Ecclesiology: Beginnings of the ChurchCourse Level: Intermediate

As a topic Ecclesiology, the theology of church, studies the church in itself, that is, as an institution with a 2000-year history. This course is the first in a series of three courses, which together will give the student a basic understanding of a topic that is essential for effective catechesis. The first part,  Ecclesiology: Beginnings of the Church,  introduces the student to the theological study of the Church. The student will become familiar with basic terms and concepts that are essential for understanding the Church's nature and mission, and how these have been a constant theme in the Church's evolution as a "living organism" throughout history.

While complete in itself, this course is designed to lead into  the other Ecclesiology courses.
[Catechists and lay ecclesial ministers are required to take all three courses in order.]

Successful completion of this course earns 2.5 CEU's. Click here for more information about CEU's.

• Understand the study of ecclesiology and context of the earliest Church communities in their cultural context of first century Judaism
• Exhibit an understanding of the theological impact of resurrection faith upon the earliest communities and an understanding of the complex context of the early Jesus movement
• Gain an understanding of the Apostle Paul’s image of Church and his vision of community of Christ
• Develop an understanding of the role of discipleship in the life of the early Church and the various organizational structures as these are presented in the Synoptic Gospels.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the early Church in the Johannine community at the turn of the first century. Then to understand the connections between the earliest Church communities of the first century and the Church of Vatican II.

• No books required. All readings are online.

• Week 1: The World of Jesus and the Early Church
  • Understand the definition of ecclesiology.
  • Understand the relationship between the nature of ecclesiology as concerned with the historical identity of the Church and the Church as itself an object of faith.
  • Understand who were the diverse Jewish groups that make up first century Palestine and why this context is important to the ministry of Jesus and the beginnings of the early Church.
• Week 2: The Early Church Communities
  • Expand the student’s understanding of the complex context for the early Jesus movement
  • Deepen the student’s conception of the theological impact of the resurrection faith and the new covenant upon the earliest members of this new assembly
  • Become familiar with some of the initial connections between this earliest layer of Christian history and the Second Vatican Council’s understanding of Church.
• Week 3: Paul and the Church, A Community Called into Existence by God
  • Paul’s theology of the Church as ekklesia or community in Christ
  • Gain an understanding of Paul’s images of Church
  • Insight into the makeup of the assembly of Paul’s churches
• Week 4: The Church in the Synoptic Gospels
  • Recognize the importance of the community of disciples in early church structure
  • Understand the various organizational structures and authority as revealed in these scriptural texts
  • Understand the various theologies of Church provided by the various Gospels
• Week 5: Church of the Disciples
  • Understand the nature of church in the New Testament writings of the Johannine Community
  • Understand how the Second Vatican II and especially the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) provide a renewed vision of ecclesiology.
  • Understand the connections between the early Church community and the Second Vatican Council’s understanding of Church.