Introduction Acknowledgements Chronological Table 1. Christianity and Rome 2. The Great Persecution 3. The Conversion of Constantine 4. Constantine and the Imperial Church 5. The Donatist Schism 6. The Doctrine of the Trinity 7. Scripture and Liturgy 8. The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 9. Emperor and Bishop 10. Asceticism and Monasticism 11. Christianization 12. Paideia: Christianity and Classical Culture 13. Christians, Jews and Manichees 14. Gender and Society 15. Holy Men and Holy Women 16. Pilgrimage and Relics 17. Missionaries and Kings 18. The City of God 19. The Christological Controversies 20. Christianity and the Barbarian Invasions Epilogue: The Dawn of Medieval Christendom General Bibliography Index of authors and texts Index of Scriptural citations General Index
This sourcebook of primary material with full commentary on the Church in the later Roman empire provides a much-needed resource for students and teachers.
David M. Gwynn is Reader in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
Gwynn is to be commended for his writing style’s clarity and
approachability in describing very complicated events in Christian
history. Most impressive, however, is his usage and selection of
various primary texts that immerse the reader in the Roman world of
the time … I would highly recommend Gwynn’s work as an excellent
‘sourcebook’ for college majors in either classical studies or
church history.
*The Classical Outlook*
[This volume] will doubtless serve as an excellent introduction to
the history of Christianity in the Later Roman Empire for many
years to come. It is well written, easy to read, and so suitable
either for undergraduate students or the general reader.
*Classics Ireland*
Gwynn (Royal Holloway, Univ. of London, UK) employs a topical,
chronological approach to the history of Christianity circa the
fourth through seventh centuries. … Gwynn begins his exploration
with a general look at Christianity and Rome in the first three
centuries and proceeds to examine specific topics, including
persecutions, the rise of Constantine and his imperial church,
controversies, and schisms. … [He] is commended for the extensive
use of historical documents, which range in scope from royal
decrees to literary works. … This research tool will assist
beginning scholars and others interested in exploring the subject.
Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates and above; general
readers.
*CHOICE*
[Christianity in the Later Roman Empire] might best be described as
a comprehensive introductory overview of this complex and confusing
subject. As such, it is an excellent way in; the serious student
will want to go deeper ... Anyone studying this period for the
first time will find this a most useful book.
*Classics for All Reviews*
An unusual, readable, and highly effective sourcebook. David M.
Gwynn sets the key testimonies within a continuous narrative that
provides both essential context and clear guidance as to how to
read the evidence. It is a book that can be read with pleasure from
cover to cover or serve as a sourcebook on any specific aspect of
the early Church.
*Bryan Ward-Perkins, Fellow and Tutor in History, University of
Oxford, UK and author of The Fall of Rome and the End of
Civilization (2005)*
Offering a critically framed selection of Late Roman Christian
texts, this volume offers a current as well as comprehensive
overview of the issues, authors, and problems of Christianization
from the third to seventh centuries. David M. Gwynn has helpfully
distilled much recent scholarship into a lively narrative of this
transitional era, presenting traditional texts and authors in an
accessible framework as well as presenting a broad bibliography for
further reading.
*Rebecca Lyman, Samuel Garrett Professor of Church History emerita,
Church Divinity School of the Pacific, California, USA*
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