Christian Community In History

Drawing upon the methodology developed in his Dynamics of Theology (1990) and exemplified in Jesus Symbol of God (1999), Roger Haight, in this magisterial work, achieves what he calls an historical ecclesiology, or ecclesiology from below. In contrast to traditional ecclesiology from above, which is abstract, idealist, and ahistorical, ecclesiology from below is concrete, realist, and historically conscious. In this first of two volumes, Haight charts the history of the church's self-understandings from the origins of the church in the Jesus movement to the late Middle Ages. In volume 2 Haight develops a comparative ecclesiology based on the history and diverse theologies of the worldwide Christian movement from the Reformation to the present. While the ultimate focus of the work falls on the structure of the church and its theological self-understanding, it tries to be faithful to the historical, social, and political reality of the church in each period.

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Drawing upon the methodology developed in his Dynamics of Theology (1990) and exemplified in Jesus Symbol of God (1999), Roger Haight, in this magisterial work, achieves what he calls an historical ecclesiology, or ecclesiology from below. In contrast to traditional ecclesiology from above, which is abstract, idealist, and ahistorical, ecclesiology from below is concrete, realist, and historically conscious. In this first of two volumes, Haight charts the history of the church's self-understandings from the origins of the church in the Jesus movement to the late Middle Ages. In volume 2 Haight develops a comparative ecclesiology based on the history and diverse theologies of the worldwide Christian movement from the Reformation to the present. While the ultimate focus of the work falls on the structure of the church and its theological self-understanding, it tries to be faithful to the historical, social, and political reality of the church in each period.

The first 2 volumes of Roger Haight's Christian Community in History received enormous critical attention. Of volume 2, a reviewer in the Anglican Theological Review wrote: "This work is worthy of celebration...anyone who cares about the theology of the church must read it." Those volumes of Christian Community in History described the historical diversity of the church across its history (up to the Reformation in vol. 1) and among the churches (since the Reformation in vol. 2). By contrast, vol. 3 is an attempt to describe what the churches possess in common, i.e., to retrieve ecclesiological constants from history reaching back to scriptural origins in order to construct and portray the common ecclesial existence shared by the churches. In more traditional terms, it aims to find the apostolicity, the catholicity, and the unity amidst the plurality of the churches.

This classic includes the following chapters: Period I. From the Beginnings to the Gnostic Crisis Section I. The General Situation Section II. The Jewish Background Section III. Jesus and the Disciples Section IV. The Palestinian Christian Communities Section V. Paul and Gentile Christianity Section VII. The Interpretation of Jesus Section VIII. Gentile Christianity of the Second Century Section IX. Christian Organization Section X. Relations of Christianity to the Roman Government Section XI. The Apologists Period II. From the Gnostic Crisis to Constantine Section II. Marcion Section III. Montanism Section IV. The Catholic Church Section V. The Growing Importance of Rome Section VI. IRENiEus Section VII. Tertullian and Cyprian Section VIII. The Triumph of the Logos Christology in the West Section IX. The Alexandrian School Section X. Church and State From 180 To 260 Section XI. The Constitutional Development of the Church Section XII. Public Worship and Sacred Seasons Section XIII. Baptism Section XIV. The Lord’S Supper Section XV. Forgiveness of Sins Section XVI. The Composition of the Church and the Higher and Lower Morality Section XVII. Rest and Growth, 260-303 Section XVIII. Rival Religious Forces Section XIX. The Final Struggle Period III. The Imperial State Church Section I. The Changed Situation Section II. The Arian Controversy to the Death of Constantine Section III. Controversy Under Constantine’S Sons Section IV. The Later Nicene Struggle Section V. Akian Missions and the Germanic Invasions Section VI. The Growth of the Papacy Section VII. Monasticism Section VIII. Ambrose and Chrysostom Section IX. The Christological Controversies Section X. The East Divided Section XI. Catastrophes and Further Controversies in the East Section XII. The Constitutional Development of the Church Section XIII. Public Worship and Sacred Seasons Section XIV. Lower Christianity Section XV. Some Western Characteristics Section XVI. Jerome Section XVII. Augustine Section XVIII. The Pelagian Controversy Section XIX. Semi-Pelagianism Section XX. Gregory the Great Period IV. The Middle Ages to the Close of the Investiture Controversy Section I. Missions in the British Islands Section II. Continental Missions and Papal Growth Section III. The Franks and the Papacy Section IV. Charlemagne Section V. Ecclesiastical Institutions Section VI. Collapsing Empire and Rising Papacy Section VII. Papal Decline and Renewal by the Revived Empire Section VIII. Reform Movements Section IX. The Reform Party Secures the Papacy Section X. The Papacy Breaks With the Empire Section XI. Hildebrand and Henry Iv Section XII. The Struggle Ends in Compromise Section XIII. The Greek Church After the Picture Controversy Section XIV. The Spread of the Church Period V. The Later Middle Ages Section I. The Crusades Section II. New Religious Movements Section III. Antichurchly Sects. Cathari and Wal-Denses. The Inquisition Section IV. The Dominicans and Franciscans Section V. Early Scholasticism Section VI. The Universities Section VII. High Scholasticism and Its Theology Section VIII. The Mystics Section IX. Missions and Defeats Section X. The Papacy at Its Height and Its Decline Section XI. The Papacy in Avignon, Criticism. The Schism Section XII. Wyclif and Hus Section XIII. The Reforming Councils Section XIV. The Italian Renaissance and Its Popes Section XV. The New National Powers Section XVI. Renaissance and Other Influences North of the Alps Period VI. The Reformation Section I. The Lutheran Revolution Section II. Separations and Divisions Section III. The Swiss Revolt Section IV. The Anabaptists Section V. German Protestantism Established Section VI. The Scandinavian Lands Section VII. Revolt in French Switzerland and Geneva Before Calvin Section IX. The English Revolt

