Introduction to Early Christianity

This book offers a general introduction to the origin and development of Christianity, from its Jewish antecedents in the land of Israel to its contribution to the thought and art of medieval Europe. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of the history, life, and thought of the early Church, with evidence from the earliest written sources certifying the manifestation of the Christian phenomenon in history.

The topics that form the core of this book are not intended to be a systematic account of the historical development of the Christian movement in its early centuries. On the contrary, each chapter deals with a different aspect of the history, life, thought, and external expression of the early Church. Beginning with the Jewish roots in which the Christian faith was born and grew, the book continues with evidence from the oldest written sources that attest to the historical manifestation of the Christian phenomenon, with its historical development in the Roman Empire, with an explanation of apocalyptic doctrines and the messianic idea, and with the evolution of the external manifestations of worship, sacraments, monasticism, architecture, and art.

The work is structured as follows:

• The Jewish Background of Early Christianity
• Written Sources on Early Christianity
• Historical Evolution
• Messianic and Eschatological Doctrines
• Worship and Liturgy
• Origin and Development of Christian Monasticism
• Art and Architecture of Ancient Christianity
• Appendices

A book aimed at readers who wish to expand their knowledge of a religious phenomenon that began with a Jewish movement two thousand years ago, developed in different forms in its organizations and social expression, proceeded to conquer the entire world in a great proselytizing campaign, profoundly influenced all of Western culture, was at the root of true social and political revolutions, and continues, even today, to inspire the world along with its older sister, the Jewish faith.

The most current and indispensable work for the broad and deep study of Early Christianity from a comprehensive perspective at the level of the latest academic, cultural, social, and theological research.