Course Sections

Early Christian Persecution
Apostolic Fathers
Christian Apologists and Early Heresies
Gnosticism and the Early Church
Monasticism
Rome and the Third Century Crisis
Diocletian and the Tetrarchy
Constantine the Great
Athanasius
Early Church and Trinity: Father and Son
Arius and Nicea

Early Christian Persecution

Recommended Resources

Church HistoryEusebius of Caesarea
Free Download
A key primary source.
The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of MartyrdomCandida Moss
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A critical assessment of the martyr stories. Click here for an interview with Bryan Litfin, where he critiques some of Moss' positions.
Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early ChurchWilliam H. C. Frend
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A major scholarly work on the martyr stories.
Early Christian Martyr Stories: An Evangelical Introduction with New TranslationsBryan M. Litfin
Purchase
Introductions to and applications of key martyr stories from a sympathetic perspective. Click here for a review from Themelios.

Apostolic Fathers

The Apostolic FathersJ. B. Lightfoot
Free Online
Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic FathersAndrew Louth
Purchase
Translated by Maxwell Staniforth
The Christians as the Romans Saw ThemRobert Louis Wilken
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Christian Apologists and Early Heresies

TertullianGeoffrey D. Dunn
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OrigenJoseph W. Trigg
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In Defence of Christianity: Early Christian ApologistsJakob Engberg, Anders-Christian Jacobsen, & Jörg Ulrich
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Gnosticism and the Early Church

Recommended Resources

Gnosis: The Nature and History of GnosticismKurt Rudolph
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Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to Our FaithMatthew Lee Anderson
Purchase

Monasticism

Recommended Resources

Ian C. Hannah - Christian Monasticism and its Place in History<p>Bibliotheca Sacra, January–March 1919</p>
Thabiti Anyabwile - Steps Toward an "Evangelical Monasticism"?

David Calhoun - Medieval MonasticismRuntime: 45 min

Rome and the Third Century Crisis

Recommended Resources

The Later Roman EmpireAveril Cameron
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The World of Late Antiquity: AD 150–750Peter Brown
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Diocletian and the Tetrarchy

Recommended Resources

Diocletian and the Roman RecoveryStephen Williams
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The Empire of the Tetrarchs: Imperial Pronouncements and Government AD 284–324Simon Corcoran
Purchase

Constantine the Great

Recommended Resources

Philip Schaff - Constantine the Great, and the Downfall of Paganism in the Roman Empire<p>Bibliotheca Sacra, October–December 1863</p>
Eusebius of Caesarea - The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine<p>A key primary source.</p>
John Starke - Constantine’s Birth: Cause for Celebration?

Constantine and the Conversion of EuropeA. H. M. Jones
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Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of ChristendomPeter J. Leithart
Purchase
Click here for a review from Trevin Wax at TGC.

Athanasius

Recommended Resources

On the IncarnationAthanasius
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AthanasiusKhaled Anatolios
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AthanasiusPeter J. Leithart
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Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian TheologyLewis Ayres
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Early Church and Trinity: Father and Son

Recommended Resources

Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian DoctrineKhaled Anatolios
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From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and Its BackgroundFrances M. Young
Purchase
Click here for a review from TGC.

Arius and Nicea

Recommended Resources

The Councils of NicaeaHenry Leclercq
Purchase
The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it MattersLuke Timothy Johnson
Purchase

DownloadJack Arnold - The Council of NiceaFiletype: .pdf<p>A church history lesson outline.</p>