From Christ to Constantine

"The greatest justification for studying any history, whether sacred or secular, is that it is a study of people. While the furniture of history changes, the basic human beings do not." Michael Smith, Introduction The Early Church: The life and times of the early Christian communities, which came to be known as the church, were every bit as exciting. The pulse of early Christian life, worship, teachings, persecution, and controversy has been submerged beneath the introductions to the early Church history. From Christ to Constantine is an introduction to Christianity of the first four centuries from persecution to political triumph, as first introduced by Eusebius bishop of Caesarea. Book's Historical Span: How did the early church face persecution? Who were the people who shaped its history? How did it meet its problems, develop its organization while formulating its teachings. From the apostolic fathers to the first ecumenical council, of Nicea when the early church undergoing persecution and martyrdom rose to imperial favor under Constantine, which has dramatically influenced its course in history, while its basic Christian Tradition was shaping. This scholarly introduction by Michael Smith written before three decades, is vividly illustrative, informative, but neither ecclesiastic nor academic. It is a clear, overall view point from which 21st century readers may visualize the broad patterns within the late antiquity terrain, favors the study as a necessary supplement to give life to chronological histories of the early church. Study Contents: After a time chart with church milestones linked to political events and Roman persecution, briefly mentioning edicts, and church thinkers, and schisms, the author, who read theology and history in Oxford, previewed his historical narrative. A study enriched with 50 illustrations, three maps, a time chart, and an exhaustive glossary of 26 pages, that enliven his session on early church history. Within ten chapters, he proceeds on his captivating reading in early Church history, and summarizes his findings in the eleventh: 'The Legacy' concluding , "Without doubt, the apostles would have been surprised to see the change from the congregation of the upper room to the crowded basilicas of Constantine."