Christian History, Volume 1 From the Apostolic Fathers to the Eve of the Reformation

by McKinion, Steven A.; Quinn, Benjamin T.

• ISBN13: 9781087736112
• ISBN10: 1087736110
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2026-03-15
• Publisher: B&H Academic
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Summary

Christian History, Volume 1: From the Apostolic Fathers to the Eve of the Reformation by Steven A. McKinion and Benjamin T. Quinn tells the story of the Christian church from its beginnings up to the eve of the Protestant Reformation. The authors situate the telling of church history within the orthodox beliefs and practices of the Great Tradition, expounding upon its four distinctives: scriptural, Christological, liturgical, and moral/ethical. Readers of Christian History, Volume 1 will learn about the ecumenical councils and the formation of the early Christian creeds, the rise of the imperial church, major theological shapers and political figures, the great schism between the west and the east, the origins of monasticism, and much more.  

Author Biography

Steven A. McKinion (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of theology and patristic studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. 

Benjamin T. Quinn (PhD, University of Bristol, UK) is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and is the founder and President Emeritus of The Davenant Institute. 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Great Tradition 

Chapter 1: Apostolic Christianity 
Chapter 2: Persecution and Resilience in the Ancient Church 
Chapter 3: Competing Christianities 
Chapter 4: Preserving the Great Tradition 
Chapter 5: The Spread of the Church 
Chapter 6: Persecution Intensifies in the Third Century 
Chapter 7: The Rise of the Imperial Church 
Chapter 8: The Council of Nicaea and Its Theological Legacy 
Chapter 9: Ongoing Doctrinal Development in the Church 
Chapter 10: Ancient Christianity in Practice 
Chapter 11: Augustine and His Legacy 
Chapter 12: Antony, Benedict, and Early Monasticism 
Chapter 13: Gregory the Great and the Rise of the Papacy 
Chapter 14: Sixth and Seventh Ecumenical Councils 
Chapter 15: Liturgical and Ecclesial Development in the Middle Ages 
Chapter 16: The Rise of Islam and the Crusades 
Chapter 17: Medieval Monasticism, Mysticism, and New Religious Orders 
Chapter 18: The Holy Roman Empire 
Chapter 19: The Great Schism Between East and West 
Chapter 20: Scholasticism and Its Legacy 
Chapter 21: Church, Culture, and Theology After Aquinas 
Chapter 22: The Great Western Schism 
Chapter 23: The Road to the European Reformations 
Chapter 24: The Renaissance and the Prelude to the Protestant Reformation 

Epilogue 
Illustration Credits 
Index