Posted: March 14th, 2023
Discuss the transformation of the early Jesus movement into an Religious Empire after 325 CE.
Write a 300 word response giving your reflections about upsides and downsides of the Imperialization of Christianity in the Roman Empire under Constantine and his successors.
—Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
“As Christianity expands around the globe, this intelligent introduction introduces key figures, ideas, and developments in Christian history, balancing illuminating generaliza- tions with engaging detailed examples. The mutual interactions of churches and cultures are highlighted, and theological developments are clearly articulated. McGrath succeeds in whetting the reader’s appetite for further study.”
—Anne T. Thayer, Lancaster Theological Seminary
“It is difficult to write a comprehensive text on Christian history in this day and age. There are deeply rutted roads in scholarship that lead the conventional historian to focus on the twilight of Christianity in the west and the inevitability of secularization. These develop- ments, while all too true, distort both the present vitality of Christian faith and its future. McGrath avoids these pitfalls. While firmly rooted in the essentials of the Christian story, he also has a clear sense of the new paths Christian faith is taking in global evangelical outreach.”
—Walter Sundberg, Luther Seminary
Also by Alister E. McGrath from Wiley-Blackwell
Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought, Second Edition (2012) Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Fourth Edition (2012) Theology: The Basic Readings, Second Edition (edited, 2012) Theology: The Basics, Third Edition (2012) Luther’s Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther’s Theological Breakthrough, Second Edition (2011) Darwinism and the Divine: Evolutionary Thought and Natural Theology (2011) The Christian Theology Reader, Fourth Edition (edited, 2011) Christian Theology: An Introduction, Fifth Edition (2011) Science and Religion: A New Introduction, Second Edition (2009) The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology (2008) The Order of Things: Explorations in Scientific Theology (2006) Christianity: An Introduction, Second Edition (2006) Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life (2004) The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation, Second Edition (2003) Christian Literature: An Anthology (edited, 2003)* A Brief History of Heaven (2003) The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism (edited with Darren C. Marks, 2003) The Future of Christianity (2002) Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Third Edition (2000) Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (1999) Historical Theology: An Introduction (1998) The Foundations of Dialogue in Science and Religion (1998) The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought (edited, 1995) A Life of John Calvin (1990)
* out of print
CHRISTIAN HISTORY
AN INTRODUCTION
ALISTER E. MCGRATH
A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication
This edition first published 2013 © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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SOLUTION
The transformation of the early Jesus movement into an imperial religion after 325 CE was a significant turning point in the history of Christianity. Before this, Christianity was a minority religion that was persecuted by the Roman Empire. However, with the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity, the religion gained a new level of legitimacy and power. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which granted religious toleration to all religions, including Christianity, and established it as one of the official religions of the Roman Empire.
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