Early Christian Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Early Christian Literature (a.k.a.: "Patristic") has a fourfold objective:
1) it intends to introduce students to the fundamental literary collection and history of ideas that emerged in Christian origins;
2) the course also intends to illustrate the main trajectories along which the continuing cultural relevance of these texts has been consolidated (from the New Testament collection to authors such as Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Cesarea, Augustine of Hippo, Girolamo di Stridone etc.) in the history of thought and the various literary cultures;
3) it aims to introduce the main methodological tools, characteristic of this Discipline and distinctive of its most recent critical developments;
4) Finally, this Discipline aims to show students the opportunities to undertake a research itinerary in this specific field of study.
This articulated methodological and knowledge heritage is aimed, ultimately, at allowing the student to interact critically with the documentary heritage studied by the Discipline and with the complex constellation of studies and researches that, around it, the different critical traditions have animated.
1) it intends to introduce students to the fundamental literary collection and history of ideas that emerged in Christian origins;
2) the course also intends to illustrate the main trajectories along which the continuing cultural relevance of these texts has been consolidated (from the New Testament collection to authors such as Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Cesarea, Augustine of Hippo, Girolamo di Stridone etc.) in the history of thought and the various literary cultures;
3) it aims to introduce the main methodological tools, characteristic of this Discipline and distinctive of its most recent critical developments;
4) Finally, this Discipline aims to show students the opportunities to undertake a research itinerary in this specific field of study.
This articulated methodological and knowledge heritage is aimed, ultimately, at allowing the student to interact critically with the documentary heritage studied by the Discipline and with the complex constellation of studies and researches that, around it, the different critical traditions have animated.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge
At the end of the course, the student should have acquired a basic critical knowledge of the primary literary dynamics, of the respective referring historical contexts (Sitz im Leben), of the most significant moments of this literary history and of thought. Alongside this, the course intends to provide critical skills concerning the Discipline's principal methodological resources to orientate the student within the critical analysis of this variegated and plural heritage.
Skills
This knowledge requires an initial competence with the main critical tools developed by and for research in the field of New Testament and "patristic" criticism.
At the end of the course, the student should have acquired a basic critical knowledge of the primary literary dynamics, of the respective referring historical contexts (Sitz im Leben), of the most significant moments of this literary history and of thought. Alongside this, the course intends to provide critical skills concerning the Discipline's principal methodological resources to orientate the student within the critical analysis of this variegated and plural heritage.
Skills
This knowledge requires an initial competence with the main critical tools developed by and for research in the field of New Testament and "patristic" criticism.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The Sources of the Council of Nicaea
Theological Debate, Ecclesial Models, and the Politics of Memory in the Making of a New Order
Course Description
The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) stands as one of the most decisive events in the history of Late Antiquity, shaping both Christian identity and Western cultural heritage. This course explores the Council through its primary sources, focusing on the theological debates that prompted its convocation, the ecclesial models that emerged from its controversies, and the strategies of memory and historiography developed in its aftermath. Special attention will be given to the historical context of Constantine's reign and its influence on both the Council itself and its reception.
Students will be introduced to the challenges of interpreting diverse and often contradictory sources - literary, theological, administrative, and historiographical - produced for different purposes and from conflicting perspectives.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· Analyze the major documentary sources related to the Council of Nicaea.
· Understand the theological and ecclesiological debates of the early 4th century.
· Evaluate the role of Constantine's political project in shaping the Council.
· Apply critical and exegetical methods to a wide range of ancient Christian texts.
· Reflect on the long-term literary and historiographical legacy of the Council.
Course Structure
Part I - Early Christian Writing (2nd Century CE)
· Origins and development of ancient Christian literature.
· Epistemological foundations of the discipline.
· Distinctive features of early Christian textual production.
· The process of "literarization" of Christian writing.
· Critical and exegetical tools of ancient Christian literature.
(Supplementary study sessions will be offered for students needing additional support in this section.)
Part II - Politics and Memory
· Contradictions and open questions in the sources of Nicaea.
· The Council's role in Constantine's political vision.
· The problem of memory control and the emergence of Christian historiography.
