RS120 Christianity: Past & Present   Fall 2007                       Fr. Richard Berube, SSE

 MWF 8:30-9:20                                                                          St. Edmund’s Hall 231, x2666

                                                                                                     Nicolle Hall 118, x2353

                                                                                                      rberube@smcvt.edu

Description: This course presents a survey of Christianity, its origins and major periods in its historical development, the character of its faith in God and in the person of Jesus Christ, and theological and ethical perspectives it offers on contemporary issues of moral choice and human community. This is a 3-credit course which satisfies a student’s first Liberal Studies requirement in the Religious Studies area, as does the 4-credit course RS130, Varieties of Christianity. Students must take one and only one 100-level course in Religious Studies; their second RS course must be chosen from the 200-level offerings.

Required Reading:

Catherine A. Cory & David T. Landry, eds., The Christian Theological Tradition (2nd ed., Prentice Hall, 2003).

New American Bible. St. Joseph Edition. Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992.  Online:  http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.htm

Policies & Evaluation:

--No unexcused class cuts; attendance taken regularly.

--Evaluation: There are three (four) tests scheduled on the Course Outline below, and a final exam which counts as two tests. The test average counts 80% of final grade. Attendance and participation will be evaluated for 20% of the final grade.

--For definition and standards of academic integrity, see "Saint Michael's College Policy on Academic Integrity."

Course Outline  ... follows the Cory-Landry text, with additional readings in the Bible. The specific reading assignments will be given weekly in class and on the course's eCollege site.

I. Roots and Foundations

A. Introduction:  Orientation to the course; fundamental concepts; Christianity as a "religion"

B.  The God of the Covenant:  The roots of Christianity in the religion of Israel, its understanding of God and of itself as People of God.

Particular attention will be paid to selected readings from the Old Testament:  Genesis 1:1-4:26; 6:1-9:28; 11:1-8; Genesis 12-24; Exodus 1-34; 2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 1-11; 40:1-44:8; 52:13-55:13.  Test 1

C. "The gospel of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God":  An introduction to the New Testament, with particular emphasis on the Gospel of Mark, Acts of the Apostles, and 1 Thessalonians.  Test 2

II. Emperors, Popes, Councils, Cathedrals, and Universities:  Developments of Christianity in the Middle Ages, including the division of Eastern (Greek, Orthodox) and Western (Latin, Roman) Churches and the challenge of Islam.  Test 3

III. Challenges of Reformation and Modernity:  Protestant Reformation, Catholic Reformation, Christianity and the Enlightenment, Christianity in the Contemporary World.  (Test 4)