TTCVideo - William R Cook - The Catholic Church A History DVD6 guide [course 6640] L36
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Today, the church is the oldest continuously active organization on Earth and one of the most influential institutions in the world—a force capable of moving armies, inspiring saints, and shaping the lives of a billion members.

But how did this powerful institution develop out of the early church community—a loosely associated group of disciples who were inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus? Why do today's Catholics worship the way they do? How has this institution influenced world history far beyond the walls of its churches and monasteries?

In The Catholic Church: A History, you'll explore these and other questions as you follow the development of this important institution in 36 informative, fascinating lectures. With noted historian and Professor William R. Cook as your guide, you'll step into the world of the early church, hear tales of the martyrdom of the first Christian saints, witness the spread of Christendom across Europe, and learn about the origins of fundamental church institutions.

For Catholics, it's an enlightening and inspirational tale that deepens the meaning of faith. But the story is equally compelling for those outside the church. The history of the Catholic Church informs all Christian faiths, providing fascinating insights into the origins and development of a wide array of practices and beliefs.

The course also provides a unique and illuminating perspective on world history and politics as viewed through the lens of Catholic history. Throughout the course, Professor Cook delineates how broader historical events affected the development of the church, as well as how the church itself influenced the movement of history. Indeed, no understanding of Western civilization is complete without an understanding of this remarkable institution.

The Church from Ancient Times to Modern Days

Your journey begins as you travel back to the first years of the church, when Jesus's disciples and their many followers developed communities of faith where their beliefs flourished. Guided by Professor Cook, you delve into crucial early church documents, such as the letters of Paul, and gain an intriguing glimpse into the lives of these early believers.

From there, you'll witness the development and spread of this nascent religion into the far reaches of the Roman Empire and throughout the world. This comprehensive survey is an epic story that covers crucial developments in church history:

* The formation and eventual unification of the early church
* The conversion of the Roman Empire to Catholicism
* The schism between the Roman faith and the Greek Orthodox Church
* The flowering of monasteries across Europe
* The Reformation, in which theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin questioned and eventually broke with the Catholic Church
* The spread of Catholicism outside Europe by missionaries who accompanied explorers in the New World

As you explore this rich history, you also examine the place of the Catholic Church on the world stage. From the impact of the Christian Crusades on the development of international banking to the momentous struggles between monarchs of Europe and the medieval popes to the reforms of Vatican II, you see how the Catholic Church has played an integral role in world events, both shaping and responding to large-scale trends and developments.

The Many Faces of Catholicism

As you delve into this fascinating saga, you quickly see that the Catholic Church—"one holy catholic and apostolic Church," as it is called in the Nicene Creed, a key doctrine of the faith—actually takes many forms.

Beginning in the early centuries of the church, you trace the many variations of worship and belief that evolved as Christianity spread all over the Mediterranean. You encounter the Ebionites, who retained their Jewish customs and incorporated them into their Christian observances, as well as the Marcionites, who completely rejected Judaism and embraced an offshoot faith that replaced monotheism with a belief in twin gods of good and evil.

As church history progresses, you see how these and other forms of Christianity came into conflict again and again about the true faith, leading to the many councils and decrees that sought to unify the faith. You learn, for example, about how one of the fundamental beliefs of Catholicism—the idea that Jesus is both human and divine—was once a hotly debated topic, leading in the 4th and 5th centuries to councils that established beliefs that are the foundation of the church today.

You also witness how Catholic practice and faith have been transformed by the cultures and peoples it has touched. For example, you see how

* missionaries made Christianity more acceptable to Germanic tribes in early medieval Europe by adapting local practices, such as the use of holy water, and by rechristening pagan holidays as Catholic saints' days;
* the early Irish church had little contact with the rest of Europe, and so it developed its own practices, including a different date for Easter and a deeper emphasis on monasticism;
* Christianity persisted in Japan despite widespread persecution, and these "secret" Japanese Christians developed their own canonical texts drawn from dimly recalled biblical stories, hymns, and liturgical practices blended with elements of Japanese culture and Buddhism.

Surprising Insights into the Catholic Church

As you review this fascinating history, you gain new insights into Catholicism and learn things about the Catholic Church you never expected—even if you're a lifelong member.

For example, you see how today's Catholic Church includes alternative forms of worship found in the often overlooked Eastern Catholic churches of eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India. You learn how these churches—while fully in communion with Rome—practice the faith in ways that are often surprising to mainstream Catholics, including the option of marriage for clergy and widely varying practices for presenting and sharing the bread and wine for communion.

You explore how today's Catholic Church differs from the faith of the original apostles and trace how the accepted doctrines of today's church were the result of long, passionate, and theologically complex debates.

Along the way, you encounter surprising facts and intriguing stories that bring this history to vivid life. For example, did you know:

* The first Christians were all Jews, and there were debates as to whether Gentile followers had to convert to Judaism.
* For the first centuries of the church, there was no single, accepted text for Christianity. Different communities adopted and often produced their own versions of scripture. It wasn't until A.D. 367 that the list of books we know as the New Testament was first recorded.
* In the year 1046, there were three competing popes, each claiming authority over the church, and from 1309 to 1378, the pope resided not in Rome but in Avignon, France.
* Although most people think of the early centuries of the church as a time of martyrdom, it has been estimated that the 20th century has seen more Catholic martyrs than any other century.

A Unique Perspective on Western History

In telling the story of the Catholic Church, Professor Cook offers more than simply a history of an important institution. Through his comprehensive approach and insightful analysis, Professor Cook deepens your understanding of the flow of events in the history of Western civilization as it was shaped by this one supremely influential organization.

With his expertise in European history generally, and especially in the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation, Professor Cook offers a perspective that is informative and objective. A noted scholar and historian, he brings an unparalleled intellectual rigor to his presentation, balanced by a deep appreciation of the church's legacy and impact.

