Introduction to Christianity (240-0-20)

Instructors

Richard Kieckhefer
491-2614
1860 Campus Drive, Crowe Hall # 4-141

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-335: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This class will focus on the making and remaking of Christianity. In its origins Christianity drew upon Jewish tradition and the Hebrew Scriptures, but also on other traditions circulating in the Mediterranean world. It brought together the themes of kingship, spirit indwelling, acting righteously and being justified, the present and future dimensions of God's reign, connections between the world above and the world below. The New Testament combines all this and more in ways that later writers sorted and worked through. But then over time Christianity was also remade: its relationship with Judaism changed, its views of Christ became more formally developed and explicit, it wrestled with its own earlier demands for perfection, it splintered in ever new ways, and it adjusted to new cultural environments, including what we call modernity. We will look at all these developments and ask about their implications.

Learning Objectives

Focus will be on the relationship between Christian origins and later developments.

Teaching Method

Class Materials (Required)

All students should have copies of the Bible, preferably The New Oxford Annotated Bible (ISBN 0195283481, but 019027607X would also do). Other readings will be posted on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Ethics & Values Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Registration -- Reserved for Religion students.