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Themes in Church History Papers
Preparation of three 750-1000 word papers that track the development of one of the following
themes through history for the periods of c. 50 CE to c. 300 CE (first paper), 300 CE to 1000 CE
(second paper), 1000 CE to 1450 CE
(third paper).
• Church structure and organization
• Mission and outreach
• Relationship between church and state
• Role of women in the church
• Theological developments
• Worship and piety
With the permission of the instructor, you may select a different theme. You must keep the same
theme for all periods.
Within the word limit, each paper should narrate major events, movements, and figures from history
for that period. The course text and readings and class lectures will provide most of the information
you need to write an acceptable paper. Drawing on an additional secondary historical work in a way
that demonstrates serious engagement with that text will mark an outstanding paper. (NB: In other
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words, you will probably need to find and read at least one chapter of a history that is not a text book
and found in Wesley’s library or online library resources.)
Please submit all papers double spaced in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1 inch margins.
Papers that do not meet or exceed the word limits will be marked down. Late papers will lose one
percentage point for each day late. Papers must include complete footnotes for all references and a
bibliography. Please use the Turabian footnote-bibliography style. Several universities have
published helpful guides to Turabian online, and the many libraries have printed copies of the
Turabian style guide. Proper citation of all sources is expected, so any quotation of three words in
length or greater must be footnoted
Primary reading
Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the
Reformation Revised and Updated (New York: Harper One, 2010)
Gonzalez, pp. 1-57
Gonzalez, pp. 58-96; chs. 7 – 9
Robert Louis Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them Second Ed. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 94-125.
Coakley, John W., and Andrea Sterk, eds. Readings in World Christian History. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004 (RWCH)
Ignatius of Antioch
Irenaeus of Lyons
Gonzalez, pp. 149-192; chs. 14-17
Alister McGrath, Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 135-172.
RWCH:
Arius and Alexander (pp. 98-101)
Nicene Creed and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (pp. 101-102)
Athanasius of Alexandria (pp. 131-144)
Leanne M. Dzubinski and Anneke H. Stasson, Women in the Mission of the Church: Their Opportunities and Obstacles throughout Christian History (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021), 59-82.
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