Five Research Paper Topics On Christian History For History Class

The variety of Christian history research papers for the history class can be overwhelming at times, but remember the key to learning the different topics is in first getting familiar with them and then exploring what they have to offer. Here are five research papers for Christian history to help you narrow down your topic selection.

Ancient Christians: Christians actually began to develop their beliefs during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine introduced Christianity into the Roman Empire as he saw it as the last hope of preserving the way of life and traditions of the time. Thus, when the Romans declined in numbers to meet the increasing threat of barbarian invaders during the Dark Ages, a new faith emerged to replace the old. This subject can be quite broad since Christianity developed many different sects and more came and went over the centuries, but some common themes can be seen in most religions; like in Eastern Orthodoxy, the Byzantine Empire, and Catholic doctrine, the belief in one God, immortality, the Trinity, and eternal bliss of heaven are major components.

Early Christian History: Christianity as a religion spread from the Holy Land to Spain, Britain, and other countries in Europe through the Catholic Church and the missionary zeal of the early missionaries. Due to their impact on the expansion of Christianity, early Christians were often persecuted by others for their beliefs, and not all of them left any records. Some historians today believe that about half of the earliest Christians were killed or became slaves during the medieval period of European history.

Early Christian History After 1500: The study of the early history of Christianity has expanded significantly due to modern sources that have helped us understand how and why the Faith spread. The Protestant Reformation produced many gaps in our knowledge of this period of history, and it is only recently that we have been able to recover a fair amount of information about the time leading up to the Reformation. There are two categories of early sources in early Christian history; the written sources, and archaeological sites. Most of the early sources come from the 12th Century and have been translated into English as the Patristic, Synoptic, and Jerome manuscripts.

Early Christian History After 1500: As far as late documents are concerned, there are only four of these in the whole time span, which are written by scholars who specialized in either the theology or church history of Christianity. These include the Speculum of Epiphanius, the Martin Luther Statement, the Fragmentary History of Philip Schaff, and the Ecclesiastical History of Roger of Wendover. In the end, it is important to know who your sources are, where they came from, and how you use the information, to make the best use of the available material.

The Late Middle Ages: During the later part of the medieval period, the Christian religion in Western Europe came under criticism due to many issues. The Reformation happened, and various new Catholic governments came into existence that tried to enforce a strict form of Christianity over the people in the new country. During this time, a lot of religious and political conflicts arose between the Catholic Church and the Protestants, leading to a lot of bloodshed and destruction of Christian communities.

Late Middle Ages: Most of the Christian world was at war with each other at this time, which caused plenty of chaos throughout the Christian world. The most notable event of this period was the rise of a new kingdom based in France, led by Charlemagne. As the two sides faced off each other, many more wars occurred, and for a few years, the Middle Ages ended.