The Church and the Roman Empire (301–490)
Description
Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (first place, best new religious book series).
Suspense, politics, sin, death, sex, and redemption: Not the plot of the latest crime novel, but elements of the true history of the Catholic Church.
Larger-than-life figures such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Augustine, and Constantine played an important part in the history of the Christianity. In The Church and the Roman Empire (AD 301–490): Constantine, Councils, and the Fall of Rome, popular Catholic author Mike Aquilina gives readers a vivid and engaging account of how Christianity developed and expanded as the Roman Empire declined.
Aquilina explores the dramatic backstory of the Council of Nicaea and why Christian unity and belief are still expressed by the Nicene Creed. He also sets the record straight about commonly held misconceptions about the Catholic Church.
In this book, you will learn:
- The Edict of Milan didn’t just legalize Christianity; it also established religious tolerance for all faiths for the first time in history.
- The growth of Christianity inspired a more merciful society: crucifixion was abolished; the practice of throwing prisoners to wild beasts for entertainment was outlawed; and slave owners were punished for killing their slaves.
- Controversy between Arians and Catholics may have resulted in building more hospitals and other networks of charitable assistance to the poor.
- When Rome fell, not many people at the time noticed.
Product Details
-
“Fast, engaging, suspenseful.”
“It is a terrific book: fast, engaging, suspenseful, interspersed with novel-like dramatic sections and fact-checking boxes to debunk common myths about the early Church. Aquilina zooms in and out of Church history with remarkable ability for synthesis and a style that is both simple and direct.”
Stefano Rebeggiani
Angelus News -
“Accessible and engaging.”
“An accessible and engaging place to begin a study of Church history and to embark on a lifetime journey of learning and faith.”
Marcus Grodi
Founder and president of The Coming Home Network
Host of EWTN’s The Journey Home -
“Myth-busting.”
“This series is much needed. Every book is crystal clear, engaging, entertaining, and myth-busting. Be prepared to be surprised—and grateful for the wonders the Lord has done.”
Scott Hahn
Founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology -
“Compelling.”
“A skillfully written, richly informative account of an exciting era in the emergence and development of Catholic Christianity. The story told in this volume is a compelling one.”
Russell Shaw
Author of American Church: The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America -
“Unequivocally Catholic.”
“This book debunks myths and presents authentic Catholic history as it should be: bold, engaging, and unequivocally Catholic.”
Steve Weidenkopf
Author of Timeless: A History of the Catholic Church
Related Products
-
The Early Church (33–313)$17.95 -
The Church and the Middle Ages (1000–1378)$17.95 -
The Church and the Modern Era (1846–2005)$17.95 -
A History of the Church in 100 Objects$24.95 -
Summa Theologica$255.00 -
Patrology$153.95