Christianity in the Roman Empire

     BOOK REVIEW:   In Christianity in the Roman Empire, Robert Winn guides us through the history of Christianity from the first century to the years before Constantine. Winn bridges the gab between contemporary Christians and those who lived in the Roman Empire from AD 100-300, with engaging discussion questions and in-depth details about controversial topics (such as persecution and biblical interpretation) and figures of the time (such as Perpetua and Felicity, and Justin Martyr). This book will provide you with a deeper appreciation for the early Christians as you learn about their struggle in the face of cultural and societal pressures to build the faith community we have today.

     MY REVIEW:   The history between what we are told in the books of Acts and when Martin Luther and such were active is unknown to me, which is why I picked up this book. It relays history from right after Acts through AD 300, by consolidating ancients texts by writers of the times---from Christians defending or explaining their faith, and leaders writing to each other for advice and findings on these Christians. It is interesting both what they wrote, and that we have them yet today. The book is divided into three main sections, discussing "What was Christianity like around the year AD 100", "How did Christians respond to persecution in the Roman World", and "How did early Christians deepen their faith and cultivate a spiritual life in the midst of their hostile world" (taken from the preface). There are three discussion questions after each chapter, as the book is intended to be used in small study groups, etc. It is very helpful to a single reader though, I quite enjoyed it. Though taken from ancient texts, the book is very easy to follow, and the difficult names of texts and authors include pronunciations.
      In the Bibliography, there are 18 ancient texts that Robert used material from, and 32 contemporary authors who wrote of similar things. A few of the texts that piqued my interest as they were quoted are: the Didache, (full title: The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles) which claims to be a summary of various teachings of the Apostles, and Apostolic Traditions, written by Hippolytus and similar to the Didache.
     I really liked this book. The history and topics introduced were interesting and enlightening and not difficult to understand. One topic I really appreciated was on the difference between Christianity and Judaism in Roman times. While everyone placed blame on Christianity for being troublesome, it was Judaism whose members continually revolted against the government and caused uproars. There was also a discussion on the debate in the Church on whether persecuted Christians who gave in the the Romans for safety were allowed back into the Church. Some allowed them to return to full communion in the church and offered forgiveness for their lapsing, and others never allowed them fully back, and left their forgiveness to God.
     A few thoughts I really liked in this book:
-A long quote from The Epistle to Diognetius about the separation of Christians from the world, ending with: "The soul dwells in the body, but is not of the body; likewise Christians dwell in the world, but are not of the world."
-Let none of you be late in the church, the place where teaching is given. Then it shall be given to the speaker to say things profitable to all, and you will hear things of which would not think, and profit from things which the Holy Spirit will give you through the one who instructs. In this way your faith will be strengthened in regard to matters about which you heard. What you ought to do in your house will also be told in this place. Therefore let everyone hurry in coming to the assembly, the place where the Holy Spirit abounds." from Hippolytus


 I received a copy of this book from HENDRICKSON PUBLISHERS and was not required to write a positive review.