12852 - History of Christendom (1)

Learning outcomes

Students will get the adequate knowledge to frame early Christianity in its diverse historical, geographical, and cultural contexts, and will know its main sources and events; they will get the skills to approach the historical study of Christianity, by applying the appropriate methods of analysis.

Course contents

The course aims to provide an introduction to the history of Christian origins, showing their dynamic and multifaceted character and the relationships of Christianity with its diverse historical and geographical contexts. Through the study of the texts and the historical events that emerge from them, we will reconstruct the transition from the activity of the historical Jesus to the transmission and reinterpretation of his words and deeds made, in different ways, by the various groups of his followers. This course focuses on the time from the life of Jesus to the end of the 2nd century CE, when the conceptual and organizational structures that define Christianity as a religious system begin to take hold. The 2nd century also saw the emergence of some of the most significant “alternative” currents to what was emerging as “orthodoxy.”

Topics will include the definition of the historical relationship between Christianity and Judaism; the teachings of the historical Jesus; the analysis of gospels, apocalypses, and other early Christian texts; doctrines and practices of the main early Christian groups; how the New Testament canon arose; how and when the notion of “heresy” arose.

The first module (= 6-credit course) will explore the aforementioned topics through an overview of the history and foundational texts of early Christianity.

The 12-credit course also includes a second module, in which we will examine, from a more monographic perspective, certain specific texts of second-century Christianity, reconstructing their origins and the contexts of their formation and dissemination. In particular, the course will focus on the Gospel of Thomas (the most important of the so-called “apocryphal” writings), the Apocryphon of John (the most important Gnostic text), and the Ascension of Isaiah (a text at the crossroads of significant historical and cultural trajectories in early Christianity).

Readings/Bibliography

I) Exam bibliography for Module (1) (cod. 12852, 6 cfu):

1) A. Annese, F. Berno, M. Fallica, M. Mantovani, Le origini cristiane. Testi e autori (secoli I-II), Carocci, Roma 2021 (in its entirety).

2) E. Prinzivalli (ed.), Storia del cristianesimo. I. L’età antica (secoli I-VII), Carocci, Roma 2015 (or reprints), only pp. 15-218.

Non-attending students will add one of the following volumes:

- E. Norelli, La nascita del cristianesimo, il Mulino, Bologna 2014.

- M. Pesce, Da Gesù al cristianesimo, Morcelliana, Brescia 2011 (or reprints).

 

II) Exam bibliography for Module (1) + Module (2) (cod. 12613, 12 cfu):

1) A. Annese, F. Berno, M. Fallica, M. Mantovani, Le origini cristiane. Testi e autori (secoli I-II), Carocci, Roma 2021 (in its entirety).

2) E. Prinzivalli (ed.), Storia del cristianesimo. I. L’età antica (secoli I-VII), Carocci, Roma 2015 (or reprints), only pp. 15-218 (= chapp. 1-6).

3) A. Annese, Il Vangelo di Tommaso. Introduzione storico-critica, Carocci, Roma 2019.

4) F. Berno, L’Apocrifo di Giovanni. Introduzione storico-critica, Carocci, Roma 2019.

5) Ascension of Isaiah: for those who read French, E. Norelli (éd.), Ascension du prophète Isaïe, Brepols, Turnhout 1993 or E. Norelli (éd.), “Ascension d’Isaïe”, in F. Bovon et P. Geoltrain (éds.), Écrits apocryphes chrétiens, vol. 1, Gallimard, Paris 1997, pp. 501-545. Alternatively, those who need an Italian translation will study the translation with introduction and notes in M. Erbetta (ed.), Apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento, vol. 3: Lettere e Apocalissi, 1969, pp. 175-204.

Non-attending students will add two of the following volumes:

- E. Norelli, La nascita del cristianesimo, il Mulino, Bologna 2014.

- M. Pesce, Da Gesù al cristianesimo, Morcelliana, Brescia 2011 (or reprints).

- C. Gianotto, I vangeli apocrifi. Un’altra immagine di Gesù, il Mulino, Bologna 2018.

- Ch. Markschies, La gnosi, Claudiana, Torino 2019.

Teaching methods

Taught class; historical-critical analysis of sources; use of images and PowerPoint presentations (with maps, reproductions of manuscripts, etc.).

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

Oral exam based on the subjects of the course and the books required. Students will be examined on their command of the specific vocabulary; on their knowledge of the topics of the course; on their ability to present clearly what has been learned; on their degree of acquisition of the methodological skills necessary for the study of ancient Christianity, illustrated during the course; on their ability to analyze problems and sources. Final Grade:

- knowledge of a very limited number of topics covered in the course, analytical skills that emerge only with the help of the teacher, poor command of vocabulary, poor clarity of exposition, methodological principles acquired in a barely sufficient way: grade 18-19;

- knowledge of a limited number of topics covered in the course, capacity for independent analysis little more than sufficient, sufficient command of vocabulary, fair clarity of exposition, methodological principles acquired at a fair level: grade 20-24;

- knowledge of a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis, good command of specific terminology, good clarity of exposition, good competence in the methodological principles of the discipline: grade 25-29;

- very thorough knowledge of the topics covered in the course, excellent ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and logical connection, full command of specific terminology and excellent argumentation skills, high familiarity with the methodological principles of the discipline: grade 30-30L.

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year:

February, March, May, June, July, September, October or November, December (one session for each of these months). Sessions are available for all students (if not otherwise noted in AlmaEsami).

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Exams: With regard to learning assessment, the use of AI is prohibited during in-person exams. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

Images, PowerPoint presentations, handouts with texts prepared by the teacher (uploaded on Virtuale).

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Annese