Course Syllabus
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Lecture 1 The Roman World
Lecture 2 Judaea in the Time of Christ
Lecture 3 The Age of the Apostles
Lecture 4 The Spread of Christianity
Lecture 5 The Organization of the Early Church
Lecture 6 Christian Heresies
Lecture 7 The Early Church Fathers
Lecture 8 Roman Persecutions
Lecture 9 The Conversion of Constantine
Lecture 10 Christianity as the Official Religion of Rome
Lecture 11 The Rise of Christian Monasticism
Lecture 12 The Latin Fathers
Lecture 13 Christianity and the Fall of Rome in the West
Lecture 14 Challenges from the East
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Entrusting the apostles to continue the work he had
started by instructing them to “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit . . .,” Jesus kindled
the fires of a new religion in a world largely dominated
by polytheism, cult leader worship, and mysticism. In
the first century of its existence, Christianity was both
welcomed and vilified throughout the Roman Empire.
Many of Christianity’s original adherents were martyred
—murdered by those who believed it a danger to their
authority or, at the very least, the cause of unrest among
an otherwise docile populace.
Christians themselves practiced their religion with great
diversity, linked as much to local influences as theology.
Political intrigue, theological beliefs, and simple misunderstandings
created a need for dialogue between the
many practitioners of the growing faith.
Christianity’s adoption as the official faith of the Roman
state tied it inexorably to the fortunes of the Empire. This
also helped to create a gulf between the two main
theological branches of the religion, which remain to
this day.
 From Jesus to Christianity: A History of the Early Church (Booklet)
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Professor
Professor Thomas F. Madden
(Saint Louis University)
Thomas F. Madden is a professor of
history and director of the Center for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint
Louis University. His numerous scholarly
publications include Empires of Trust: How
Rome Built—and America Is Building—a
NewWorld (Dutton, 2008), The New
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Course Forum
Course Final Exam
Religion