Part III - Theology and Ecclesiology
· The Arian controversy and its foundations.
· The response of Alexander of Alexandria.
· Reformulations of the positions of Arius, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Alexander, and Athanasius.
· The Nicene Creed in context and its theological implications.
· Reception and historiographical legacy of the Council.
Methodology
Lectures will combine close reading of sources with historical and literary analysis. Students will practice applying philological, theological, and historiographical methods to primary texts.
Theological Debate, Ecclesial Models, and the Politics of Memory in the Making of a New Order
Course Description
The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) stands as one of the most decisive events in the history of Late Antiquity, shaping both Christian identity and Western cultural heritage. This course explores the Council through its primary sources, focusing on the theological debates that prompted its convocation, the ecclesial models that emerged from its controversies, and the strategies of memory and historiography developed in its aftermath. Special attention will be given to the historical context of Constantine's reign and its influence on both the Council itself and its reception.
Students will be introduced to the challenges of interpreting diverse and often contradictory sources - literary, theological, administrative, and historiographical - produced for different purposes and from conflicting perspectives.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· Analyze the major documentary sources related to the Council of Nicaea.
· Understand the theological and ecclesiological debates of the early 4th century.
· Evaluate the role of Constantine's political project in shaping the Council.
· Apply critical and exegetical methods to a wide range of ancient Christian texts.
· Reflect on the long-term literary and historiographical legacy of the Council.
Course Structure
Part I - Early Christian Writing (2nd Century CE)
· Origins and development of ancient Christian literature.
· Epistemological foundations of the discipline.
· Distinctive features of early Christian textual production.
· The process of "literarization" of Christian writing.
· Critical and exegetical tools of ancient Christian literature.
(Supplementary study sessions will be offered for students needing additional support in this section.)
Part II - Politics and Memory
· Contradictions and open questions in the sources of Nicaea.
· The Council's role in Constantine's political vision.
· The problem of memory control and the emergence of Christian historiography.
Part III - Theology and Ecclesiology
· The Arian controversy and its foundations.
· The response of Alexander of Alexandria.
· Reformulations of the positions of Arius, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Alexander, and Athanasius.
· The Nicene Creed in context and its theological implications.
· Reception and historiographical legacy of the Council.
Methodology
Lectures will combine close reading of sources with historical and literary analysis. Students will practice applying philological, theological, and historiographical methods to primary texts.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites for admission.
Teaching methods
The course will be offered in a lecture format (although the possibility of exercises and group work is not excluded). Class attendance is highly recommended.
Teaching Resources
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:
To support class attendance and exam preparation, all students are requested to have:
* a Bible edition of their choice between:
- La Bibbia di Gerusalemme, Bologna (EDB) 2009;
- E Dio disse La Bibbia. Nuovissima versione dai testi originali, Cinisello Balsamo (San Paolo) 2007.
Students with a Classics Curriculum are also requested to have:
* Nestle - Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, Stuttgart (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft) 2012 (28th edition).
The texts listed above will be used during the final examination.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS and examination programme for ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010 (2nd ed.).
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2nd ed.).
* Lecture notes and course materials.
II Part
* S. Fernández (cur.), Le fonti antiche sul Concilio di Nicea, Roma (Città Nuova) 2025.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
III Part
* R. Cacitti, «L'immagine del Regno di Cristo». La forgiatura dei materiali escatologici nell'officina della teologia politica di Eusebio di Cesarea, in R. Macchioro (cur.), Costantino a Milano. L'editto e la sua storia (313-2013), Roma (Bulzoni) 2017, pp. 165-204.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
For the achievement of the 6 e.c.t.s., both the attendance and the study of the materials indicated for the first two Parts are mandatory;
For the achievement of the 9 e.c.t.s., attendance and study of the materials indicated for all three Parts are mandatory.
Bibliographic references and examination programme for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010 (2nd ed.).
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2nd ed.).
II Part
* S. Fernández (cur.), Le fonti antiche sul Concilio di Nicea, Roma (Città Nuova) 2025.
* E. Cattaneo (cur.), Atanasio di Alessandria, Lettere cristologiche, Milano (Paoline) 2025, pp. 23-145.
