THL131 The Christian Church to 500 CE (8)
This foundation subject introduces students to skills appropriate to studying church history, including the use and analysis of early texts and other documents. It encompasses the contributions of the Apostolic Fathers and early Christian Apologists and explores early challenges to the Christian movement from within and without. Close attention is given to Church-state relations and the reformulation of Christian theology by prominent theologians and significant councils, especially those convened at Nicaea and Chalcedon. The subject also examines early Christian monasticism, mission and the claims of the Bishop of Rome to supremacy.