History: The History of Religion. Part 3: From early Christianity to the Renaissance

This course will begin by looking at the emergence of Christianity and rabbinic Judaism against the backdrop of the Roman-Jewish Wars. We will then look at how Christianity went from a movement of ‘slaves and women’ to become the official religion of the Roman Empire. The rise of Islam will be explored within the context of 6th century Arabia and the wider ‘geo-political’ landscape; we will also examine how the ‘heretical’ Christian and Jewish movements of the previous centuries connect to this emergence. The spread of Islam and the development of the Islamic empire will then be analysed in terms of their connection to and possible conflict with the original movement lead by Muhammad. We will then attempt to give an overview of the major trends of religious thought during the medieval period. This will include looking at the mystical traditions and heretical movements in both Christianity and Islam as well as comparative studies of trends throughout Asia. This will include a study of early Sikhism. The final part of the course will study the roots of

‘modernity’; this will include a view of the ‘long reformation’ (1200-1400’s Europe) and the social-economic roots of the Renaissance and its religious expressions.