Contents :

1. GOD AND THE GODS
Religion in the Roman Empire — Critiques of the gods —Society and government — The Empire and Christianity
2. COMMUNITY AND MORALITY
Conversion and preparation — Coming to baptism — The Eucharistic offering
3. THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGERS
The canon of Scripture — Interpreting Scripture — Church leaders: Didache; Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Irenaeus
4. PROLIFERATION AND EXCESS
Heresy and schism — Marcion — Gnosticism — Eastern Christianity — Montanism
5. DEFENCE AND DEFINITION: EARLY APOLOGISTS
Apologists and apologetic — Charge and counter-charge — God and his Word — Holy Spirit and Trinity
6. TRADITION AND TRUTH: IRENAEUS OF LYONS
Lyons and Irenaeus — Apostolic succession — The Rule of Truth — God and Christ — Mankind and redemption
7. LATIN THEOLOGY LAUNCHED: TERTULLIAN
Tertullian the Christian — Tertullian the churchman —Tertullian the theologian
8. SECTARIAN RELIGION AND EPISCOPAL AUTHORITY
Dionysius of Corinth, Serapion and Demetrius — The church in Rome under Victor — Doctrinal disputes: Hippolytus —Discipline and order: Callistus — Reconciliation and renewed persecution
9. ONE CHURCH, ONE BAPTISM: CYPRIAN
Persecution and the problem of the lapsed — Schism and unity — Cyprian on defaulting bishops and on baptism
10. THE ALEXANDRIAN HERITAGE: CLEMENT
Alexandria and Clement — Clement the teacher — The knowledge of God
11. ORIGEN THE THEOLOGIAN
Origen — The system and the Scriptures — Scripture and allegory — God and the Trinity — Creation, flesh and the humanity of Christ — The influence of Origen: Dionysius and Paul
12. THE RISE OF CONSTANTINE
The Great Persecution - Donatism - Church and Empire
13. ARIUS AND THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA
Arius — Constantine intervenes — The Council of Antioch, 325 — Marcellus of Ancyra — The Council and Creed of Nicaea — The outcome and aftermath of Nicaea
14. COUNCILS AND CONTROVERSIES: 327-361
The Eusebian supremacy — The division of East and West — The Eastern dominance
15. TOWARDS SYNTHESIS: 361-378 1 The reign of Julian, 361-3 — The Spirit-fighters — Apollinarianism — The Cappadocian Fathers — The Cappadocian Fathers on the Trinity — The Cappadocian Fathers on Christ and salvation
16. THEODOSIUS I AND THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Theodosius and the Western theology — Nicenes divided in the East — The Council of Constantinople: Canons — The Council of Constantinople: the Creed — The West
17. NEW SPIRITUALITY: THE MONASTIC MOVEMENT
Monastic beginnings — Pachomius and life together — Syrian movements — Basil's contribution — Evagrius of Pontus — Western developments
18. ORIGENISM, JEROME AND JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
Origenism and Jerome — Origenism in Palestine; Rufinus — John Chrysostom
19. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Career and Confessions — Youth in Africa; Manicheism — Ambrose and Neoplatonism — Monastic call and conversion — Augustine on the Trinity — Donatism and the Church — Pelagianism — The City of God
20. CYRIL, NESTORIUS AND THE COUNCIL OF EPHESUS
Cyril and the rise of Nestorius — Theotokos — Cyril's Second Letter to Nestorius — Cyril's Third Letter to Nestorius — Nestorius condemned — The Formula of Reunion
21. EUTYCHES, LEO AND THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON
New personalities — Leo — Theodoret — Eutyches — The Tome of Leo — The Council of Ephesus, 449 — The Council of Chalcedon, 451 — The Chalcedonian Definition — The value of the Definition
22. THE HERITAGE OF ANCIENT THEOLOGY
The imperial Church — Doctrinal development — The biblical basis