This course, taught by Fr. Luke Dysinger at St. John’s Seminary, will introduce the history, theology, and spirituality of the Christian Church from the rise of Charlemagne (c. 800) to the Council of Trent (1563). This course will provide an overview of both the theological and spiritual traditions of the Medieval Church through the time of the Catholic Reformation, culminating in the Council of Trent. The rich ethnic and cultural diversity of Christian thought during this period will be highlighted through study of primary sources from the Jewish, Roman, Greek, Celtic, Anglo-European, Slavic, Middle-Eastern (Syriac), and Egyptian (Coptic) traditions. In order to profit from the cultural and ethnic diversity of the student body, students are encouraged to bring to classroom discussion the early and medieval origins of their cultural traditions: including, for example, the theological, liturgical, and spiritual emphases that distinguish Western Catholicism from Eastern traditions such as the Maronite, Chaldean, Melchite, Malabar, and Ruthenian churches.
Seminary: St. John’s Seminary
Keywords: church history, Christian history, medieval science, Renaissance science