HIST 323 Pagans and Christians, 100-600 (Same as Classics 323 and Religion 215) (Not offered 1998-99)

In the years between A.D. 100 and 600, the rising power of the Christian church posed a direct and serious challenge to Greco-Roman religion and philosophy. The pagans responded to this challenge by producing a series of treatises in which they defended traditional practices and beliefs against the innovations of Christianity. The Christians themselves wrote a series of treatises in which they defined their history and theology according to classical categories and ideas. This class will study this "pamphlet war" from both sides. We will examine not only how the Greco-Roman tradition defined itself in the last years of its hegemony, but also how the Christians achieved their earliest self-definition and theological sophistication. We will explore the gradual intertwining of the Greco-Roman and the Judeo-Christian traditions into a form that would characterize the western world-view until modern times. Reading and discussion format. Evaluation will be based on class attendance and participation, two short (5-7 pages) papers, and a final essay (15 pages) on assigned question. Enrollment limited. Groups B and D

BERETZ