Historiography

1
Historiography

• Basic Assumptions and Questions for the Study of
  the History of the Expansion of the Church

2
Historiography

• 1a The writing of history especially the
  writing of history based on the critical
  examination of sources, the selection of
  particulars from the authentic materials, and the
  synthesis of particulars into a narrative that
  will stand the test of critical methods b the
  principles, theory, and history of historical
  writing

3
The Concern of this Course

• The History of the Expansion of the Church
• History
• Selective
• a resolute determination to omit (Neill)
• Interpretive

4
The Concern of this Course

• The History of the Expansion of the Church
• Church
• Which church?

5
The Concern of this Course

• The History of the Expansion of the Church
• Not a history of the church, but

6
Assumptions
The expansion of Christianity never followed a
single prescribed strategy. Indeed, the motives
that drove believers to risk their lives to
proclaim the good news, their methods of
persuasion, and the forms of the faith that
developed varied widely. (Moreau et. al. 2004,
93)

• The causes of, and the relationships between
  events and movements are complex.
• Ideas have consequences in behavior.
• Explanations should be multileveled.
• Social
• Ideological
• Spiritual
• History is going somewhere.

7
Questions for the History of Christian Mission

• What was the Christianity that spread?
• Why did Christianity spread?
• Why did it not spread?
• By what process did it spread?
• What lessons can we learn for the practice of
  mission today?

8
Division

• Empire
• Roman Empire 100-500
• Medieval
• Through the Dark Ages 500-1000
• Struggles in Europe 1000-1500
• Discovery
• Age of Discovery 1500-1600
• Early Roman Catholic Missions 1600-1800
• Initial Orthodox and Protestant Activity
  1600-1800
• Modern
• Increasing Protestant Concern 1790-1860
• Mission and Colonialism 1860-1910
• Twentieth Century 1910-Now

9
Assignment

• Read Allen Introduction
• Read Neill 13-23
• Answer What factors contributed to the
  successful expansion of the church through the
  first century?
• Draw upon your understanding of the NT
• Keep in mind
• The causes of events and movements are complex.
• Ideas have consequences in behavior.
• Explanations should be multileveled. (Social,
  Ideological, Spiritual)
• History is going somewhere.