Description
Appeal is often made in ecumenical discussion between East and West to the standard of the undivided Church of the first centuries of the Christian era, but understanding is not helped by the assumption that the divergences between East and West did not seriously arise in this early period. One of the many services rendered by this history is to show that Western Christendom had distinctive features from the beginning, and that it had a unity of ‘culture’ other than that imposed by the Papal See.
In his use of recent archaeological studies and of the ‘apocryphal’ New Testament, and in his arrangement of the material at his disposal, the author offers a wide-ranging overview of the growth of the early church. Now available again after several years, The Beginnings of Western Christendom remains an invaluable resource for students of early Christianity and church history.
About the Author
Reverend Leonard Elliott Elliott-Binns was educated at Manchester Grammar School, Emmanuel College and Ridley College (Cambridge). He worked as chaplain (Ridley Hall), curate (Plymouth), vicar (Plymouth, Davenport, West Ham), dean (West Ham) and also as canon (Truro).
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Prologue: The East and the West
Part I: The Setting
I. The Political and Social Background
II. The Religious Background
III. The Church and the Synagogue
Part II: Local Expansion
I. The Apostolic Age
II. The Church of Rome
III. Italy
IV. North Africa
V. Spain
VI. Gaul and Germany
VII. The British Isles
Part III: Belief and Organization
I. Literature: (a) Canonical
II. Literature: (b) Apocryphal
III. Literature: (c) Patristic
IV. The Conflict of Thought
V. The Growth of Dogma
VI. The Church and the Ministry
VII. Christian Life
VIII. Christian Worship
Epilogue: The Church and the Empire
Index
