Christian History

Augustine’s City of God

Taught by Dr. Matthew Hoskin
Runs 4/10 – 6/17/23
$225.00 – $399.00
Syllabus

In 410, the Goths under Alaric sacked the city of Rome, sending shockwaves throughout the Mediterranean world. Some blamed the ongoing Christianisation of the Roman world and the suppression of pagan ritual. In response, St Augustine of Hippo, greatest theologian of the Latin West, wrote his largest work, On the City of God Against the Pagans. This work was not merely an apologia for Christianity, not simply a demonstration through history, philosophy, and theology that the sack of Rome was not the result of divine anger from the old gods. City of God is that and more—a wide-ranging analysis of the theology of history, divine providence, divine revelation, and so much more, bringing into play scripture, Christian theology, Roman history, and ancient philosophy.

Deadline to register: Wednesday, March 29th

 

 

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

Auditing ($225):

participate in readings and live class sessions, but no graded assignments and no course credit

Full course (Full-Time Discount) ($275):

for-credit courses (at least four per term) toward our Certificate or M.Litt in Classical Protestantism

Full course ($399):

individual classes on a for-credit basis; you can later apply them toward a Certificate or Degree

 

ENROLL NOW

Description

This Christian History course will be taught by Dr. Matthew Hoskin, and will run from April 10th through June 17th. The syllabus can be found here.

In 410, the Goths sacked the city of Rome, sending shockwaves throughout the Mediterranean world. Some blamed the ongoing Christianization of the Roman world and the suppression of pagan ritual. In response, St Augustine of Hippo, greatest theologian of the Latin West, wrote his largest work, On the City of God Against the Pagans. This work was not merely an apologia for Christianity, not simply a demonstration through history, philosophy, and theology that the sack of Rome was not the result of divine anger from the old gods. City of God is that and more—a wide-ranging analysis of the theology of history, divine providence, divine revelation, and so much more, bringing into play scripture, Christian theology, Roman history, and ancient philosophy.

Dr. Matthew Hoskin (PhD, University of Edinburgh) teaches ancient and medieval Christian history for Davenant Hall. His research focuses on manuscripts, monks, popes, canon law, and councils, which all feature in his book, The Manuscripts of Leo the Great’s Letters (2022), and he blogs about the historic faith at Classically Christian. He lives on Superior’s northern shore in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with his wife and sons.

Details

Online only, runs 10 weeks, meeting 2 hr./wk. via Zoom. Students will also have the option to participate in class discussion on the Davenant Common Room Discord server. Register to reserve your spot and schedule will be set after a poll of participating students; if the class time does not fit your schedule, you will be eligible for a full refund.

This is a graduate-level course. Although a BA is not a necessary pre-requisite for this course, students should come prepared to do graduate-level work.