The Cross in the History of Christianity

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will consist of a historical survey of the cross and crucifix in Christian theology, popular piety, ritual practice, and art, beginning with the biblical text of the New Testament, moving through church history, and finally interacting with contemporary theological conceptions about the Cross and atonement theory. This course is particularly interested in the various images of the cross in Christian art and architecture and how these interact with and reflect shifting theological thought in the eastern and western traditions. Topics include the discovery and dissemination of relics of the True Cross, the emergence and development of crucifixion iconography, hymns dedicated to the cross, and the liturgical feasts and veneration of the cross.