Christianity and the Roman Empire

Background Texts

Ralph Martin Novak

• Publisher: Trinity Press International
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9781563383472
• eBook ISBN: 9780567018403
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

The rise of Christianity during the first four centuries of the common era was the pivotal development in Western history and profoundly influenced the later direction of all world history. Yet, for all that has been written on early Christian history, the primary sources for this history are widely scattered, difficult to find, and generally unknown to lay persons and to historians not specially trained in the field. In Christianity and the Roman Empire Ralph Novak interweaves these primary sources with a narrative text and constructs a single continuous account of these crucial centuries. The primary sources are selected to emphasize the manner in which the government and the people of the Roman Empire perceived Christians socially and politically; the ways in which these perceptions influenced the treatment of Christians within the Roman Empire; and the manner in which Christians established their political and religious dominance of the Roman Empire after Constantine the Great came to power in the early fourth century CE. Ralph Martin Novak holds a Masters Degree in Roman History from the University of Chicago. For: Undergraduates; seminarians; general audiences

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Significant Events and Primary Sources
• 1. A Brief Introduction to Historical Method
• 2. The Eagle and the Cross: The First Century C.E.
• 3. A Century of Martyrs: The Second Century C.E.
• 4. Struggle and Accommodation: The Third Century C.E.
• 5. The Cross Triumphant: The Fourth Century C.E.
• 6. The Scouring of Alexandria, ca. 361-416 C.E.
• Appendices on Primary Source Topics
• Sources and Translations
• Index of Ancient Texts
• Index of Subjects