This "fresh, blunt, and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus" (Newsweek) is now available in paperback. Stark's provocative report challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life. "Compelling reading" (Library Journal) that is sure to "generate spirited argument" (Publishers Weekly), this account of Christianity's remarkable growth within the Roman Empire is the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance...must read it." says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago).

Church History offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and developed. It did so not in a vacuum, but in a setting of times, cultures, and events that both influenced and were influenced by the church. Church History looks closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church. Volume one explores the development of the church from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation. Filled with maps, charts, and illustrations, it offers overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds; insights into the church’s relationship to the Roman empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians; the place of art and architecture, literature and philosophy, both sacred and secular; and much more, spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries. Volume One Content Overview 1. The Setting for the Story’s Beginning 2. Jesus and the Beginnings of the Church 3. The Subapostolic Age 4. The Church and the Empire 5. Heresies and Schisms of the Second Century 6. The Defense Against Rival Interpretations 7. The Fathers of the Old Catholic Church and Their Problems 8. Church Life in the Second and Third Centuries 9. Development of the Church During the Third Century 10. Diocletian and Constantine: On the Threshold of the Fourth Century 11. The Church in the Fourth Century: Doctrine, Organization, and Literature 12. The Church in the Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries: Monasticism, Expansion, Life, and Worship 13. Christological Controversies to Chalcedon 14. Augustine, Pelagius, and Semipelagianism 15. Transitions to the Middle Ages: Germanic Migrations, Doctrinal Developments, and the Papacy 16. Eastern and Western Churches in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 17. The Eastern Church from the Seventh to Eleventh Centuries 18. The Western Church from the Seventh to Ninth Centuries 19. Decline and Renewal of Vitality in the West: The Ninth to Eleventh Centuries 20. The Papal Reform Movement and the First Crusade 21. Intellectual Revival: The Rise of Scholasticism 22. Monastic, Literary, Political, and Cultural Activities in the Twelfth Centuries 23. The Glory of the Western Medieval Church: The Thirteenth Century 24. Portents of Decline

Archbishop Carrington examines the rise and development of the Christian Church during the first two centuries after the Crucifixion.

This thorough, well-sourced history of the early Christian church follows its origins in the Apostolic Age, through its growth during and after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The author treats the death of Christ as the starting point for his examination of Christianity's initial rise to prominence via the work of the apostles. Originally commanding only a small following in what is today Israel and its immediate surroundings, the movement grew rapidly despite being banned as heresy by the Roman authorities. Through disparate and spread over a wide area, early Christians were organized; the teachings of Jesus were spread by devoted, literate believers who commonly held copies of the New Testament and other lore. Great milestones in the history of Christianity, such as the Emperor Constantine's adoption of the faith, as well as the conflicts between different groups of believers, are examined. The emergence of the Catholic church, and the formal papal office of the Bishop of Rome, is detailed. How Christians lived in the centuries after the collapse of Roman rule, and the ensuant disorder, is hereafter told. Finally, we hear about how the now-organized and hierarchical church changed with the approach of the Middle Ages and the rise of a new religion: Islam. Joseph Cullen Ayer was a Biblical scholar and minister in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His extensive life experience in teaching Christianity, and his formal study of the ancient histories and texts, lent much authority to the few, high quality works he published in his lifetime.

This thorough, well-sourced history of the early Christian church follows its origins in the Apostolic Age, through its growth during and after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The author treats the death of Christ as the starting point for his examination of Christianity's initial rise to prominence via the work of the apostles. Originally commanding only a small following in what is today Israel and its immediate surroundings, the movement grew rapidly despite being banned as heresy by the Roman authorities. Through disparate and spread over a wide area, early Christians were organized; the teachings of Jesus were spread by devoted, literate believers who commonly held copies of the New Testament and other lore. Great milestones in the history of Christianity, such as the Emperor Constantine's adoption of the faith, as well as the conflicts between different groups of believers, are examined. The emergence of the Catholic church, and the formal papal office of the Bishop of Rome, is detailed.