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A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 - 1650)
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 46 hours
  • Course by Yale University
  • Offered by

About

This course follows the extraordinary development of Western Christianity from its early persecution under the Roman Empire in the third century to its global expansion with the Jesuits of the early modern world. We explore the dynamic and diverse character of a religion with an enormous cast characters. We will meet men and women who tell stories of faith as well as of violence, suppression, and division. Along the way, we encounter Perpetua and her martyrdom in Carthage; the struggles of Augustine the bishop in North Africa; the zeal of Celtic monks and missionaries; the viciousness of the Crusades; the visions of Brigit of Sweden; and the fracturing of Christianity by Martin Luther’s protest. We hear the voices of great theologians as well as of those branded heretics by the Church, a powerful reminder that the growth of Christianity is a story with many narratives of competing visions of reform and ideals, powerful critiques of corruption and venality, and exclusion of the vanquished. The troubled history of Christian engagement with Jews and Muslims is found in pogroms and expulsions, but also in the astonishing ways in which the culture of the West was transformed by Jewish and Islamic learning. We shall explore the stunning beauty of the Book of Kells, exquisitely prepared by monks as the Vikings terrorized the coast of England. We will experience the blue light of the windows of Chartres, and ponder the opening questions of Thomas Aquinas’ great Summa. We will read from the Gutenberg Bible of the fifteenth century, which heralded the revolution brought by the printing press. We will travel from Calvin’s Geneva to Elizabeth’s England to Trent, where a Catholic Council met to inaugurate a modern, missionary Catholic church. We will walk through the great Escorial of Philip II of Spain, hear the poetry of John of the Cross, and follow the Jesuits to Brazil and China. Christianity in the West was forged in the fires of conflict and tumult, and it brought forth both creativity and violence. It echoed with calls for God’s world to be transformed, it inspired the most sublime art and architecture, yet it also revealed the power of the union of cross and sword to destroy. The course is a journey through the formation of the West as one strand of Christianity, as one chapter in a global story. It is a journey that has shaped our world.

Modules

About This Course

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Course Introduction

2 Readings

  • Course Description
  • Precourse Survey

Meet Your Instructors and Peers!

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Introduce Yourself!

1 Readings

  • Meet Your Instructional Team

Bonus course resources

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Bonus course resources

The Great Church (180 - 313)

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • The Great Church (180 - 313)

1 Readings

  • The Creed of Nicaea

Diversity in the Year 200: Dura Europos (c. 240), with Dr. Lisa Brody [Yale University Art Gallery]

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Diversity in the Year 200: Dura Europos (c. 240), with Dr. Lisa Brody [Yale University Art Gallery]

The Conversion of Constantine

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • The Conversion of Constantine

1 Readings

  • Conversion of Constantine

The Arian-Nicene Controversy

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Arian-Nicene Controversy

The Nature of Christ

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Nature of Christ

The Rise of Rome

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Rise of Rome

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • From Persecution to Empire

Bonus Content

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Yale University Art Gallery—Dura-Europos: Excavating Antiquity

Alexandria

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Alexandria

North African Christianity

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • North African Christianity

Martyrdom and Persecution

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Martyrdom and Persecution
  • The Martyrdom of Perpetua (with Max & Nazanin)

1 Readings

  • Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas

Augustine

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Augustine

1 Readings

  • Augustine on Donatists

Islamic Invasion of North Africa

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Islamic Invasion of North Africa

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Augustine and North African Church

Bonus Content

    • 2 Readings
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2 Readings

  • A timeline of the Great Persecution
  • See the Coptic necropolis el Bagawat (Egypt), one of the earliest Christian cemeteries

Desert Monasticism

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Desert Monasticism
  • Saint Catherine’s (with Max)

1 Readings

  • Life of St. Anthony

Saint Benedict

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Saint Benedict

1 Readings

  • Benedict Rule

Irish Monasticism

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Irish Monasticism
  • The Viking Age (with Nazanin)

Venerable Bede, Saint Cuthbert, and Northumbria

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Venerable Bede, Saint Cuthbert, and Northumbria

Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Monastic Lives, Desert Fathers to Celtic Christianity

Bonus Content

    • 3 Readings
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3 Readings

  • Explore the Gutenberg Bible and its history
  • Browse the Book of Kells medieval manuscript
  • View the Lindisfarne Gospels' early medieval illuminations

The Medieval World

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Medieval World (Yale University Art Gallery)

Feudalism

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Feudalism

Christian Reform

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Christian Reform
  • Bernard of Clairvaux (with Max)

Divided Christianity

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Divided Christianity

1 Readings

  • Fulcher of Chartres, Speech of Urban II

Crusades

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Crusades

2 Readings

  • The Capture of Jerusalem (1244)
  • Christian Attacks on Jews

Innocent III

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Innocent III
  • Cathar Heresy (with Nazanin)

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Reformers and Crusaders

Bonus Content

    • 3 Readings
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3 Readings

  • Henry IV's letter to Gregory VII
  • The Romance of the Rose
  • Hagia Sophia's Christian mosaics

Mendicant Orders

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Mendicant Orders
  • Saint Clare of Assisi (with Nazanin)

Rise of Universities

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Rise of Universities
  • Abelard & Heloise (with Max)

Thomas Aquinas

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Thomas Aquinas

1 Readings

  • Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae

Cathedrals and Theology of Light

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Cathedrals and Theology of Light

Mysticism

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Mysticism

1 Readings

  • Meister Eckhart, “The Attractive Power of God”

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Learning and Light

Bonus Content

    • 5 Readings
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5 Readings

  • Julian of Norwich
  • The stained glass windows of Chartres
  • The Flowers of Saint Francis
  • Peter Lombard’s The Sentences
  • Aquinas’s hymn, Pange Lingua

