This book comes out of two experiences. The first was an introductory course to church history that I took as a graduate student. We used one of the standard, encyclopedic church history texts in this class. Practically any person or event that had any relevance in Christian history was covered in the book. However, it was very difficult to sort out what was truly important. It was even more difficult to get a feeling for the flow of history, that is, to determine how the events and developments in one period led to another. At that point I became determined to write a "better way" to introduce students to Christian history.
The second experience that informed this book was my own efforts to teach freshmen and sophomore college students an introduction to Christian history. The available texts were either high-level history books or introduction to Christianity works. The high-level writings suffered from some of the same problems mentioned above. In addition, they were often multivolume works that used vocabulary well beyond many of my students. The introduction to Christianity texts were often written at an appropriate level but were mainly organized thematically. As a result, they were very adept at exploring such concerns as "the Christian worldview" or "issues facing Christianity in the modern world" but were weak in their historical development of the faith.
A Concise History of Christianity is intended to resolve these shortcomings. Its primary pattern of organization is chronological It draws the reader into the flow of history by tracing major developments in Christianity. Persons and events mentioned were carefully selected to show what was most important in a given era. No effort was made to discuss every relevant figure or event.
The text concentrates on the development of institutional church structure as well as Christian thought The book is divided into discussions of each major period in Christian history. The religious events of each period are placed in a historical context through chapter introductions that discuss major events in the world scene The state of Christianity is summarized at the end of each major period to help clarify the faith's position at that stage in its development.
The book starts with the assumption that the reader knows nothing about Christianity, much less its history A discussion of history and Christianity is provided to orient the reader to historical study. The vocabulary throughout
PREFACE
the text is simple Technical and theological terms are defined within the text and in the glossary. Every effort is made to keep the writing straightforward and readable An index helps to link ideas throughout the book.
It is my hope that students and teachers alike will find A Concise History of Christianity a useful tool in unlocking the basics of Christian history. An appreciation for Christian history is necessary for understanding not only the foundations of the faith but also its current challenges and its prospects for the future I trust that this small effort will help students develop a viable perspective.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my thanks to those instructors who reviewed the manuscript for this book: Lewis Baldwin, Vanderbilt University, Gerrit J. tenZythoff, Southwest Missouri State University, Riley Phillip, Santa Clara University, John Billings, University of Wisconsin, and Stanley Burgess, Southwest Missouri State University. Their knowledge and kind suggestions contributed greatly to improving the quality of the work. I am indebted to Sheryl Fullerton, Peggy Adams, Gary Mcdonald, and Judith McKibben, these Wadsworth editors not only shared their expertise but also kept me working by offering much needed encouragement over the long development process.
I also wish to thank Marianne Berger and Gene Sladek, staff members at College of DuPage, who assisted in preparing the chapter opening photos for my book And I owe a debt of gratitude to my Spring 1991 and Spring 1992 History of Christianity classes at College of DuPage who read and commented upon various stages of the manuscript. Their efforts were invaluable for providing a student's perspective on the text.
R Dean Peterson
A CONCISE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
T HIS BOOK examines a religion that is both old and new Christianity is old because it has a history of almost 2000 years. Millions of men and women have lived and died according to its principles through the ages. At the same time, it is relatively young when compared to other great religions of the world Christianity is a living religion that is continually being reformed
This book explores the history of the Christian church. 1 It examines dates, places, people, and ideas that have played roles in the development of Christianity More important, the book tries to give a "fed" for history and the historical process. History is what has happened to people, institutions, or countries in the past The historical process refers to the interactions among people, places, and events throughout history. This book focuses on the development of the church as an institution and on the development of Christian thought A basic understanding of these developments is necessary before we can grapple with the complex issues of church history. This understanding also is necessary before we can properly assess contemporary conflicts in the Christian community
This chapter introduces the study of history and the historical setting of early Christianity. To clarify the relation of the church to the historical process, this chapter discusses a Christian view of history, examines how historians may help in the discovery of the Christian past, and offers some thoughts on the study of church history. We then turn to a brief outline of Jewish history and to the Roman and Jewish worlds in which Jesus lived