PRAYER & SPIRITUALITY IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY (STSP-4001)

The purpose of this lecture/seminar course is to introduce students to the development of early Christian spirituality, exploring different approaches to prayer and individual transformation and their close relationship with the church’s emerging doctrinal consensus on Christology, soteriology, and deification. The class will focus on the tradition of the Eastern church in the first centuries of Christianity, while also addressing its later Byzantine rendition, as well as the Syrian tradition and the writings of Augustine of Hyppo. The class is geared towards Masters and STL students, but doctoral students are also welcome to attend. Students are expected to give class presentations on the assigned material, submit a weekly reflection (1-2 pages), and write two papers (10-12 pages each) or a longer research paper (20-25 pages). The course will be taught on-line with a synchronous component, but students also have the option to take the course asynchronously. [Auditors With Faculty Permission]