History – world history persuasive assignment

Write a “thesis-based” persuasive esay of at least 1000 to 1200 words, related to some aspect or theme from the first half of our course regarding: 1) The Early Church, or 2) The Medieval Church.

Some possible topics

• The Greek context for early Christianity
• The Jewish influence on early Christianity 
• The early spread of Christianity
• Women in early Christianity
• Justin Martyr’s idea of Logos Spermatikos
• Gnosticism
• Constantine and the rise of Imperial Roman Christianity
• The Monastic movement
• The cult of Thecla
• Early theology: Irenaeus, Origin, Clement or Augustine
• Eastern Orthodoxy
• Hesychasm
• The development of the New Testament Canon
• the Arian debate
• The origins of the Creeds
• Celtic Christianity
• The Great (East vs. West) Schism 
• The Crusades and Spain
• The Mendicants: Franciscans and Dominicans
• Mysticism 
• Scholastic theology
• Medieval attempts to rationally prove the existence of God
• The Great Western Schism (Avignon Papacy)
• The Renaissance
• Humanism