more important than family; but self-reliance most important
Free will; not bound by ties of family or duty
Science and technology very important; based on random motion of atoms
Justice based upon contractual agreements
Opposed to allegory and prophecy as a way of knowing
Favored philosophy of intellectual Romans who wanted to withdraw from society
Roundly condemned by all other philosophies; rabbinic word for atheist is derived from Epicurus
Human history has no particular meaning
‘God is dead, history is dead’; no such thing as Providence

17. Stoicism Happiness is following the will of God (Providence)
God is everywhere, God as logos (rational necessity);
God as a type of gas that permeates everything
His Providence rules everything (see Acts 17:28)
Ethics based on following God’s plan;
Minimal free will;
Emphasis on virtues;
Judgment by God after death
Justice based on natural law as part of Providence’s eternal law
Passions are to be subordinated to intellect
Encouraged celibacy; sex too emotionally messy
Allegorical interpretation of Greek myths
Dominant philosophy of Roman Empire
Human history is story of God’s Providence in human society

18. History as part of Theology
History has several layers
1. Facts of what happened when
Jesus of Nazareth crucified c. 33 AD
2. Proximate causes
Roman imperial concerns about Jewish insurgents
Jewish priestly class (Sadducees) concern about renegade Jewish sects upsetting their relation with Romans
3. Secular historical result
New religion
4. Providence
Salvation for mankind
Secular historians are generally concerned with 1 and 2, maybe 3. We are concerned with 1-4

19. Assignment Recommended Review rubric for essay papers
Hitchcock, Introduction
Review rubric for essay papers