Iberia

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Jews and Muslims in Iberia

Convivencia

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Convivencia
  • The Alhambra of Granada (with Nazanin)

Maimonides and Averroes

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Maimonides and Averroes

1 Readings

  • Moses Maimonides, Guide to the Perplexed, Introductory Letter

Inquisition and Expulsion

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Inquisition and Expulsion

2 Readings

  • A Christian/Muslim Debate (12th century)
  • Muslim and Christian Piety in the 13th Century

Discussion

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Christians, Jews, and Muslims: Discussion

1 Readings

  • Gregory X: Letter on Jews, (1271-76) - Against the Blood Libel

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Three Religions: Christians, Jews & Muslims in Medieval Spain

Bonus Content

    • 7 Readings
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7 Readings

  • The Murdered Chorister
  • Chant from the Mozarabic tradition
  • David Nirenberg’s Communities of Violence
  • Arabic's influence on the Spanish language
  • The works of Averroes
  • Images of the Alhambra
  • Documents related to the Spanish Inquisition

The Isenheim Altar

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Isenheim Altar

Introduction

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Introduction

Sacraments

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Sacraments

1 Readings

  • Seven Sacraments

Saints and Relics

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Saints & Relics
  • Joan of Arc (with Nazanin)

1 Readings

  • Tales of Relics

Pilgrimages

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Pilgrimages

Rome and the Papacy

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Rome and the Papacy
  • Avignon Papacy (with Max)

Heresy and Dissent

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Heresy and Dissent

1 Readings

  • Tales of the Devil

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Medieval Devotion

Bonus Content

    • 5 Readings
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5 Readings

  • Art of Dying, (Ars Moriendi)
  • Requiem Mass for the Dead
  • Relics, and what they meant for medieval Christians
  • Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
  • Book of Hours

The Early Modern World

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Early Modern World (Yale University Art Gallery)

Young Luther

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Young Luther

Break with Rome

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Break with Rome
  • Katharina von Bora (Nazanin)

Opponents & Opposition

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Opponents & Opposition

Theology

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Theology
  • Luther and the Jews (Max)

Reformation Church

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Reformation Church

Discussion

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Discussion

1 Readings

  • Martin Luther, “Freedom of a Christian”

Assessment

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Luther's Reformation

Bonus Content

    • 4 Readings
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4 Readings

  • Luther’s 95 Theses
  • A Mighty Fortress
  • Protestant print propaganda
  • Luther’s original German Mass

Radical Visions

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Radical Visions
  • Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster (Max)

1 Readings

  • Hans Schlaffer, A Brief Introduction for the Leading of Truly Christian Life

Zwingli

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Zwingli

John Calvin: Life

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • John Calvin: Life

1 Readings

  • Preface to the Psalter - John Calvin

Calvinism

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Calvinism

English Reformation

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • English Reformation
  • Foxe's Book of Martyrs (with Nazanin)

1 Readings

  • England, Thirty-Nine Articles

Discussion

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Fragmenting Reformation: Discussion

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Fragmenting Reformation

Bonus Content

    • 4 Readings
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4 Readings

  • The Martyrs' Mirror
  • Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
  • Huldrych Zwingli’s reforming principles
  • Professor Gordon’s books on Calvin and Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion

Erasmus and his Legacy

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Erasmus and his Legacy

Pre-Trent Catholic Reform

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Pre-Trent Catholic Reform

The Council of Trent

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • The Council of Trent
  • Catholic vs. Counter Reformation (Max and Nazanin)

1 Readings

  • The Council of Trent’s Decree on Justification (1547)

Catholic Bibles

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Catholic Bibles

Teresa of Avila & Spanish Mysticism

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Teresa of Avila & Spanish Mysticism
  • El Escorial (Nazanin)

1 Readings

  • Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle: Preface

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Catholic Reform

Bonus Content

    • 5 Readings
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5 Readings

  • Erasmus’s Novum Instrumentum
  • The Complutensian Polyglot Bible
  • El Greco and other works from leading Catholic Baroque artists
  • Peruse the poetry of Saint John of the Cross
  • Carlos Eire’s Reformations

The Founding of the Jesuits

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • The Founding of the Jesuits
  • Ignatius of Loyola (Nazanin)

Francis Xavier

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Francis Xavier

2 Readings

  • Francis Xavier to Ignatius Loyola on Missions
  • Francis Xavier, Letter from Japan, 1552

Mateo Ricci & China

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Mateo Ricci & China

1 Readings

  • Memorial for Matteo Ricci

Brazil

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Brazil

Assessments

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Jesuits and Missions

Bonus Content

    • 5 Readings
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5 Readings

  • Japanese depiction of the arrival of the Portuguese
  • A timeline of the colonization of Brazil
  • Moxos Ensemble
  • An early modern Jesuit’s account of the martyrdom of his fellow missionaries
  • The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci,

Conclusion

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Closing words from Bruce, Nazanin, and Max

1 Readings

  • Post Course Survey

Auto Summary

Embark on a captivating exploration of Western Christianity's evolution from persecution to global influence (200-1650) in this foundational Arts & Humanities course by Coursera. Guided by expert instructors, delve into the dynamic narratives of faith, conflict, and cultural transformation, encountering key figures and events like Augustine, the Crusades, and Martin Luther's reformation. Spanning 2760 minutes of rich content, this course offers Starter and Professional subscription options, making it ideal for learners passionate about history, theology, and the profound impact of Christianity on the world.

Bruce Gordon
Instructor

Bruce Gordon