Write a “thesis-based” persuasive esay of at least 1000 to 1200 words, related to some aspect or theme from the first half of our course regarding: 1) The Early Church, or 2) The Medieval Church.
Some possible topics
The Greek context for early Christianity
The Jewish influence on early Christianity
The early spread of Christianity
Women in early Christianity
Justin Martyr’s idea of Logos Spermatikos
Gnosticism
Constantine and the rise of Imperial Roman Christianity
The Monastic movement
The cult of Thecla
Early theology: Irenaeus, Origin, Clement or Augustine
Eastern Orthodoxy
Hesychasm
The development of the New Testament Canon
the Arian debate
The origins of the Creeds
Celtic Christianity
The Great (East vs. West) Schism
The Crusades and Spain
The Mendicants: Franciscans and Dominicans
Mysticism
Scholastic theology
Medieval attempts to rationally prove the existence of God
The Great Western Schism (Avignon Papacy)
The Renaissance
Humanism
