DE 5550 The Ancient Church
Lecturer: Richard Gamble
Course Description
This course examines the history of the ancient church in detail. Following a historical progression, the course covers the development of doctrine and introduces the student to the main figures in the Patristic age. Three hours.
Course Objectives
- To understand the historical development of doctrine and how we came to believe what we do today.
- To know the creeds of the church and how they came to exist.
- To understand the theological mistakes of the past so as to prevent those errors from happening today.
- To understand the history of interpretation of the Scriptures.
- To appreciate the roots of today's church.
- To appreciate the relation between church and state.
- To understand church government and its different shapes.
Course Materials
All required course materials can be purchased through the TEDS bookstore (800.456.7323 | 847.317.6800).
Required
- Gamble, Richard C. The Ancient Church, Audio Lecture Tapes and Study Guide. Institute of Theological Studies, a division of OUTREACH, INC., 1989.
- Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines. San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, 1978.
- Wiles-Santer. Documents in Early Christian Thought. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1975.
Recommended Reading
- Chadwick, H. The Early Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968.
Collateral Reading
NOTE: The student should read a minimum of 1000 pages from the selection of books on the ancient church, as listed in the full course syllabus.
Resources