Early Church History (30-451 AD)
Unit Overview
The world in which the early church ministered (30-451 AD) is a lot like ours. Faced with the external pressures of persecution and misunderstanding, early Christian leaders had to defend the faith in the midst of crowd-pleasing philosophies and a domineering Roman empire. As they fought against enemies outside the church, they fought just as hard against those within, in an attempt to unite Christians in doctrine and ecclesiology. At the heart of it was the nature of the deity of Christ, and more broadly, the nature and existence of the Trinity.
Featuring fiery bishops, power-hungry Emperors, desert monks and famous thinkers like Augustine, Early Church History is a subject alive with people and ideas who have shaped the world. The progress of the Gospel in the first five centuries is a remarkable story, one Christians must examine, to learn how the early church defended the faith, so we can do the same.
Please visit the timetable by clicking here for the current dates on when this unit is offered.
Unit Details
| Mode |
Online |
On-campus |
| Workload |
One semester
12 credit points |
One semester
12 credit points |
| Status |
core for 2+ year courses |
core for 2+ year courses |
| Unit Code |
CH005 |
CH005 |
| Teacher |
Scott Harrower |
Scott Harrower |
| Reading List (Bibliography) |
Online |
On-Campus |
*NOTE: the reading list is only accessible with a student online login
Unit Content
- The First Churches
- The Apostolic Fathers and Apologists
- The Early Theological Issues
- The Expansion and Development of the Church
- Church and Empire to Constantine
- The Interaction of Church and Society after Constantine
- The Christological and Trinitarian Controversies
- Augustine and his times
Study Expectations
In this unit, you can expect to be guided through a variety of weekly learning activities which are designed to develop your understanding of and skills in the themes and passages related to your unit. For online students, these usually include watching videos, reading, completing set learning tasks and contributing to online seminars and interacting with your peers. Allow 8-10 hours study time per week for this unit.
