FF:RLKA06 Christianity I - Course Information

RLKA06 Christianity I

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 6 credit(s) (plus 1 credit for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. František Novotný, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)

Guaranteed by

doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts

Timetable

Fri 23. 9. 14:10–17:25 G25, Fri 21. 10. 14:10–17:25 G25, Fri 18. 11. 14:10–17:25 G25

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Study of Religions (programme FF, B-PH)

Course objectives

The course offers basic information on the evolution of Christianity from its rise in the context of the late hellenistic world, passing through a progressive institutionalization and formation of orthodoxy during late antiquity to the history of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The course aims not only at the history of Christian thought, but also at the development of institutions and cultic life.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

describe the most important phenomena and trends of development of Christianity from its beginnings up to 1500 A.D.;

summarize and interpret (on a basic level) some Christian texts (e.g. New Testament, Gospel of Thomas, Didache and the Dialogus miraculorum by Caesarius of Heisterbach);

understand (on a basic level) even other common Christian texts from the period up to 1500 A.D.;

use the terminology of the Christian tradition and its historical and social scientific study;

distinguish the scientific approach to events and phenomena in the history of Christianity from the unscientific (confessional, polemical...);

summarize sources analytically.

Syllabus

• (0) Introduction to the course, conditions of completion.
• (1) Academic study of Christianity. Problem of “historical Jesus”.
• (2) Rise of Christianity.
• (3) Orthodoxy and heresy in the ancient Christianity.
• (4) Historical evolution of Christianity in the 2nd-6th century.
• (5) Christian theological thought in the 2nd-6th century.
• (6) Biblical text, liturgical books.
• (7) Spread and differentiation of Christianity in the 4th-10th century.
• (8) Medieval monasticism.
• (9) Crusades and orders of knighthood. Evolution of the papacy.
• (10) Medieval theological and philosophical thought, scholasticism.
• (11) Orthodoxy and heresy in the medieval Christianity.
• (12) Evolution of the western Christianity in the Late Middle Ages.
• Detailed information: see Study materials (in Czech only).

Literature

required literature
• PAPOUŠEK, Dalibor. Burton L. Mack a projekt religionistické reinterpretace počátků křesťanství (Burton L. Mack and the project of academic reinterpretation of Christian origins). Religio : revue pro religionistiku. Brno: Česká společnost pro studium náboženství, 2002, vol. 10, No 1, p. 95-112. ISSN 1210-3640. online info
• Rané křesťanství : počátky a vývoj církve do roku 600. Edited by Ian Hazlett, Translated by Petr Kitzler. 1. vyd. Brno: CDK (Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury), 2009, 319 s. ISBN 9788073251598. info
• FRANZEN, August and Roland FRÖHLICH. Malé dějiny církve. Translated by Bedřich Smékal - Marta Rynešová. 3., dopl. a rozš. vyd. V Kostelním Vydří: Karmelitánské nakladatelství, 2006, 398 s. ISBN 8071950823. info
• ZBÍRAL, David. Formování křesťanství a jeho vývoj do konce středověku. In Náboženství světa I: Západní tradice. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, p. 79-86. ISBN 978-80-210-7199-5. PDF online info
• ZBÍRAL, David. Vývoj křesťanských rituálů. In Náboženství světa I: Západní tradice. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, p. 87-95. ISBN 978-80-210-7199-5. PDF online info

recommended literature
• FILIPI, Pavel. Křesťanstvo :historie, statistika, charakteristika křesťanských církví. 1. vyd. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury, 1996, 197 s. ISBN 80-85959-10-0. info
• POKORNÝ, Petr. Literární a teologický úvod do Nového zákona. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1993, 333 s. ISBN 8070210524. info
• PAVLINCOVÁ, Helena, Břetislav HORYNA, Miloš MENDEL and Dalibor PAPOUŠEK. Judaismus, křesťanství, islám (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). 2. přeprac. vyd. Olomouc: Nakladatelství Olomouc, 2003, 664 pp. ---. ISBN 80-7182-165-9. info
• MACK, Burton L. Who wrote the new testament? : the making of the Christian myth. San Francisco: Harper, 1995, ix, 326. ISBN 0060655186. info
• PAPOUŠEK, Dalibor. Počátky křesťanství (The Origins of Christianity). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 149 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6920-6. Digitální knihovna FF MU info

Teaching methods

Lectures, home reading, multimedia.

Assessment methods

Examination
Two written tests based on the required reading, lectures, and presentations (100 points each, the minimum of 60 points is required to pass the test, which is a prerequisite for the oral examination).
Submission of abstracts of source texts (see Study materials), evaluated (25 % of the final evaluation).
Oral examination (75 % of the final evaluation).
Colloquium
Two written tests based on the required reading, lectures, and presentations (100 points each, the minimum of 60 points is required to pass the test).
General information
The type of completion “Examination” is compulsory for the students of the “Study of Religions” study programmes.
See Study materials for detailed information.

Language of instruction

Czech

Follow-Up Courses

• RLKA07 Christianity II

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: bloková výuka.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.

Information about innovation of course.

This course has been innovated under the project "Faculty of Arts as Centre of Excellence in Education: Complex Innovation of Study Programmes and Fields at FF MU with Regard to the Requirements of the Knowledge Economy“ – Reg. No. CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0228, which is cofinanced by the European Social Fond and the national budget of the Czech Republic.

Listed among pre-requisites of other courses

• RLBcB016 Christianity and Heresies
  (RLA06 && RLA07) || (RLKA06 && RLKA07) || (RLBcA006 && RLBcA007) || (RLBcKA006 && RLBcKA007) || !RLB16  
• RLBcB215 Religion in Poland
  (RLA06 || RLKA06 || RLBcA006 || RLBcKA006) && (RLA07 || RLKA07 || RLBcA007 || RLBcKA007) && !RLB215  
• RLBcB530 Christianization of Europe
  RLA06 || RLKA06 || RLB34  

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2016, recent)
  
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