{"id":303,"date":"2019-10-21T12:22:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T16:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/fcurta\/?page_id=303"},"modified":"2026-03-19T08:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T12:55:45","slug":"the-history-of-orthodox-christianity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/fcurta\/the-history-of-orthodox-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Orthodox Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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The History of Orthodox Christianity<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Time and Location<\/h3>\n\n\n
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T 10:40-11:30 and R 10:40-12:35<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

FLI 111<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Orthodox Christians recite the Creed during the Divine Liturgy, they cross themselves at the words “Believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” The gesture is more than just a matter of ritual, for the significance of these words has to do with identity and with membership in the Kingdom of God. The Church is not just an institution, but a mode of life and a way of being in the world. As such, it has a history, which is often understood as the history of Christianity as a whole. Indeed, the foundation of the Church was laid by Jesus Christ Himself. Following His death and Resurrection, the Church evolved and grew into what we now call Orthodoxy. However, although Jesus founded only One Church, we now see a multitude of churches, all of which define themselves as Christian and successors of the Church established by Christ. Understanding the history of Christianity is therefore a critical element in understanding the role of Orthodoxy and the historical significance of the Holy Orthodox Church in both past and present times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

This course is designed as a chronological and topical introduction to the history of the Orthodox Church, from the beginning to the present. Since this is a\u00a0\u00a0survey, it is impossible to cover everything. Instead, the course will offer a selection of representative topics from a much larger possible list. We will examine some of the key concepts of theology that had historical significance, the political circumstances leading to the separation of various churches, and the main aspects of Orthodox Christian life throughout history. Our focus will be on Orthodoxy, but we will also take quick glimpses at some other churches, especially at the Roman-Catholic church. Anyone with enough curiosity and desire to learn is welcome. There are no pre-requisites and no special recommendations for this course.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Textbooks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous books about the history of Christianity, and even more literature on the history of the Church. Not all of them are available and even fewer can be used successfully in a survey course like this. There is a tendency in the literature published in English to shift the focus to the Roman-Catholic church after\u00a0ca<\/i>. 800 A.D., thus leaving out some of the most important developments in the history of Orthodoxy, which we will discuss in this course. Such books are therefore of little use to us, no matter how detailed or accurate their coverage of Western developments may be. During the last few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the history of Byzantine Christianity and of the Eastern churches, in general. The choice of volume 5 of the\u00a0Cambridge History of Christianity<\/em>\u00a0for this course is based on the concision of the presentation. However, should you desire to broaden your knowledge of Christian Orthodoxy, you may find the list of recommended books useful. Irrespective of your choice, the teaching approach in this course will be\u00a0 broad enough to accommodate all learning skills and strategies. The format will be a combination of lectures and discussion and much of what we will read as “primary sources” will be available online, from the links indicated below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Required<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n