RL 299.01/499.01 V/W
Prerequisites: RL 101 & an inquiring mind
EN 103-112 or 111-112 or 114-116
Pre- or co-requisites: RL 205 or RL 220 or instructor permission
1 June 2003
Sheila
E. McGinn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Office: B218 (second floor, AD bldg.)
E-mail: smcginn @ jcu.edu
Hours: TBA
Telephone: 216-397-3087
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS & ASSIGNMENTS:
| Session | Date | Topic & Assignments (additional readings may be assigned as needed) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #1 |
Organize seminar and review
syllabus |
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| #2 | The Roman Cultural
& Religious Context of Early Christianity Workshop A: Developing a paper proposal. Workshop B: Developing your thesis |
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| #3 |
The Church in Antioch and
Early Christian Mission (Peter, Barnabas, Paul) |
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| #4 | The First-Century
Churches in Cappadocia & Anatolia Read: Galatians; Koester Paper Proposal returned, with suggestions for further development Workshop A: The process of exegesis -- who, what, when, where, how, why? Workshop B: Textual Criticism |
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| #5 |
Ephesos, The Metropolis of
Asia |
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| #6 | Philosophy and Theology
in the Early Christian World: Gnosticism, Docetism, Middle and Neo-Platonism Read: the Gospel of Mary; the Dialogues of the Savior, selections from Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Epiphanius; Esler; Koester; (opt.) McGinn Annotated Bibliography due Workshop A: How to write an exegetical paper Workshop B: Developing an outline |
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| #7 |
Prophecy in the Early Christian
World |
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| #8 | Anchorites &
Coenobites, Confessors & Martyrs Read: the Martyrdom of Perpetua; selections from the Cappadocian Fathers Topic sentence outline of paper returned, with suggestions for further development Final deadline for Critical reviews |
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| #9 |
Developing Ecclesiastical
Structures and Offices |
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| #10 | Christological
Developments in the ante-Nicene Period Read: Neuner & Dupuis, 95-100, 143-155; Norris; Kelly; handouts First draft of research paper returned, with suggestions for further development Workshop: How to give critical feedback on a colleague's paper. Please use Peer Review worksheet. For one last time, could you give the instructor some feedback on what is good or how to improve? |
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| #11 | What Were They Thinking
About the Trinity? Read: Neuner & Dupuis; Rusch; handouts. Second draft of paper due; please submit two copies, one for instructor and one for your colleague who will critique it. |
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| #12 |
The Theological Significance of the Historical Development of Dogma |
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| #13 |
Final draft of papers due
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| #14 |
Class presentation of research projects
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| #15 |
FINAL CLASS SESSION: presentation of research projects
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(optional) Travel Seminar: The Crossroads Colloquium on Ancient Syria, on site in Syria, Lebanon and eastern Turkey
| ITINERARY & SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS: | |
| Day 1 | Arrival in Damascus,
Syria's capital and largest city; historical survey of the city, which
has been inhabited for five millennia. Read Acts 9:1-30. |
| Day 2 | Key Christian sites
in Damascus: St. Ananias Chapel, St. Paul's Chapel, the Via Recta (see
Acts 9:8-25); l Lecture on the conversion of Paul, and the role of the Damascene church in the early Christian mission. See treasures at The Syrian National Museum, including the synagogue from Dura Europos, finds from Apameia and Palmyra, as well as an extensive collection of Byzantine Christian art. |
| Day 3 | Ezra'a has two of
Syria's oldest, still functioning churches: the (Orthodox) St. George
Basilica and the (Catholic) Church of St. Elias, both dating from the
sixth century; Lecture on the theological divides between Catholic and Orthodox. Bosra's Roman theater, open-air museum, and extensive Roman site (including baths) |
| Day 4 | Baalbek, Lebanon
(Heliopolis). The partial remains of the Roman Temple of Jupiter give an indication of its immense size, dwarfing the better-preserved Temple of Bacchus. Visit the excellent archaeological museum on the site. Lecture on the Roman cultural/religious context of early Christianity. |
| Day 5 | Maalula: hear Aramaic
still spoken Visit the Monastery of St. Sergius and the Convent of St. Thecla built on the site of her shrine; m Mini-lecture on Thecla. Homs (Emesa): mini-lecture on Origen Afamia (Apameia): mini-lecture on Neo-Platonism, a philosophic/ religious movement which both competed with and influenced Christian thought and practice. |
|
Day 6 |
Aleppo: the Antiochian
Cathedral. Lunch with local Christian dignitaries. Qualb Lozeh: the ancient church is one of the best preserved early examples of Syrian-Byzantine architecture (ca. 460 CE). Deir Samaan (i.e., "Monastery of Simeon;" ancient Telanissos): ruins of a fifth-century monastery Mini-lecture on early monasticism and Simeon Stylites |
| Day 7 | Nabi Houri ( Cyrrhus):;
mini-lecture on Theodoret of Cyrrhus Anlurfa (Edessa), famous as the capital of an early Christian dynasty, one of whose kings, Abgar I, allegedly carried on a correspondence with Jesus Mini-lecture on NT apocrypha, especially this letter. |
| Day 8 | Anlurfa: see traditional
sites associated with Abraham Discussion of significance of Abraham and Job in early Christian thought. For a change, visit the Rizvaniye Mosque, ninth-century castle, Han el-Ba'rur caravanserai, and the extensive covered bazaar. Dinner at the governor's house. |
| Day 9 | Harran, the place
from which Abraham and his family left for Palestine. (Read Gen. 12) Mardin, with its "golden stone" ancient mosques and churches. The Syrian-Jacobite Monastery of Deyrul Zafarin, where Aramaic is still a living language and which used to be the official residence of the patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church." Nusaybin (Nisibis): Christianity thrived here as early as the second century CE. See the ancient monastery, Mor Jacob, including its fourth-century church and the sarcophagus of St. Jacob (Baradeus), the fifth-century Monophysite bishop of Edessa, who rejected the "Definition of Faith" formulated at the Council of Chalcedon (451) and after whom Syrian Orthodox Christians are frequently called "Jacobites." Lecture on Christological development. |
| Day 10 | Deir ez-Zur Museum
to see the displayed findings from Dura Europos and Mari. Dura Europos: see the sites of an early Jewish synagogue and of the earliest extant Christian "house church." See the Mithraeum; a number of temples; the agora; and the residence of the commander of the Roman garrison. Mini-lectures on early Christian worship and the Roman cult of Mithras. |
| Day 11 | Palmyra: the "Hypogeum ("underground
tomb") of the Three Brothers" (c.160 CE), the Tower Tomb of Elebel (c.103
CE), the Temple of Bel [= Ba'al] (c.32 CE), a Roman theatre, a small agora,
and a great colonnade. Departure for USA |
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