III Part
* H. Pietras, Concilio di Nicea (325) nel suo contesto, Roma (GBP) 2021, pp. 7-136 (available online: https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/115876521).
For the achievement of the 6 e.c.t.s., the study of the materials indicated for the first two Units is mandatory;
The study of the materials indicated for all three Units is mandatory to achieve the 9 e.c.t.s.
Non-Italian mother-tongue students must contact the teacher to set an alternative bibliography.
To support class attendance and exam preparation, all students are requested to have:
* a Bible edition of their choice between:
- La Bibbia di Gerusalemme, Bologna (EDB) 2009;
- E Dio disse La Bibbia. Nuovissima versione dai testi originali, Cinisello Balsamo (San Paolo) 2007.
Students with a Classics Curriculum are also requested to have:
* Nestle - Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, Stuttgart (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft) 2012 (28th edition).
The texts listed above will be used during the final examination.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS and examination programme for ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010 (2nd ed.).
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2nd ed.).
* Lecture notes and course materials.
II Part
* S. Fernández (cur.), Le fonti antiche sul Concilio di Nicea, Roma (Città Nuova) 2025.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
III Part
* R. Cacitti, «L'immagine del Regno di Cristo». La forgiatura dei materiali escatologici nell'officina della teologia politica di Eusebio di Cesarea, in R. Macchioro (cur.), Costantino a Milano. L'editto e la sua storia (313-2013), Roma (Bulzoni) 2017, pp. 165-204.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
For the achievement of the 6 e.c.t.s., both the attendance and the study of the materials indicated for the first two Parts are mandatory;
For the achievement of the 9 e.c.t.s., attendance and study of the materials indicated for all three Parts are mandatory.
Bibliographic references and examination programme for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010 (2nd ed.).
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2nd ed.).
II Part
* S. Fernández (cur.), Le fonti antiche sul Concilio di Nicea, Roma (Città Nuova) 2025.
* E. Cattaneo (cur.), Atanasio di Alessandria, Lettere cristologiche, Milano (Paoline) 2025, pp. 23-145.
III Part
* H. Pietras, Concilio di Nicea (325) nel suo contesto, Roma (GBP) 2021, pp. 7-136 (available online: https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/115876521).
For the achievement of the 6 e.c.t.s., the study of the materials indicated for the first two Units is mandatory;
The study of the materials indicated for all three Units is mandatory to achieve the 9 e.c.t.s.
Non-Italian mother-tongue students must contact the teacher to set an alternative bibliography.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Through exemplary case studies, the course aims to effectively present the specificities, from a critical and historical point of view, of the early Christian literary traditions, emphasizing above all their paradigmatic value and their influence on the subsequent literary history and history of thought.
With particular reference to the use of the methodological and critical instruments elaborated by this Discipline, the course objective is to enable students to analyse a literary document of Early Christianity critically.
The evaluation, expressed in thirtieths and communicated at the end of each exam, takes into account the following criteria:
1) critical reasoning skills (critical evaluation of the document; critical evaluation of the scientific literature; formulation of critical opinions; analytical ability; deductive capacity);
2) methodological rigour (knowledge of the methodological foundations of the discipline; ability to use this methodology);
3) knowledge of the fundamental notions (notional cognition; organization of notions in an ordered framework of knowledge);
4) expressive effectiveness (timely and non-allusive exposition; discursively organization of knowledge; acquisition of a specialized vocabulary).
With particular reference to the use of the methodological and critical instruments elaborated by this Discipline, the course objective is to enable students to analyse a literary document of Early Christianity critically.
The evaluation, expressed in thirtieths and communicated at the end of each exam, takes into account the following criteria:
1) critical reasoning skills (critical evaluation of the document; critical evaluation of the scientific literature; formulation of critical opinions; analytical ability; deductive capacity);
2) methodological rigour (knowledge of the methodological foundations of the discipline; ability to use this methodology);
3) knowledge of the fundamental notions (notional cognition; organization of notions in an ordered framework of knowledge);
4) expressive effectiveness (timely and non-allusive exposition; discursively organization of knowledge; acquisition of a specialized vocabulary).
Modules or teaching units
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)