Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Theological Issues of the Early Church

Unit Code: 
CH/CT289
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit explores the development of theology within the early church that have been seminal for later generations. The theological themes investigated include the unity and diversity in the faith of the early Christian communities, the tension between charismatic and institutional forms of ministry and authority, the Trinitarian and Christological debates within the church, and the Origenist, Donatist and Pelagian disputes. It aims to help students appreciate the distinctive flavour of early Christian texts, and to understand both the questions which led to the classic formulations of Christian doctrine and the shape and limitations of those answers.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate a basic understanding of the historical environment in which Christian thought developed in its first 500 years
  2. demonstrate an awareness of the key personalities in the various controversies of this period
  3. appraise the corresponding theological positions of these personalities
  4. comprehend selected original sources of the controversies of this period in English translation
Lecturer/s: 
David Gormley O'Brien
Lecturer/s: 
Andrew Hamilton
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 2
Day: 
Thursday
Time: 
2:15 - 5:15
Location: 
Trinity College Theological School
Unit Frequency: 
Annual
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2013
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Advanced Diploma in Theology
Courses: 
Bachelor of Ministry
Courses: 
Bachelor of Theology
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Church History
Disciplines: 
Systematic Theology
Department Name: 
Department of Christian Thought and History
Unit Level
Undergraduate Level: 
2
Prerequisites: 

15 points at level 1 in Church History or Systematic Theology

Corequisites: 

none

Prohibited Combinations: 

CH/CT189 Theological Issues of the Early Church

Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

3 hours of lectures and tutorials per week for 12 weeks, including some online coursework preparation and quizzes.

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
6
Total workload hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours for unit: 
108
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

Online quizzes in preparation for lectures

Weighting: 
10%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 2, 3
Assessment Type: 

1 x 2000 word essay on a key primary text in English translation

Weighting: 
40%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
4
Assessment Type: 

1 x 2500 word thematic essay

Weighting: 
50%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 2, 3
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • * Hall, S. Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church. London: SPCK, 2005.
  • * Stevenson, J. A New Eusebius: Documents illustrating the history of the Church to AD337. New edition, revised by Frend. London: SPCK, 1987.
  • * Stevenson, J. Creeds, Councils and Controversies: Documents illustrating the history of the Church AD337-461. New edition, revised by Frend. London: SPCK, 1991.
  • Ayres, L. Nicaea and its Legacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Behr, J. The Way to Nicaea. Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004.
  • Brown, P. Augustine of Hippo – A Biography. Berkeley: University of California, 2000.
  • Chadwick, H. Heresy and Orthodoxy in the Early Church. London: Variorum, 1991.
  • Evans, G., ed. The First Christian Theologians. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004.
  • Weinandy, T. Athanasius, a Theological Introduction. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007.

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.