Church History
The discipline of Church History traces the development of Christian thought and practice from the time of Jesus up to the present day. Ecumenical in scope, it asks how Christians in different times and places have sought to practice their faith, and how that faith has in turn been shaped by their diverse historical circumstances. Through understanding Christianity historically, it seeks to aid reflection on the state of Christians in the world today and in the future.
At Yonsei, the Church History program has faculty strengths in the following areas:
- - History of Korean Christianity
- - History of the Early Church
- - Patristic Literature (Latin, Greek, and Syriac)
- - Medieval Christianity in Asia
- - Christian Monasticism
Graduate students in Church History learn how to think critically and constructively about Christian history, while also being introduced to the fundamentals of academic research and writing. In addition to learning about the history of Korean Christianity, students are encouraged to cultivate an additional historical focus that aligns with the faculty strengths above.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
- Linguistic training is an important part of historical research on Christianity. Therefore, applicants to the Church History program are encouraged to specify in their applications which languages they are able to read, write, and/or speak.
- The ability to work with both historical (primary) and scholarly (secondary) sources is essential for Church History. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to include a writing sample of at least 10 pages (20 pages for doctoral applicants) demonstrating their ability to construct an argument based on both historical and scholarly sources.