NEJS 128a. Introduction to ChristianityBrandeis University

Spring 2018Syllabus

_________________________________________________________________Instructor: Bernadette J. Brooten Meeting times: Tuesday, Thursday 2:00–3:20Meeting place: Office: Mandel Humanities Center 113Telephone: 781-736-2978Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, 3:30–4:15; or by appointment.Email: brooten@brandeis.edu

Course Description Introduction to Christian beliefs, liturgy, and history. Survey of the

largest world religion: from Mediterranean to East Asian Christianity, from Black theology to the Christian Right. Analysis of Christian debates about God, Christ, and human beings. Study of differences among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox.

Learning Goals

This class will introduce students to a movement that has had a great impact on world history and help students to develop the methods necessary for understanding Christian theological debates; for interpreting Christian art, architecture, and music; and for understanding the religious values that motivate Christians in private and in public. At the end of the class, I want students to know the key Christian doctrines; to know where Christianity came from, how it spread, and how it split into Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christianity; and to recognize the main characteristics of Christian churches in different regions of the world.

Course Requirements

1. Active class participation (class attendance; preparation of the readings and LATTE postings; making thoughtful comments in class). I will call on students to summarize and comment on the required reading for the day. Any student may tell me before

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20181

class (up to twice) that she or he is not prepared and may “pass” for that class. Students are required to post a short paragraph on LATTE one time per week for ten of the thirteen weeks of class commenting on the readings by 8:00 PM the evening before that reading is discussed. Whenever you can, I encourage you to speak with one or more Christians whom you know or whom you seek out, such as a religious leader, to discuss with them what you have read and to incorporate that into your posting. Students are required to read these postings before each class session. This will help us all to focus our discussion and make for a more informed discussion. It also helps you to focus your reading more sharply. More than three unexcused absences during the semester will result in a lower grade. You must bring to class the reading for the day, either in hard copy or on your laptop. [25% of final grade, 25 points]

2. One class presentation (10 minutes) on a topic of your choosing or on one or more of the primary or secondary sources that we are discussing in class. (A primary source dates from the period under study. A secondary source is a scholarly critique or analysis of primary sources.) This could take the form of a PowerPoint presentation based on your analysis of a text or issue. Alternatively, you could experiment with a more creative format, such as pairing up with another student to engage in a sixteenth-century debate over the Protestant Reformation or a twenty-first-century debate over whether churches should engage in missionary activity. Please provide a written text of at least one page, such as a PowerPoint during the presentation or a study guide posted on LATTE by 8:00 PM at least two days before the presentation. [15% of your final grade, 15 points].

3. One brief paper (5 pp., 14-pitch font, double spaced; please number your pages; endnotes do not count in the page length) on your “reading” of a Christian church or chapel in the Boston area, based on a visit to the church, preferably during a worship service. When you select a church to visit, please read about the branch and denomination of Christianity from which it comes in Ramshaw and González. I also recommend that you look at the website of the specific denomination. Due posted to Turnitin and then to LATTE by Friday, February 16th, at

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20182

4:00 PM. If you are unable, for religious reasons, to visit a church, then you may base your paper on a worship service that you view on television or the web or on a video of the inside of a specific church. Please use the frameworks found in the methodological readings assigned for class. Please use the style sheet posted on LATTE, along with the Sample Endnotes. [25% of your final grade, 25 points]

4. One brief research paper on a topic other than that of the class presentation (10–12 pp. or up to 18 pp. for graduate students, 14-pitch font, double spaced; please number your pages; endnotes do not count in the page length): Please post a one-page, detailed outline, and a one-page bibliography of primary and secondary sources to LATTE by Friday, March 16th, by 4:00 PM. If you post the complete paper, with endnotes first to Turnitin and then to LATTE by Monday, March 26th, by 8 PM, you will receive comments and an evaluation of it by Monday, April 9th, and you will be able to revise it and submit the revised version by Monday, April 23rd. If you submit the paper by Friday, April 20th at 5:00 PM, you will receive an evaluation, but no comments. You may select a topic from a list to be handed out in class or you may choose your own topic in consultation with the instructor. Please use the Style Sheet and the Sample Endnotes posted on LATTE. [35% of final grade, 35 points]

Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week)

Success in this 4 credit-hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.). 

Students with DisabilitiesIf you are a student with a documented disability on record at

Brandeis University and wish to have an accommodation made for you in this class, please provide me with documentation at the beginning of the semester.

