ECST 701 Spiritual Athletes: Monks and Martyrs in Early Christianity
Traces developments in early Christian thought and practice through two forms of ascetic spirituality: martyrdom and monasticism. Students study martyrdom in its historical and political context and consider how literary memories of the martyrs affected the shape of early Christian spirituality. Readings and assignments focus on understanding the evidence for persecution of Christians and the emergence of a literary tradition of martyrdom. Students also study the historical, cultural, and theological dimensions of early Christian experiments in ascetic life and the rise of Christian monasticism. Students examine the regional varieties of asceticism and their mobility across the landscape of the late ancient world. Students also look at influential theoretical approaches to asceticism drawn from disciplines such as sociology, literary theory, anthropology, neuroscience, and more. This is a graduate version of an undergraduate course (ECST 315).
Cross Listed Courses
ECST 315 &
ECST 701 &
TRS 329A