It was a great course to have a global overview of the role religion had in the history of europe and even some parts of other continents with the last week session about jesuits.

I recently had the pleasure of completing the Yale University course "A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 - 1650)" taught by Professor Bruce Gordon, with contributions from PhD candidate Nazanin Sullivan and Dr. Maximilian Scholz. Professor Gordon's expertise was evident throughout the lectures. His ability to connect complex historical and theological concepts with concrete art historical examples made the material accessible and deeply engaging. For those of us with a background in art history, this integration was particularly impactful. It highlighted how Christian art served as both a reflection and a catalyst of religious and cultural shifts. The course navigates from the early persecuted Christian communities to the expansive and diverse global presence of Christianity by 1650. Professor Gordon's approach was both comprehensive and insightful, offering a rich tapestry of historical, theological, and artistic perspectives. His detailed analysis of how art intersected with religious developments provided invaluable context and deepened our understanding of the period. Nazanin Sullivan and Maximilian Scholz also contributed significantly to the course, enriching the learning experience with their expertise and insights. All three instructors brought a remarkable depth of knowledge and passion to the course, making it a truly memorable and intellectually stimulating experience. Overall, "A Journey through Western Christianity" is a majestic and thought-provoking course. The combined efforts of Prof. Bruce Gordon, Nazanin Sullivan, and Maximilian Scholz created a remarkable educational experience. I highly and honestly recommend this course to anyone interested in the dynamic interplay between religion and art throughout Western history.

mAn amazing collection of talks that introduce us to the fascinating study of Christianity as the generating force of our western society. The successes and failures and the spiritual force behind it. This course is a screen of knowledge of our spiritual values and the importance of knowing our spiritual richness in a process that has taken centuries and has bequeathed us a treasure of enormous transcendence. The lectures by Professor Bruce and his colleagues, Nazarine and Max, are enormously enlightening and go beyond mere information, they are discussions and forums in themselves always providing a thorough analysis of sometimes antagonistic sources. Very important to take this fascinating course.

The annexed material is also of unparalleled value, as it allows those who wish to deepen their knowledge on each subject to go deeper in each topic.

Una asombrosa coleccion de charlas que nos introducen en el estudio fascinante del cristianismo como la fuerza generadora de nuestra sociedad occidental. Los exitos y fracasos y la fuerza espiritual detras de ello. Este curso es una pantalla de conocimiento de nuestros valores espirituales y la importancia de conocer nuestra riqueza espiritual en un proceso que ha tomado siglos y nos ha legado un tesoro de enorme trascendencia. Las charlas del profesor Bruce y sus colegas, Nazarine y Max, son enormemente esclarecedoras y van mas alla de la mera informacion, son discusiones y foros en si mismos proveyendo siempre un analisis acucioso de fuentes a veces antagonicas. Muy importante tomar este fascinante curso.

El material anexo es tambien de inigualable valor, pues permite profundizar en cada tema a quienquiera explayarse en determinado conocimiento.

A very comprehensive course that gives one a good understanding of how the Church (mainly Catholic) evolved through centuries and may give a better grasp some of today's issues. Thank you Professor Gordon for this extensive journey! It took me much more than the planned eleven weeks but it was worth holding on. Now I feel like reading more on the subject. Although the course's focus is made plain in its title, I wish it had covered also the early growth of the Church, starting right after the death of Christ, as well as more recent developments and current issues. A subject for another course?

Excellent course: clear presentation of subjects;  information well articulated that enables the student to have a general picture of each of the sub themes in analysis; well provided with extra materials that allow students to explore more deeply certain general references; adequate final tests for introduction level. Each one of the subjects / weekly themes deserves an independent Course  and I would gladly enroll. Thank you, professor Bruce Gordon for your enthusiam and enganging and pedagogical commitment in your lessons.

I really enjoyed this course. I have a degree in Art History. This course would have been an excellent addition to my curriculum. even many years later it put many things I knew in perspective. I have had a number of courses in general European History but the emphasis on Christianity added another piece to the puzzle. I am not a Christian but I have always been interested in religions other than my own. I am very curious about what people believe and why and the customs and rituals the go along with those beliefs.

I really enjoyed following this well-presented course. Despite the limitations of the format, the instructors came over very well. I had some knowledge of the subject from a particular viewpoint but I found I gained a broader understanding and more complete perspective on the development of Western Christianity through this course. Unfortunately the discussion forums really are not working well, with limited participation and virtually no responses from learners or instructors.

