THEO 206
Introduction to Christian Origins
Winter 2026
Topics
- Earliest Christian writings
- Christianity in the Roman world
- Jewish and Greek legacies
- Religious syncretism
- Conversion of the Roman Empire
- Trinitarian and Arian controversies
- Christology
- Augustine and patristic literature
- Asceticism, monasticism and Christian spiritual practice
Readings
- Gerard Vallée, The Shaping of Christianity: The History and Literature of its Formative Centuries. Paulist Press/Novalis, 2002.
- Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer and Gregor Wurst, eds., The Gospel of Judas, 2nd ed. National Geographic Society, 2008.
- Documentary: From Jesus to Christ: Jesus’ Many Faces. Frontline/PBS.
- “Ephesus,” Encyclopædia Britannica (retrieved December 7, 2010 in outline).
- The Bible (electronic versions through Bible Gateway).
- Dead Sea Scrolls: The War Scroll, translation hosted by the Canadian History Museum.
- Justin Martyr, The First Apology, chapters 6, 7, 8, 46 and 49.
- The Creed of Nicaea (325 CE).
- The Creed of Constantinople (381 CE).
- Cyril of Alexandria, Second Epistle to Nestorius; and Definition of Faith of the Council of Chalcedon (451 CE), in Norman P. Tanner, ed., Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, vol. 1 (1990), pp. 50, 62.
- Augustine of Hippo, Confessions and Enchiridion, Book VII; translation edited by Albert C. Outler (as cited by the outline).
- Life of St. Mary of Egypt, translated by Maria Kouli, in Alice-Mary Talbot, ed., Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints’ Lives. Dumbarton Oaks, 1996, pp. 65–94.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Actual Winter 2026 public HTML outline. Required textbooks are explicitly identified; additional primary readings and documentary are named. The outline’s link for Life of St. Mary of Egypt points to a differently titled PDF; the bibliographic title printed in the outline is retained.