Tuition: $150
What was the relationship of ancient Greek culture to early Christianity? This seminar will open with two topics of significance in the early development of Christianity: the image (or icon) and the Jesus story itself. The course will also include lectures on the tragic paradigm in Greek poetry (Homer and Sophocles) and a discussion of the soul in Plato's Phaedo. Then we trace the Hellenization of the ancient Mediterranean, beginning with the conquests of Alexander the Great and their influence on the diffusion of Hellenic philosophy and culture. We will also discuss the Logos in the Gospel of John, as well as how the Apostle Paul fits into ancient Epicureanism. The seminar will conclude with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, and examine the fusion of Judaism and Platonism in the formation of the Nicene Creed in 325 CE.
Recommended Reading:
Please note: The instructor is not going to assign any specific readings for this class. For those of you who enjoy some reading associated with ideas and topics that will be presented in the class, here are some suggestions:
Homer, Iliad
Sophocles, Ajax, Philoctetes
Plato, Phaedo
Gospel of Mark
Plutarch's Lives (Alexander)
Book of Acts