The Mystery of History Volume II: The Early Church and the Middle Ages – Textbook (Second Edition)

Volume II in the words of the author:

The Mystery of History Volume II (AD 30 – 1456) picks up where the story of Volume I leaves off – at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the first lesson I address Acts 1:8 with the promise of the Father to send the Holy Spirit. It is called the Day of Pentecost. From there, the history of the Early Church really begins. It is not an easy history to digest. It was amid trials, persecution, and martyrdom that the magnificent story of Jesus Christ spread.

In Volume II, I expand on the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Dark Ages that followed. This text delves into . . .

• the chivalry of knights and damsels, kings and queens, and the peasants who faithfully served them
• Vikings and villains; castles and crusades; and the poetry of Dante and Chaucer
• the life of Mohammed and the spread of Islam
• the rise and fall of dynasties in Japan and China
• the Coptic (Egyptian) Church and Great Zimbabwe in the south
• the rituals of the Aztecs and the gold of the Incas in Peru
• the peoples of New Zealand and Greenland, on opposite ends of the earth, as they emerge into our view of world history.

All along the way, Volume II of The Mystery of History pauses to hear the voice of God as He speaks through missionaries like Columba, St. Patrick, and Cyril. Students will learn of the struggles within the Medieval church as it grows, expands, and threatens the authority of emperors and kings. I ended this volume with the tragic death of Joan of Arc, the fall of Constantinople, and the invention of the printing press that helps spread the Word of God across Europe.

You won’t find these significant and amazing stories packaged together just anywhere. I’ve done the research for you so that you and your students are free to absorb this history and explore the untold mysteries in between.

Updates to 2nd Edition

• For durability, the book is now a hardback—matching the popular layout of The Mystery of History Volumes I, III, and IV.
• For interest, we added more than 400 beautiful color images and dozens of colorful maps—handpicked by the author to be edifying and historically accurate. (Hundreds of fact-filled captions are included!)
• For convenience, the book contains a download code to access a 500+ page digital Companion Guide containing pretests; activities for younger, middle, and older students; timeline directions; mapping exercises; quizzes; literature suggestions; and much more—allowing you to customize this course to suit your needs. (A printed version of the Companion Guide will soon be released as a separate purchase for those who would prefer it.)

Our new Second Edition offers much of the same award-winning content as the First Edition. However, it’s now in a colorful hardback with a digital Companion Guide* included (via a download code inside the cover) giving you over 500 pages of new and improved activities, mapping exercises, quizzes, literature lists, and much more.