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20183

Policy on Sexual and Racial HarassmentAs a means of preventing sexual and racial harassment, I invite

students in the final student evaluation forms to comment on the following question: “Has the instructor sexually or racially harassed you during the semester?” I do this to give students an anonymous means of reporting such behavior and to make public my commitment not to engage in it. Beyond this, I hope that you will feel free to tell me about any problems in the sexual or racial dynamics of the course so that I can address them--to the best of my ability.

Policy on Incompletes and Late PapersPlanning ahead can mean that you are better able to cope with the

crises that will arise during the semester. Please be aware that I do not normally grant incompletes. Only a very major emergency can result in an incomplete. Please also be aware that late papers will receive lower grades. These policies exist out of fairness to all of the students who, in the face of similar crises and overloads, nevertheless complete their work on time.

If you have any special needs or concerns with respect to this class, be sure to discuss these with me during the first two weeks of class.

University Policy on Academic Integrity Academic integrity is central to the mission of education

excellence at Brandeis University. Each student is expected to turn in work completed independently, except when assignments specifically authorize collaborative effort. It is not acceptable to use the words or ideas of another person—be it a world-class philosopher or your lab partner—without proper acknowledgment of that source. This means that you must use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the source of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ideas found in published volumes, on the internet, or created by another student.

Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section 4 of Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/rightsresponsibilities/2017-18%20RR.pdf) may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, and could end in suspension from the University. If you are in doubt about the instruction for any assignment in this course, you must ask for clarification.

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20184

Experiential LearningThis class is designated as an Experiential Learning Class and

will incorporate exercises and elements in which you will engage with the material in ways that relate to your own life experiences. At the end of the semester, you will be asked to comment on the EL aspects of the course.

Course Books

Required:

Bushman, Richard Lyman. Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN-10: 0195310306.ISBN-13: 978-0195310306.

González, Justo L. Church History: An Essential Guide. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. ISBN: 9780687016112

Pagels, Elaine H. Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas. New York: Random House, 2003. ISBN 9780375703164.

Raboteau, Albert J. Canaan Land: A Religious history of African Americans. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Raheb, Mitri and Suzanne Watts Henderson. The Cross in Contexts: Suffering and Redemption in Palestine. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2017. ISBN: 9781626982291

Ramshaw, Gail. What is Christianity? An Introduction to the Christian Religion. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013. ISBN  9780800698195.

Recommended:

Geffert, Bryan and Theofanis G. Stavrou. Eastern Orthodox Christianity: The Essential Texts. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2016. ISBN: 9780300196788

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20185

Noll, Mark A. The Civil War as a Theological Crisis. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2006. ISBN 13: 978-0-8078-3012-3.

Course OutlineFor the New Testament readings, I suggest using the New Revised

Standard Version, especially with the introductions and notes found in the HarperCollins Study Bible. You will find copies of various translations of the Christian Bible in the Judaica Reference Room of the library. These do not circulate and are therefore not on reserve. Please bring a Christian Bible with you to class whenever the reading assignment includes references to it. If you use the online biblical text at, e.g., Oremus Bible Browser (http://bible.oremus.org/), select the NRSV in the American version, i.e., not the Anglicized edition.

Thurs., Jan. 11 1. Introduction, Development of Discussion Guidelines2. The Branches of Christianity: Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Mormonism

Tues., Jan. 16 Why Does Christianity Have So Many Different Churches?Required Reading:Ramshaw, Christianity, Introduction, Chap. 5

Thurs., Jan. 18 Brandeis Monday, no class

Tues., Jan. 23 How to Read a ChurchRequired Reading:David Chidester and Edward Linenthal. Eds. “Introduction” in American Sacred Space. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995, 1–43 (LATTE)Peter Williams. “How to Read a Church,” in Art and the Religious Impulse. Lewisburg PA and London: Bucknell University Press, 2002, 42–61 (LATTE)Recommended Reading:Peter W. Williams. Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States.

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20186

Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1997, 1–10, 16–23, 28–30 (LATTE)Robert Orsi. Ed. Gods of the City: Religion and the American Urban Landscape. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1999, 1–13, 40–51 (LATTE)Marilyn J. Chiat. America’s Religious Architecture: Sacred Places for Every Community. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley, 1997, 21–22, 45–47, 49–51 (LATTE)

Thurs., Jan. 25 How Do Christians Worship?Required Reading:Ramshaw, Chap. 6John Baggley. “The Spirituality of Icon Painters.” The Doors of Perception: Icons and Their Spiritual Significance. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995. Chap. 6. LATTE

Reading for next Thurs. is a little heavier than usual. You may want to read ahead in order to keep up.

