LLIS26W4 - Patristics: Early Fathers of the Church, Part 2

Course Description

This class is a continuation of a Spring 2024 presentation on the early Church Fathers, who were heirs to the Apostles and the leaders and teachers for the first five hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ. They were intensely concerned with preserving the unity and integrity of "those who believed" (Acts 4:32). Those represented in this class will be Gregory of Nazianzus and his contemporary Gregory of Nyssa, both important to the Church of Constantinople, and Leo the Great and his role in the Council of Chalcedon. We'll also discuss the Celtic Fathers, key figures in the spread of Christianity in the British Isles and Europe; and Benedict of Nursia, who brought monasticism to the West. Finally, the early Mothers of the Church, Perpetua, Felicity, Thecla, Macrina, Monica, Priscilla, and Helena will be introduced.