As you join him on this epic journey through Catholic history, you'll experience how this small gathering of faithful grew and changed in about three centuries to become one of the most powerful forces on the world stage—the "one holy catholic and apostolic Church."
About Your Professor

Dr. William R. Cook is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo, where he has taught since 1970. In 2008, he returned to his alma mater, Wabash College, to serve for two years as Visiting Professor of Religion and History.

After earning his undergraduate degree at Wabash, Professor Cook was awarded Woodrow Wilson and Herbert Lehman fellowships to study medieval history at Cornell University, where he received his Ph.D.

In 1992, Professor Cook was named CASE Professor of the Year for New York State. In 2003, he received the first-ever CARA Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Medieval Studies from the Medieval Academy of America. He was recently named the alternate for the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching.

Professor Cook has taught courses in ancient and medieval history, the Renaissance and Reformation periods, and the Bible and Christian thought. Since 1983, he has directed numerous Seminars for School Teachers for the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Should I Buy Audio or Video?

While this course works well in both formats, the DVD version features more than 500 graphics to enhance your learning experience, including detailed maps, images of people and events, and on-screen text.


Course Lecture Titles
1. From Jesus to the Creation of the Church
2. The First Christian Institutions
3. Christianities in the Early Church
4. Persecution and Saints
5. Peace between Empire and Church
6. Institutional and Doctrinal Developments
7. Latin Theology, Including Augustine
8. Popes and Bishops in the Early Middle Ages
9. Monasticism—Benedict and His Rule
10. Evangelizing Northern and Eastern Europe
11. The Germanization of Christianity
12. Charlemagne and the Church in Feudal Times
13. Monks and Hermits—New Forms of Monasticism
14. Papal Reform and Church-State Controversies
15. Crusade, Heresy, Inquisition
16. The Papacy—Innocent III to Boniface VIII
17. Francis, Dominic, and the Mendicants
18. Flowering of Church Art in the Middle Ages
19. Scholastic Thought
20. Medieval Mysticism
21. The Great Schism and the Conciliar Age
22. The Renaissance Church
23. Luther, Calvin, and the Reformation
24. Catholic Responses—The Council of Trent
25. The Jesuits
26. Catholicism in Asia and the New World
27. American Catholicism
28. The Church in the Age of Reason
29. Pius IX and Papal Infallibility
30. Leo XIII and the Modern World
31. The Eastern Catholic Churches
32. The Second Vatican Council
33. The Catholic Church Looks Outward
34. The Challenges of New Theologies
35. John Paul II and the 21st-Century Church
36. One? Holy? Catholic? Apostolic?

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The Catholic Church: A History

by William R. Cook (Biography)

The following materials are provided to enhance your learning experience. Click the links below for free information including a professor-authored course summary, recommended web links, and a condensed bibliography.

* Course Summary - Professor's written description of the course.
* Professor Recommended Links
* Condensed Bibliography - Prepared by the professor for this course.


Course Summary

The Roman Catholic Church claims almost 2,000 years of unbroken tradition. Certainly the church has had high and low points, and there are times when the continuity is difficult to find. Nevertheless, the church can credibly declare itself to be the oldest continuously functioning institution in the world today.

How different the church is today from the time of the house churches of the 1st century, the politically powerful church of the Middle Ages, or the often forced mass conversions in the New World. Yet, despite all of the dramatic changes, the church today faces many of the same problems that it has faced for most of its two millennia: persecution (there may be more martyrs from the 20th century than from any previous era), division, and scandal.

This course is devoted both to continuity and change. The church has had martyred popes and at least one "rock star" pope. It has been persecuted and has acted as persecutor. Its saints include desert hermits and social activists, the illiterate and the scholarly, the rich and the poor. However, it is a belief of the Catholic Church that those now alive and those who died long ago and far away are in a fundamental and real unity as parts of what Catholics call the "pilgrim church on earth."

In a general sense, this course is a narrative of 2,000 years. However, there is no attempt to give equal coverage to every division of time or every sort of thought or institution created within the church. We will focus on certain key moments—for example, the 4th century when Christianity went from persecuted religion to the principal religion of the Roman Empire. We will devote several lectures to the 13th century—the time of Pope Innocent III, Saint Francis, the Fourth Crusade, and Thomas Aquinas, just to name a few of the highlights. Of course, we must examine the 16th century, which saw almost half of Western Europe withdraw from the Roman Catholic Church. Finally, we will consider a several facets of the church in the 20th century.

This course is more than a narrative history, however. We will spend time learning about monks and friars, crusaders and mystics, traditionalists and revolutionaries. The course is not a connected series of biographies, but we must know Augustine, Francis, Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola, Pius IX, and many others if we are to understand the church. We need to know about institutions but also about forms of prayer, monastic rules, and mystical quests.

To look at the Catholic Church historically is sometimes inspiring but at other times painful. It is hard not to be moved by Saint Francis embracing a leper in Assisi or Dorothy Day offering hospitality to a homeless man on the Bowery. However, we must also encounter the slaughter of countless Native Americans by the Spanish Catholic conquistadors and the sack of Constantinople, the largest Christian city in the world at the time, by the forces of the Fourth Crusade.

Ultimately, it is necessary to reflect on an institution that more than 1 billion people today pledge allegiance to, an institution that they believe has divine origins. Yet in the name of that same institution, and sometimes at the instigation or at least permission of its leaders, so many tragedies have occurred.

What is the church? How did it become what it is today? In what ways can its members credibly claim to be part of an institution that is one, holy, universal, and apostolic? This course will help answer these questions, whether one is Catholic, a non-Catholic Christian, a part of another religious tradition, or a curious person setting out to learn about a crucial component of the world's history.


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