THEO 366 - Early Christianity in Rome

3 Credit Hours
Rome is a uniquely rich environment to study the art, architecture, literature and burial practices of the early Church in Rome. These elements then help us to appreciate the developing theology and community practices of these early Christians. This theology class begins with a discussion about the place of Rome in the imagination of the early Church, drawing on primary texts that relate the city to the experience of the early Church and its founders. Martyrdom in the early Church provides a focal point, and we consider the integral role of martyrdom in the construction of identity, authority and memory among the early Christians. The discussion of martyrdom becomes the basis for examining the catacombs In Rome. The art of the catacombs is one of our best visual witnesses for the developing identity and theology of the early Church. This art demonstrates the prominent place the Hebrew Bible and identity as “Israel” had in those constructions, even as new forms and images specific to Christianity witness theological development. Moreover, the catacombs also became important early on in the church’s history as sites of memory and power associated with martyrs. Students explore the acts of imagination that go into the construction of memory and sacred space associated with these martyrs. In addition, since the catacombs also provide some of our best visuals of women in the early Church as they engaged in worship and communal life, we take advantage of this and devote some class time to consider women’s activities in terms of early Christian primary documents, while also engaging our knowledge about women’s public and private roles in the early Empire.

Prerequisites: THEO111 or CORE105

Course Attributes: Diversity Flag, ERS Focus Elective, Gender & Diversity Studies, Humanities Elective, Theology Perspectives, Theology - Historical Theology, Theology - Scripture

Levels: Graduate Undergraduate

College of Arts & Sciences Theology