History of the Early Church Set

Student Guide Sample
Teacher Guide Sample

About The Early Church:

“Henry Chadwick paints a portrait of the early Christians, constructed out of a mosaic of the ancient sources, giving the general reader a fresh awareness of the life of this momentous community. The Church is seen in close relation to its original setting in Jewish and Gentile society, to which the Christians were indebted, and yet at the same time, with the zeal of the martyrs, defiant. The internal controversies among the Christians are analysed with rare clarity. In conclusion, the author examines the conversion of Constantine and the suppression of paganism by Theodosius, which led to the development of the social and political role of the Church, and the contrasting institutions of Papacy and Monasticism, which continue to assert the independence of merely secular values. For further reading there is a list of books, which has been brought up to date for this revised edition.” (from the publisher)

About The History of the Church:

“‘Could I do better than start from the beginning of the dispensation of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ of God?’

Eusebius’ account is the only surviving historical record of the Church during its crucial first 300 years. Bishop Eusebius (c. A.D. 260-339), a learned scholar who lived most of his life in Caesarea in Palestine, broke new ground in writing the History  and provided a model for later ecclesiastical historians. In tracing the history of the Church from the time of Christ to the Great Persecution at the beginning of the fourth century and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, his aim was to show the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity and its struggle against persecutors and heretics. He also supported his account by extensive quotations form original sources.

This edition of G. A. Williamson’s clear, fluid translation is accompanied by an introduction by Andrew Louth discussing the life and works of Eusebius, together with notes, bibliography, map of the world of Eusebius and brief biographies of the figures who appear in the work.” (from the publisher)