Tues., Jan. 30 The Christian BibleRequired Reading:Ramshaw, Chap. 1Gospel of Matthew (either print, Harper Collins Study Bible, Jewish Study Bible, or online, http://bible.oremus.org/)Recommended Viewing: “From Jesus to Christ,” episodes 1–2 (streaming available through the library)

Thurs., Feb. 1 More Gospel Portraits of JesusRequired Reading:Pagels, Beyond Belief, Chaps. 1–2Gospel of John (either print, Harper Collins Study Bible, Jewish Study Bible, or online, http://bible.oremus.org/)

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20187

Gospel of Thomas trans. Thomas O. Lambdin and Bentley Layton: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/thomas-layton.html)Recommended Viewing: “From Jesus to Christ,” episodes 3–4 (streaming available through the library)“Mary Magdalene: The Hidden Apostle”

Tues., Feb. 6 Irenaeus (=Eirenaios, 2nd C.) Struggles to Unite His Community: Orthodoxy and Heresy Required Reading: Pagels, Chaps. 3–4

The reading for next Tuesday is a bit heavier than usual. Try to get a head start on it.

Thurs., Feb. 8 Christianity from the Ancient Church to the Christian Empire Required Reading: Pagels, Chap. 5 González. Church History, Introduction, Overview, Chaps. 1–2The Nicene Creed (Nicaeo-Constantinopolitan Creed, 325, 381 CE) (This is the Eastern Version) (https://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine-scripture/the-symbol-of-faith/nicene-creed) Read it in the Western version at anglicansonline.org/basics/nicene.html. Arius explains his doctrine to Alexander of Alexandria (Athanasios, De synodis 4:458; in Eastern Orthodoxy, 49–50) (LATTE)

Tues., Feb. 13 Church History from the Early Middle Ages through the

ReformationRequired Viewing: “Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World” Required Reading:González, Chaps. 3–6

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 20188

Weaver, Mary Jo and David Brakke. Introduction to Christianity. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2009, Chap. 5 (LATTE)Martin Luther, “Concerning the Lord’s Supper” and “Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism”Schleitheim Confession (Anabaptist, 1527)John Calvin. Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, chap. 14, sections 1 and 17; chap. 16, section 1–4; and chap. 17, section 10–12 “Protestant Fray over Meaning of Bread, Wine , ” Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 1997Recommended:McGrath. Christian Theology, chap. 3 (on LATTE)

Thurs., Feb. 15 Church History from the Seventeenth through the Nineteenth Centuries Required Reading: González, Chaps. 7–8 Weaver and Brakke, Chap. 8 (LATTE)

Tues., Feb. 20 Spring Break: No Class

Thurs., Feb. 22 Spring Break: No Class

Tues., Feb. 29 Special Guest Lecture Linford Fisher, Brown University “Native Perspectives on Evangelization and Mission (17th–19th C.)” Required Reading: TBA

Thurs., Mar. 1 African American Church History (16th–19th C.) Raboteau. Canaan Land, Chaps. 1–4

Tues., Mar. 6 African American Church History (20th C.) Raboteau, Chaps. 5–7

Thurs., Mar. 8 Other Church History of the Twentieth Century Required Reading: González, Chap. 9

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 2018

9

Tues., Mar. 13 Special Guest Lecture (via videoconference) Sonja G. Anderson, Carleton College (Gender and the Catholic Church) Required Reading: TBA Recommended Viewing: “Radical Grace”

Thurs., Mar. 15 What Do Christians Believe About Jesus? Required Reading: Ramshaw, Chap. 3 Nicene Creed (review) Daphne Hampson. Theology and Feminism. Oxford: Blackwell, 1990, 50–52: on the possibility of a feminist Christology; McGrath, 4.31 (LATTE) Mercy Amba Oduyoye. Introducing African Women’s Theology. Cleveland: Pilgrim, 2001. Chap. 4 (LATTE)

Tues., Mar. 20 What Do Christians Believe About God? Part I Required Reading: Ramshaw, Chap. 1 Gregory of Nazianzus on the Gradual Revelation of the Trinity; McGrath 3.10 (380 CE) (LATTE) Hilary of Poitiers on the Trinity; McGrath 3.11 (359–360 CE) (LATTE)

Thurs., Mar. 22 What Do Christians Believe About God? Part II Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 390 CE) Not Three Gods (To Ablabius). In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Bryan Geffert and Theofanis G. Stavrou, 72–80 (LATTE)Augustine on the Trinity; McGrath 3.12 (400–416 CE) (LATTE) The Eleventh Council of Toledo on the Trinity; McGrath 3.18 (675 CE) (LATTE)Thomas Aquinas on Proofs for the Existence of God; McGrath 1.9 (1266–1273 CE) (LATTE) Anne Carr on Feminism and the Maleness of God; McGrath 3.35 (1993)

Thurs., Mar. 27 What Do Christians Believe About the Spirit and the Church?

