Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, vol. 1

by Adolf von Harnack

Publishers:

Williams and Norgate; G. P. Putnam’s Sons

, 1908

Overview

A highly significant set of volumes, Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries (2 vols.) by Adolph Harnack, is the first attempt ever to chronicle the history of missions from the first three centuries, although church history and dogma have previously been charted. Topics covered in volume one include a discussion of the diffusion and limits of Judaism, external conditions assisting with the expansion of Christianity, and an analysis of missions in light of the Gospel. Examples of missionaries from that era are also included, as are their methods of evangelism.

In the Logos edition, Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, vol. 1 is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Chronicles the history of missions through the third century
• Provides material well suited for students
• Includes observations on Christianity as it relates to the philosophy of the early 1900s

Contents

• Book I. Introductory
  • Judaism: Its Diffusion and Limits
  • The Eternal Conditions of the World-Wide Expansion of the Christian Religion
  • The Internal Conditions Determining the World-Wide Expansion of the Christian Religion—Religious Syncretism
  • Jesus Christ and the Universal Mission
  • The Transition from the Jewish to the Gentile Mission
  • Results of the Mission of Paul and the First Missionaries
• Book II. Mission-Preaching in Word and Deed
  • The Religious Characteristics of the Mission-Preaching
  • The Gospel of the Savior and of Salvation
  • The Conflict with Demons
  • The Gospel of Love and Charity
  • The Religion of the Spirit and of Power, of Moral Earnestness and of Holiness
  • The Religion of Authority and of Reason, of the Mysteries and of Transcendentalism
  • The Tidings of the New People and of the Third Race: The Historical and Political Consciousness of Christendom
  • The Religion of a Book and a Historical Realization
  • The Conflict with Polytheism and Idolatry
• Book III. The Missionaries: The Methods of the Mission and the Counter-Movements
  • The Christian Missionaries (Apostles, Evangelists, and Prophets or Teachers: The Informal Missionaries)
  • Methods of the Mission: Catechizing and Baptism, the Invasion of Domestic Life
  • The Names of Christian Believers
  • The Organization of the Christian Community, as Bearing upon the Christian Mission
  • Counter-Movements

Top Highlights

“As the entire population of Egypt (under Vespasian) amounted to seven or eight millions, the Jews thus turn out to have formed a seventh or an eighth of the whole (somewhere about thirteen per cent.).² Syria is the only province of the empire where we must assume a higher percentage of Jews among the population;¹ in all the other provinces their numbers were smaller.” (Pages 6–7)

“10,000 Jews⁴ would be equivalent to about one-sixtieth of the population.^{5” (Page 7)}

“In Rome the Jews dwelt chiefly in Trastevere; but as Jewish churchyards have been discovered in various parts of the city, they were also to be met with in other quarters as well.” (Pages 5–6)

“The former burned what the latter adored, and the latter burned Christians as guilty of high treason. Christian” (Pages 24–25)

“Palestine—and at this moment between 600,000 and 650,000 people live there” (Page 8)

Product Details

• Title: Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, vol. 1
• Author: Adolph von Harnack
• Translator: James Moffatt
• Edition: Second
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1908
• Pages: 513

About Adolf von Harnack

Adolf von Harnack (May 7, 1851–June 10, 1930), was a German theologian and prominent church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873–1912. Harnack traced the influence of Hellenistic philosophy on early Christian writing and called on Christians to question the authenticity of doctrines that arose in the early Christian church.