A very comprehensive course .. i do need to find out more on certain event in the history of church as it is mentioned only in passing .. All in all , the course enable me to see how christianity theory and dogma are developed from the 1400 years time range due to different political and social issue and the rise of individual christian figure to correct the situation when they deem as something that is lacking and/or not correct n their impact on christian theology ...

This course contains a great deal of information which can be overwhelming when taken as a whole but works perfectly in the bite-size pieces offered. I learned so much and feel like I've been on an amazing journey that encouraged me to branch out and learn more about some of the covered topics. I would love to take another course with this group in the future. Most assuredly one of the best online classes of this type that I have taken.

The course contents are almost similar to Church History. It is very relevant in teaching Church History. The video presentation is excellent. The transcript below the video is very helpful. The questions in the quizzes are valid. The questions demonstrate the measure of the depth of knowledge. I achieved my goal in taking this course. This course is highly recommended for teaching Church History.

Thank you very much.

Dear Professor Bruce, Nazanin, and Max! I thank you and your team from the bottom of my heart for your work! For me as a Christian, it was not just interesting, it enriched my understanding of the Christian world and God's ways. I will be thinking over many things and making conclusions for myself! May God bless you, your families and keep you for yourself! Bless you! Regards, Marat!

I found this course engaging and very thorough from start to finish. Professor Gordon taught in a relaxed and knowledgeable way which made learning easier to absorb all which is covered. I would reccomend this course to anyone with an interest of how Christianity grew and the differences which brought about the break from the Catholic Church into many Protestent Churches.

Excellent introduction to Church History! Thank you to the instructors. I will miss hearing your erudite lectures. I feel as if I have got to know you a little over the weeks.

I'm just starting studying Christian Doctrine and it was very helpful to have this background in church history to help me understand the zigzagging from heresy to heresy of the early church!

muchas gracias por compartir excelente conocimiento, en mi idioma, en una forma clara de entender, buena metodología y dinámica, fue para mi gratificante tener el viaje a través del cristianismo occidental, con buen detalle, un abrazo y quedo muy agradecida. Felicidades a los que trabajaron para lograr mi oportunidad de estudiar.

Excelente el Curso. Hace reflexionar sobre la historia del Cristianismo, en variados ámbitos: espiritual, político, sacramental, colonial, etc. Brinda mucha información, muy bien organizada y secuenciada. Un placer recorrerlo y mucho agradecimiento al profesor Gordon, a Nazanin y a Max.

Por muchos éxitos más.

Cordialmente.

Beautiful course as a Christian missionary in Spain it open my mind of the rich tradition of christianity in arts and other disciplines, i will try to pursuit graduates studies in medieval mediterranean history and specialize in church history. Thank you and hope to see you Profesor bring some other related themes.

This is absolutely an excellent course! The course gives a strong sense of mainline development of the faith instead of overemphasizing on memorizing details, and it is easily comprehensible and perfectly suitable for students who know the basic timeline of European history but want to know more about the faith.

An illuminating course on a topic that is so rarely covered but so fundamental to Western civilization. Dr. Gordon, Max and Nazanin do an incredible job with the material to make it memorable and clear. One of the best courses I have ever taken, and also among the ones that I have learned the most from!

I really enjoyed the course and all of the bonus content. Dr. Gordon is very passionate in his lectures. Nazanin and Max also did a great job. I wish there was some follow up courses or a certificate to earn with this series. Thank you for the hard work in putting the course together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to explore the history of Christianity so as to get an overview of the subject. The material and the content of the lectures were very relevant and the course has sparked an interest to delve further.

As someone who has grown up going to church, but not knowing anything about this subject, I found it an extremely useful and insightful introduction. The course covers the wide scope of Christian history in Europe and is very revealing. Thoroughly enjoyable and easy to follow.

What a fantastic Journey for 1500 years. Without meticulous effort and commitment this course execution is impossible. I sincerely appreciate the Professor and team. Thank you so much for carrying this course without any boring figures in middle. I thoroughly enjoyed.

Quiero expresar mis felicitaciones por el curso, fue un buen repaso por la historia medieval, abordado con mucha seriedad desde diferentes contextos, filosofía, teología, historia, arte y lleno de apreciaciones personales que enriquecen el curso.

muchas gracias.

The course is a comprehensive feast with huge amounts of information, broken down into edible pieces. It is not overwhelming. The mix of presentation, discussion and written information is balanced and ensures it does not get boring. Recommended.

An excellent course for anyone interested in the development of Christianity through the ages. The lectures provided a very balanced and unbiased view and detailed analysis of Christianity as it spread from Jerusalem to other parts of the world.