"Ecclesiology from below," as it operates in this work, is directed to history; it moves through the actual church of history to ecclesiology or to an understanding of the church both as it is and as it should be. In the first volume that passage was fairly explicit because comprehensive ecclesiologies in our sense did not exist. In this volume ecclesiology itself becomes much more directly the subject matter of the book, but without losing sight of concrete history and the degree to which these ecclesiologies are historically conditioned. Put somewhat differently, the main goal of this "comparative ecclesiology" is not simply to lay down one after another different ecclesiologies that emerged over the last five hundred years, although that describes the book with empirical accuracy. Its larger intent is to show the richness, vitality, and creativity of the whole church as it moves through history, adjusting to new times, places, and cultures.

First published in 1976, Paul Johnson’s exceptional study of Christianity has been loved and widely hailed for its intensive research, writing, and magnitude—“a tour de force, one of the most ambitious surveys of the history of Christianity ever attempted and perhaps the most radical” (New York Review of Books). In a highly readable companion to books on faith and history, the scholar and author Johnson has illuminated the Christian world and its fascinating history in a way that no other has. Johnson takes off in the year AD 49 with his namesake the apostle Paul. Thus beginning an ambitious quest to paint the centuries since the founding of a little-known ‘Jesus Sect’, A History of Christianity explores to a great degree the evolution of the Western world. With an unbiased and overall optimistic tone, Johnson traces the fantastic scope of the consequent sects of Christianity and the people who followed them. Information drawn from extensive and varied sources from around the world makes this history as credible as it is reliable. Invaluable understanding of the framework of modern Christianity—and its trials and tribulations throughout history—has never before been contained in such a captivating work.

In this groundbreaking book, renowned religion scholar Philip Jenkins offers a lost history, revealing that, for centuries, Christianity's center was actually in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with significant communities extending as far as China. The Lost History of Christianity unveils a vast and forgotten network of the world's largest and most influential Christian churches that existed to the east of the Roman Empire. These churches and their leaders ruled the Middle East for centuries and became the chief administrators and academics in the new Muslim empire. The author recounts the shocking history of how these churches—those that had the closest link to Jesus and the early church—died. Jenkins takes a stand against current scholars who assert that variant, alternative Christianities disappeared in the fourth and fifth centuries on the heels of a newly formed hierarchy under Constantine, intent on crushing unorthodox views. In reality, Jenkins says, the largest churches in the world were the “heretics” who lost the orthodoxy battles. These so-called heretics were in fact the most influential Christian groups throughout Asia, and their influence lasted an additional one thousand years beyond their supposed demise. Jenkins offers a new lens through which to view our world today, including the current conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Without this lost history, we lack an important element for understanding our collective religious past. By understanding the forgotten catastrophe that befell Christianity, we can appreciate the surprising new births that are occurring in our own time, once again making Christianity a true world religion.