Summer of Theology – Intro to Church History
Our first speaker for Summer of Theology is Dr James Skedros, professor of Church History at Hellenic College Holy Cross. All are welcome! A brief overview of the talks:
Lecture #1: Why does Church History Matter? The old adage that one studies the past so as not to repeat the same mistakes is much too simplistic a justification for the study of the history of Christianity and the Church that Christ established. For Orthodox Christians, history is seen in terms of salvation; often termed as “salvation history”. Our conversation this evening will focus on some basic “tools” to better resource oneself in the area of understanding the past 2,000 years of the history of the Church within the context of Pentecost, faith, culture, politics, and social change.
Lecture #2: From Constantine to the end of Empire. The Orthodox Church, like much of Western Christianity, has found itself living within the context of persecution and privilege. Prior to the legalization of Christianity in the early fourth century, Christians were often persecuted and put to death for their faith. From Constantine the Great up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, Orthodox Churches have flourished under imperial authority. The conversation this evening will focus on the key events from Constantine to the end of World War I.
Lecture #3: The Contemporary Orthodox Church. There has been an increasing interest in the Orthodox Church over the past 20+ years in the United States. There are several possible reasons for this. During our conversation, we will look at the contemporary structure of the Orthodox Church with its various self-governing churches and the broader context of intra-Orthodox unity and friction.