The Patient Ferment of the Early Church
Subtitle: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire
Publisher: Baker Academic
Published: Mar 29, 2016
Language: eng
Format: paperback
Number of pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9780801048494
Description: How and why did the early church grow in the first four hundred years despite disincentives, harassment, and occasional persecution? In this unique historical study, veteran scholar Alan Kreider delivers the fruit of a lifetime of study as he tells the amazing story of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Challenging traditional understandings, Kreider contends the church grew because the virtue of patience was of central importance in the life and witness of the early Christians. They wrote about patience, not evangelism, and reflected on prayer, catechesis, and worship, yet the church grew -- not by specific strategies but by patient ferment.
Notes: Source title: The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire