The Beginnings of the Church
Overview
The Beginnings of the Church masterfully summarizes the dramatic shifts in the way scholars understand the first-century church. Using the latest scholarship, Frederick J. Cwiekowski traces the church’s story from its origins in the ministry of Jesus to the end of the New Testament period.
Cwiekowski reviews the ministry of Jesus, the Resurrection, Pentecost, and how these events formed the mission of the early church. He discusses growth and development in the ancient church, the death of the apostles, the fall of Jerusalem, the entrance of the Gentiles into the church, and the gradual separation of the church from Judaism.
Ecumenical in its scope, The Beginnings of the Church is a valuable guide for church historians, seminarians, and priests.
For more on the New Testament period, take a look at the Raymond E. Brown Collection (5 vols.).
- Overviews the first period of Church history in light of current scholarship
- Provides an ecumenical perspective
- Includes a foreword by Raymond E. Brown
- A New Understanding
- The World of Jesus and the Early Church
- The Public Ministry of Jesus
- The First Christian Communities
- The Churches in the Letters of Paul
- Turning Point
- Transition and Consolidation
- The Church at the Turn of the Century
- The Beginnings of the Church—Today
Top Highlights
“The name Pharisee means ‘separated one,’ a name probably given them by their opponents.” (Page 30)
“It was in 27 b.c. that the Roman senate conferred the title of Augustus (‘Venerable’) on Octavian in recognition of his contributions to Rome. This occasion is customarily used to date the beginning of the Roman Empire. The reign of Augustus from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14 was a period of general prosperity and peace (the Pax Romana) in much of the Mediterranean world. It was during the reign of Augustus, of course, that Jesus was born.” (Page 27)
“The approach is called ‘pre-critical’ because it did not apply modern critical methods in its use of the New Testament writings which formed the principal basis for this understanding.” (Page 5)
“Jews who lived in the empire is estimated at four and a half million or about seven percent of the entire population of the empire.” (Page 37)
“The Zealots appear as a distinct movement, however, only on the eve of the revolt against Rome in a.d. 66.” (Page 34)
Let those who are interested in a very intelligent and respectful survey that could win a high degree of centrist agreement read this book with gratitude.
—Raymond E. Brown, SS, from the Foreword
- Title: The Beginnings of the Church
- Author: Frederick J. Cwiekowski
- Publisher: Paulist Press
- Publication Date: 1987
- Pages: 240
- Christian Group: Catholic
- Resource Type: Histories
- Topic: Church History