Students are asked to research and compile their own pertinent bibliographies for each topic, but a brief ‘pump-priming’ list is linked to each essay question below.
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The Parting of the Ways
-
“Jewish Christianity”
- Was there a movement of “Jewish” Christianity, and what happened to it?
- Primary Sources:
- Patristic texts on the Ebionites – see Skarsaune 2007
- Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions 1.27-72
-
Law and Ethics
- Did early Christian ethics derive from Jewish or Greek sources?
- Primary Sources:
- New Testament letters of Paul
- Aristides
- Epistle to Diognetus
-
Orthodoxy and Heresy
- Was heresy before orthodoxy?
- Primary Sources:
- Irenaeus, Against Heresies
- Letters of Ignatius and Polycarp
-
Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism
- Were the Gnostics a Christian sect or cult?
- Primary Sources:
- Irenaeus
- Apocryphon of John
- Testimony of Truth
-
Apostolic Fathers
- Did the Christian community in Rome think of itself as the apostolic mother church?
- Discuss with reference to:
- Shepherd of Hermas
- 1 Clement
-
Apologists
- Is there anything distinctly Christian about Justin’s apologetics?
- Primary Sources:
- Justin, First and Second Apology
- OR: ‘The only belief separating Justin from Trypho is that of Jesus as the Messiah.’ Discuss.
- Primary Sources:
- Dialogue with Trypho
-
Ecclesiology
- ‘We have virtually no idea what the Early Christians did at church.’ Discuss.
- Primary Sources:
- The Didache
- 1 Corinthians, Acts
- NT and Early Christian ‘Hymns’
- Pliny, Ep. 96 to Trajan
rev 12/16
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