Martyrs, Mystics and Monastics
HNRS 2030 Sec. 3 - Fall 2018
Assistant Professor Sherri Johnson Department of History
M
W
F
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
French House 200
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.
Fulfills General Education:
English Composition
Humanities
