
The Early Church
The I.B.Tauris History of the Christian Church
Morwenna Ludlow(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 18. December 2008
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-84511-366-7 (ISBN)
Description
How did the early Christians manage to establish a religion and institution which, despite persecution, flourished and grew? How did their initial experience of being a despised minority in the Roman Empire shape their sense of privileged identity and uniqueness? And how was it that - at least at the outset - the first believers were able to exist alongside the same shared traditions, rituals and beliefs of the Jews, despite the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah?The Christian community was born out of paradox: its faith in a man who was also the 'anointed one' (or Christ) of God; and its growth and development often echoed those complex and contradictory origins. Morwenna Ludlow discusses the fragile context as well as the emerging core beliefs of the early Church (including divine creation, salvation, eschatology, the humanity and divinity of Christ and the inter-relationships of the Trinity) between 50-600 CE. She also examines the process of Christian self-definition in response to groups on the edge of the Church, such as Gnostics, Marcionites, Montanists and Manichaeans, as well as in relation to Judaism.
Bringing to vivid life the remarkable history of the early Church, in all its conflict and struggle, the author shows why such a successful faith was able to rise out of such improbable and unpromising beginnings.
Bringing to vivid life the remarkable history of the early Church, in all its conflict and struggle, the author shows why such a successful faith was able to rise out of such improbable and unpromising beginnings.
Reviews / Votes
'A series such as this is hugely welcome. Its emphasis on the history of ideas, and on the global - not just European - experience of Christianity and its manifestations of church, will be valued by students, scholars and general readers alike. The I.B.Tauris History of the Christian Church brings ecclesiastical history into a new era, for a new generation'. - Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, University of OxfordMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
1 map
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
603 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84511-366-7 (9781845113667)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2008
I.B. Tauris
€60.99
Available for download
Person
Morwenna Ludlow is Lecturer in Patristics at the University of Exeter. She is the author of two previous books, entitled Universal Salvation: Eschatology in the Thought of Gregory of Nyssa and Karl Rahner and Gregory of Nyssa, Ancient and (Post)modern.