58501 - Orthodox Church History and Institutions (1)

Course contents

In line with the intended learning outcomes, the course will retrace the main stages in the growing estrangement between the Greek East and the Latin West during the first millennium of Christian history, up to the rupture of communion. The history of the councils will serve as the principal point of entry and as a specific interpretative perspective, against the background of the project to publish conciliar decisions in Brepols’ Corpus Christianorum series (COGD). More specifically, the course will therefore examine what may properly be described as the prehistory of the Orthodox Church as it is commonly understood. It will trace the emergence of monasticism, the rise and crisis of the pentarchy of the apostolic patriarchates, and the relationship between professions of faith and canonical regulations, across the period marked by the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the consolidation of the Byzantine Empire. In the year of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea (325–2025), greater attention will be devoted to an account of this event.

Topics covered:

• elements of early synodality and apostolic Christianity: the first councils and the problems posed by their sources;
• the Arian crisis and its legacy: the underlying theological issues and their long-term repercussions;
• the major councils of the first millennium: the so-called ecumenical councils and the difficulties involved in this definition;
• the iconoclastic crisis, the filioque question, and the controversy over unleavened bread: the periodization of the estrangement between East and West.

Readings/Bibliography

BibliographyFOR THE EXAMINATION (required reading)

Primary sources (texts and introductions):

The Oecumenical Councils: From Nicaea I to Nicaea II (325–787), ed. by G. Alberigo, Turnhout 2006 [Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Generaliumque Decreta 1];

The Great Councils of the Orthodox Churches. Decisions and Synodika. From Constantinople 861 to Constantinople 1872, ed. by A. Melloni, with the collaboration of D. Dainese, Turnhout 2016 [Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Generaliumque Decreta 4.1], pp. 1–39.

Secondary literature:

E. Morini, Gli ortodossi, Bologna, Società editrice il Mulino, 2002 (Farsi un’idea, 77);

10 chapters of the student’s choice from Il concilio e il credo 325–2025. Storia e trasmissione dei simboli di Nicea e di Costantinopoli, ed. by C. Bianchi, A. Melloni, and M. Proietti, Il Portico-EDB, Bologna 2025.

Students who do not attend classes must also read:

A. Melloni, “Concili, ecumenicità e storia. Note di discussione,” in Cristianesimo nella Storia 28 (2007), pp. 509–542.

FURTHER READING (optional)

Ph. Blaudeau, Alexandrie et Constantinople, 451–491. De l’histoire à la géo-ecclésiologie, Rome 2006;

Ph. Blaudeau, Le siège de Rome et l’Orient (448–536). Étude géo-ecclésiologique, Rome 2012.

Teaching methods

Lectures; historical-critical analysis of primary sources. Attendance is not mandatory, but it helps students gain a better understanding of the material that will subsequently be assessed in the examination, whether written or oral (see the section “Assessment methods”)

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the classes, beginning on 8 February, will be considered attending students.

The oral examination will be based on the reading and commentary of primary sources and on the relevant secondary literature, and it may not be divided into two separate stages. Assessment will focus both on the ability to read ancient texts, including in Italian translation, and on specific knowledge of the history of Christianity. Students will be expected to demonstrate command of the relevant specialist vocabulary and knowledge of diachronic data, including dates and historical events.

The following are examples of possible questions and should be understood merely as a general indication of a much broader range of questions: “Read and comment on the horos of the Council of…”, “Discuss the Filioque.”

Assessment criteria

Excellent: a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in class, together with a critical approach demonstrating full command of both the subject matter and the relevant technical vocabulary.

Average: largely mnemonic knowledge and a not entirely accurate use of technical vocabulary.

Pass: a basic knowledge of the topics covered, including dates and names, without serious errors.

Fail: failure to meet the minimum requirements for a passing grade.

Examination sessions will normally be held in January, February, May, June, July, September, November, and December.

The use of generative AI in the assessment is prohibited. Any use of such tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides.

Students with specific learning disabilities or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office well in advance ([https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti ]). The office will propose any appropriate accommodations, which must in any case be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days before the examination date. The lecturer will assess their suitability, also in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Davide Dainese