History of the Christian Church Vol. II

History of the Christian Church Vol. II
Author: Philip Schaff
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 699
Release: 2010-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1936392070

Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church excels at providing an impressive and instructive historical treatment of the Christian church. This is Volume Two covering from 100 A.D. to 325 A.D. This volumous work begins with the early Church at its formative era. This volume and the previous will comprise the major individual and their writings, which shall comprise the first five (5) volumes of the Ante-Nicene Series. Schaff's treatment is comprehensive and in depth, discussing all the major and minor figures, time periods, and movements of the Church. One feature of the "History of the Christian Church", which readers will immediately notice is just how beautifully written it is, in particular when comparing other texts of a similar nature. Simply put, Schaff's prose is lively and engaging. Quite often, these works can be grueling and drudgery, yet this effort have been able to make it ""history written with heart and soul.""

Vox Populi

Vox Populi
Author: Timothy E. Gregory
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 1979
Genre: Church history
ISBN: 0814202918

It was one of the most characteristic if puzzling phenomena of the later Roman Empire that the man in the street commonly engaged in open and heated debate of complex theological questions that seemingly had no immediate relevance to his daily life ... And the passionate arguments that raged in all the cities of the East did not, in every case, end with mere words, but led often to acts of anger and violence. Churchees were burned in the night, and cities were drenched in blood ... Ancient authors, borrowing their models, perhaps, from Thucydides or Tacitus, recognized the danger inherent in urban upheaval and popular unrest; but with a general disregard for the substantive issues that provoked dispute, they were inclined to attribute them simply and wholly to a natural perversity on the part of crowds that caused them to resort to violence and foster rebellion for their own sakes ...

Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical Correspondence of Constantine the Great

Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical Correspondence of Constantine the Great
Author: Andrew J. Pottenger
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2022-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000799867

This volume closely examines patterns of rhetoric in surviving correspondence by the Roman emperor Constantine on conflicts among Christians that occurred during his reign, primarily the ‘Donatist schism’ and ‘Arian controversy’. Commonly remembered as the ‘first Christian emperor’ of the Roman Empire, Constantine’s rule sealed a momentous alliance between church and state for more than a millennium. His well-known involvement with Christianity led him to engage with two major disputes that divided his Christian subjects: the ‘Donatist schism’ centred from the emperor's perspective on determining the rightful bishop of Carthage, and the so-called ‘Arian controversy’, a theological conflict about the proper understanding of the Son's divine nature in relation to that of the Father. This book examines a number of letters associated with Constantine that directly address both of these disagreements, exploring his point of view and motivations to better understand how and why this emperor applied his power to internal church divisions. Based on close analysis of prominent themes and their functions in the rhetoric of his correspondence, Pottenger argues that three ‘doctrines of power’ served to inform and direct Constantine’s use of power as he engaged with these problems of schism and heresy. Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical Correspondence of Constantine the Great is of interest to students and scholars of early Christianity and the history of the later Roman Empire.

The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787)

The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787)
Author: Leo D. Davis
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2017-03-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0814683819

This unique work - no other work yet available in English treats this subject - illustrates the contribution of these Councils in the development and formulation of Christian beliefs. It then shows how their legacies lingered throughout the centuries to inspire - or haunt - every generation.