What's new in the Second Edition:
-- Some 250 new entries -- 25% more than in the first edition.
-- Bibliographies are greatly expanded and updated throughout
-- More focus on biblical books and philosophical schools, their influence on early Christianity and their use by patristic writers
-- More information about the Jewish and pagan environment of early Christianity
-- Greatly enlarged coverage of the eastern expansion of the faith throughout Asia, including persons and literature
-- More extensive treatment of saints, monasticism, worship practices, and modern...

Offering unique coverage of the growth of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and South America, as well as in the western world, this accessible guide balances solid scholarship with penetrating analysis. Frederick W. Norris considers not only the geographical and social growth of the Christian tradition, but also the manner in which the practices and doctrines at the heart of the faith have developed and changed over the centuries. This authoritative account also offers: detailed information on such key events as the emergence of Islam, the Crusades, and the nature of missionary activity in...

This volume honors Professor Everett Ferguson of Abilene Christian University on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday. Reflecting the interests of the honoree, the twenty-one contributions focus on various aspects of the early church and its environment. Together the articles form a broad tapestry of interrelated topics informed from the disciplines of philosophy, patristic theology, archaeology, rhetoric, art, Greco-Roman religion, and biblical studies.