Table of Contents

Introduction
1: The First Followers of Jesus
2: The Jewish Matrix
3: Jews and Christians Survive Rome's Crushing of Revolts
4: The Hebrew Scriptures in the Church
5: Interpreting Scripture: Philo and paul
6: Apostles and Evangelists
7: Women among Jesus' Followers
8: 'Barnabas', Jewish Christianity, Trouble at Corinth
9: Ignatius of Antioch
10: Didache
11: Marcion
12: Justin
13: Irenaeus of Lyon
14: The New Testament Text
15: Celsus: A Platonist Attack
16: Montanism: Perpetua
17: Tertullian, Minucius Felix
18: Clement of Alexandria
19: Julius Africanus
20: Hippolytus and Liturgy
21: Origen
22: Cyprian of Carthage
23: Dionysius of Alexandria
24: Paul of Samosata
25: Mani
26: Plotinos, Porphyry
27: Diocletian and the Great Persecution, Rise of Constantine
28: Constantine, Lactantius, and Eusebios of Caesarea
29: The Seeds of Reaction
30: The Church at Prayer
31: Athanasios, Marcellus, and the Gathering Storm
32: Fiasco at Serdica
33: Religious Division: A Note on Intolerance
34: Athanasios' Return: A Wind of Change
35: Constantius' Double Council of Unity
36: Julian and the Church
37: Damasus, Siricius, Papal Authority, Synesios of Cyrene
38: Basil of Caesarea (Cappadocia)
39: Ambrose
40: Ambrosiaster
41: Donatism
42: Monks: The Ascetic Life
43: Messalians; The Macarian Homilies
44: Schism at Antioch: The Council of Constantinople (381)
45: Jerome and Rufinus: Controversy about Origen
46: Pelagius, Celestius, and the Roman See in Gaul and North Africa
47: Julian of Eclanum: Augustine's Critics in Gaul and North Africa
48: Augustine
49: John Chrysostom
50: Innocent I and John Chrysostom's Honour. Alaric and the fall of Rome
51: The Christological Debate I: To the First Council of Ephesus
52: The Christological Debate II: From Reunion to a breakdown of unity (449)
53: The Christological Debate III; From the Second Council of Ephesus (449) to Chalcedon (451)
54: Chalcedon II: fall of Dioscoros. the emperor Leo's Encyclia
55: The aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon; Zeno's Henotikon
56: Justinian: Origen and the Three Chapters
57: The Church and the Barbarian Invasions in the West; Salvian, Sidonius, Caesarius
58: Worship after Constantine
59: Pope Gregory the Great (590 - 604)
60: Pilgrims
61: Penance
Further Reading
Dates of Roman Emperors
List of Bishops of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem

Reviews

Chadwick's history is likely to be a standard work for students for many years to come. Journal of Ecclesiastical History The style of the narrator is clear, enlivened by occasional colloquialisms and modern parallels. Journal of Ecclesiastical History The first thing which must strike any reader is the immense range and depth of the author's scholarship. Journal of Ecclesiastical History For teachers of theology, The Church in Ancient Society will be a valuable resource. Graham Gould, THES This is a tour de force by a great scholar ... a magisterial account of the doctrinal and institutional history of the early Church, particularly in the east Roman provinces. The easy style, not without a sprinkling of colloquialisms, conceals the author's great learning and enthusiasm for his subject ... Henry Chadwick's book will remain a standard work on the history of early Christianity for the forseeable future. English Historical Review Chadwick writes a fluent narrative history ... But the best is reserved for the three chapters on the Christological controversies in the east, 428-451. This is a well-tilled field, but Chadwick manages to breathe new life into each phase of the dispute. There is complete command of the evidence and clear-headed explanation of the events. English Historical Review Whoever looks for a reliable and highly readable companion to the formative centuries of Christianity and, in many respects, of European culture as well could hardly make a better choice. Church Times. For many, the world of late antiquity, the concerns of theologians and of ordinary Christians alike, may have become a distant heritage. Chadwick generally succeeds in bringing it to life. At times, antiquity doesn't even seem to be so distant after all. Church Times Surveying this vast field with the experience of a lifetime, Chadwick on every page reveals his mastery, in particular, of the many and varied primary sources. Church Times The exposition is rich in detail, and makes an enjoyable read that will appeal to an academic and to a general readership alike. Church Times Marked by a monumentality both of scope and detail ... the last great narrative history of the twentieth century in its field. Kate Cooper, Times Literary Supplement Henry Chadwick ranks as one of the great figures of the twentieth century in his field, and there is every reason to believe that a future generation of scholars will be keen to have access to his guidance on any one of a thousand points of detail. Kate Cooper, Times Literary Supplement The Church in Ancient Society will stand as a fitting memorial to the study of patristics in the late twentieth century. Kate Cooper, Times Literary Supplement Though dense, the book is highly readable, with pithy summaries of complicated controversies and manoeuvrings, peppered with aphorism and irony. Delightful asides abound ... The book is a tour de force to which we will keep turning as an essential reference work. The Tablet The first 600 years: that is nearly one third of the Church's entire history. No one but Henry Chadwick ... could have given us so full and so authoritative an account of these decisive centuries. His new book crowns a body of illuminating work on several of the outstanding figures as well as on many of the thorniest problems of the early Church's history. The Tablet