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 201810

Required Reading: Ramshaw, Chap. 4 Alan Heaton Anderson. An Introduction to Pentecostalism. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, Chap. 9 (LATTE)

Tues., Apr. 3 Passover/Easter: No Class

Thurs., Apr. 5 Passover/Easter: No Class

Tues., Apr. 10 Global Christianity I: Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints Required Reading: Bushman. Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction II. Harold Recinos. “Issues in U.S. Latino/Latina Theology.” Quarterly Review 25 (2005), at:http://quarterlyreview.org/pdfs/VOL25NO3FALL2005.pdf#page=105

Thurs., Apr. 12 Global Christianity: II. Orthodox ChristianityRequired Reading and Viewing:Timothy (Kallistos) Ware. “The Earthly Heaven,” Eastern Orthodox Theology. Ed. Daniel B. Clendenin. 2d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003, chap. 1View the following images:Christ Pantocrator (6th C.). Encaustic (technique using bees’ wax). Holy Monastery of St. Catherine at Sinai, Egypt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Christ_Pantocrator_icon,_6th_Century#/media/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpgThe Old Testament Trinity (ca. 1410s) by Andrey Rublyov (Russian, ca. 1360/70–1430). Tempera on wood.  at http://members.valley.net/~transnat/trinlg.htmlHodigitria Mother of God (ca. 1800; Russian). Smolensk.Tempera, gold leaf, chalk on wood.

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 201811

http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/July/28-01.htm

Apr. 17 Global Christianity: III. Coptic (Egyptian) ChristianityRequired Reading:Lois Farag. “Theology: Defending Orthodoxy,” and “Spirituality in God’s Presence.” In The Coptic Christian Heritage: History, Faith, and Culture. Ed. Lois Farag. New York: Routledge, 2013, chaps. 7, 9 (LATTE)IV. Palestinian ChristianityRequired Reading: Mitri Rahen and Suzanne Watts Henderson. The Cross in Contexts: Suffering and Redemption in Palestine. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2017.

Tues., Apr. 19 Visit to Goldfarb Library Archives and CollectionsMeet at the main entrance to the library

Viewing and discussion of:• Book of hours • Book of hours • Book of hours • Dominica quarta Adventus• Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis • Biblia sacra • Expositio beati Gregorii pape super Cantica canticorum• Biblia latina • Heures nouvelles dédiées à Monseigneur Dauphin◦ Luther:

▪ Ain sermo[n] von dem vnrechten Mammon Luce am XVI▪ Ausslegunge des hayligen Vatter vnsers: für die ainfeltigen Layen▪ Verzeichung vnd Register aller Bücher und Schrifften D. Mart. Luther, durch yn aussgelassen, vom Iar 1518 bis yns acht un[d] zwentzigst

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 201812

Tues., Apr. 24 How Have Christians Read the Bible throughout the Centuries and What Difference Does it Make? Part IRequired Reading:Augustine. On the Usefulness of Believing 3.9, in Christian Theology Reader. Ed. McGrath. 2.8, pp. 47–48Bernhard of Clairvaux. Sermons on the Song of Songs 46.2, in Christian Theology Reader. Ed. McGrath. 2.11, p. 51Martin Luther. Commentary on Galatians, selections, in Christian Theology Reader. Ed. McGrath. 2.14, pp. 54–55 James L. Kugel. How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now. New York: Free Press, 2007, 1–46“Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy” (1978) at www.jpusa.org/jpusa/documents/biblical.htm

Thurs., Apr. 26 How Have Christians Read the Bible throughout the Centuries and What Difference Does it Make? Part II Required viewing:“Vanished: Left Behind – Next Generation” (film)Required reading:Paul: 1 Corinthians 15Luke 24Paul: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 Revelation of JohnBarbara R. Rossing. “Prophecy, End-Times, and American Apocalypse: Reclaiming Hope for our World.” Anglican Theological Review 89 (2007) 549–563N. T. Wright. “Farewell to the Rapture.” Bible Review (August 2011); NTWrightPage: http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/farewell-to-the-rapture/

Recommended Reading:Clarice J. Martin. “Womanist Interpretations of the New Testament.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 6 (1990) 41–61

NEJS 128a. Introduction to Christianity, Syllabus 201813