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A Journey through Western Christianity

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.

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Rating 4.8 based on 122 ratings
Length 12 weeks
Starts Jul 17 (41 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From Yale University via Coursera
Instructor Bruce Gordon
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Humanities Art & Design
Tags History Arts And Humanities

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What people are saying

western christianity

Good teachers Everthing A good survey of Western Christianity taught in an engaging manner.

I had some knowledge of the subject from a particular viewpoint but I found I gained a broader understanding and more complete perspective on the development of Western Christianity through this course.

I did learn a lot about Western Christianity Muito bom.

Excellent thousand foot view of roughly 1400 years of Western Christianity, covering a huge number of critical events.

Clear explanation how western christianity developed I enjoyed the notes, the references the videos and professor.

My only caveats: I did think that there was a bit of a gap in coverage of the early centuries of Christianity as the official religion of the Empire, and I thought there was some downplaying here and there of the darker sides of Catholic and Protestant versions of Western Christianity.

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so much

Thank you so much for creating it and making it available to us!

The material was presented well and I learned so much about the subject matter.

I have enjoyed Professor Gordon's class so much and could repeat it several times and still not absorb the vast amount of information that he has spent so many hours sharing with us.

amazing I enjoyed this course so much!!

!Thank you so much for offering this!

Thank you so much for carrying this course without any boring figures in middle.

I learned so much and feel like I've been on an amazing journey that encouraged me to branch out and learn more about some of the covered topics.

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development of christianity

Following the development of Christianity along its historical timeline within the regional and political context of each period clarifies the "hows" and "whys" of why it developed as it did.

This course provided a good overview of the development of Christianity, warts and all, from the 3rd century to the middle of the 17th century.

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la historia

Fue un curso genial, sin embargo con una visión parcializada de la historia de la iglesia.

Lo recomiendo para todo aquel que le guste la historia antigua y los temas del la religión.

Hace reflexionar sobre la historia del Cristianismo, en variados ámbitos: espiritual, político, sacramental, colonial, etc.

Quiero expresar mis felicitaciones por el curso, fue un buen repaso por la historia medieval, abordado con mucha seriedad desde diferentes contextos, filosofía, teología, historia, arte y lleno de apreciaciones personales que enriquecen el curso.muchas gracias.

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great deal

All in all, however, it was fascinating and I learned a great deal.

I learned a great deal about a subject I had some awareness of.

Good course for basic foundations of Christianity I took this essentially as a refresher course, but I learned a great deal above and beyond that, and it exceeded my expectations.

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rather than

I often read the transcripts of his videos rather than listen to his voice.

I rated it four stars rather than five however because I missed interactivity.

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highly recommend

I enjoy it very much and would highly recommend it.

It's a great course, and I highly recommend it!

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bruce gordon

Professor Bruce Gordon knows the things he teaches really well.

Bruce Gordon is just great It was a wonderful course, I learnt a lot.

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dr. gordon

My suggested would be to make this aspect of the course as compelling as Dr. Gordon's presentations by enhancing interactivity through stimulation of topics and active engagement.

Loved it!Thank you Dr. Gordon, Nazanin and Max, for your time and talent.

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my faith

As a christian I learned the roots of my faith.

I enjoyed very much learning about the history of my faith teached with such knowledge and passion.Tranks Bruce and team!A big hug from Buenos AiresPABLO MILLER Muy buen curso, aprendi mucho sobre la formación de la iglesia.

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european history

Excellent choice for anybody interested in European history and religion.

The content of this course has helped me understand more of European history and will provide a good background for my upcoming travels.

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from yale

Also, it would have been nice to have more dynamic videos like I've seen in other courses from Yale via Coursera.

I expect higher standards from Yale university., I felt it spend too much time on the catholic reformation and not enough on the Protestant reformation.

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Rating 4.8 based on 122 ratings
Length 12 weeks
Starts Jul 17 (41 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From Yale University via Coursera
Instructor Bruce Gordon
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Humanities Art & Design
Tags History Arts And Humanities

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