Product Description

Examines the beginning of the Christian movement during the first centuries AD, and the explosive force of its expansion throughout the Roman world

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32693 in Books
• Published on: 1993-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Reverend Henry Chadwick is a former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and has been a Regius Professor at both Oxford and Cambridge. He is also an ordained Anglican priest.

Customer Reviews

A Great History Of The Early Chruch!
"The Early Church" provides the reader with an excellent history of the first six centuries of Christianity. Author Henry Chadwick covers structural and doctrinal development, along with the rise and fall of heresies and introductions to the leading characters of the period.

This excellent book provides an overview of so many things which casual students of Church history probably heard of but may not have really understood. From my reading of this book I have a better understanding of early heresies including Arianism (Jesus was not co-eternal with the Father), Donatism (no reconciliation with apostates) Manichaeism (a secret, gnostic type sect) and Pelagianism (denial of original sin). The role of councils, such as Nicaea, in combating heresy and guiding the development of orthodoxy is made clearer. A greater understanding of the roles of the Church Fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Theodore of Mopsuestia, St. Jerome and St. Augustine is gained by the reader of this book.

From a theological or historical perspective this book is a treasure. One test I apply to books is whether they inspire me to study more. This one does. I am confident that it will do the same for you.

History of the Early Church
I found the book excellent for history and getting a sense of the organic development of the modern Eastern and Western rites. I also enjoyed the historical context in which the book was set in terms of the political developments in the Roman empire. It covered well the start of the rift between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.

The only problem that I had with it was that it covered a few cases in a lot of detail, which tends to break up the overall historical progression of the book. During these individual analysis chapters, he jumps around through history instead of analysing the developments in a smooth historical narrative, which I would have preferred.

The Perfect Introduction To The Early Church
Henry Chadwick has produced a masterpiece. I have just finished a course on the Beginnings of the church in the Roman Empire and this book helped me pass with flying colours. Chadwick covers every aspect of the life of the early church. The book is perfect for getting an overall view of the early church without going into too much detail. At the same time the book is not too brief. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the Early Church.