Focusing closely on the primary sources, choose one of the following three topics in order to explore how Christians in the post-Constantinian period understood the source, the function, and the location of holiness.

1. Compare and contrast the authority of the bishop as described by Gregory of Nazianzus in his poem, "On Himself and the Bishops" and the authority of the ascetics as described by Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his "Religious History." What is the source of authority for the bishop and the ascetic? What role do biblical examples play, and what role does formal education play?

2. Through an analysis of Gregory of Nyssa's "Letter on Pilgrimage" and Egeria's "Travel Journal," lay out some of the arguments for and against sacred travel among ancient Christians, and the benefits and dangers of devotion to physical objects and places.

3. Through a close reading of either Jerome's "Letter to Eustochium" or the "Life of Pelagia," describe some of the ways that gender might affect the quest for ascetic perfection in early Christianity.