Martyrs, Mystics and Monastics

Assistant Professor Sherri Johnson Department of History

In this class, we will examine  the pursuit of holiness in early and medieval Christianity by exploring three themes - martyrdom, monasticism and mysticism.

•  How did ideas about the pursuit of holiness change as Christianity transformed from a marginal, persecuted religion to a powerful one? 
• What do we learn about a religious tradition by understanding what practitioners held up as exemplary behavior?
• How did ideas about gender influence the practice and experience of devotion in early and medieval Christianity?
• What factors determined whether individuals received praise or blame for their efforts to pursue holiness as they understood it? 
• We will look at how these practices and the beliefs behind them developed in ancient and medieval Christianity, keeping in mind the social context in which they emerged.