not only because of the discovery of new evidence, but because
of the application of new approaches to the subject.
Early Christianity, then, is a subject that deserves study
for a variety of reasons, ranging from its intrinsic interest, to its
importance for understanding how modern humanity arrived at
its present condition, to its utility for comprehending certain
dimensions of the lived experience of the people of the ancient
world. It commands our attention whether we define ourselves as
Christian, non-Christian, or even post-Christian.
WHAT IS EARLY CHRISTIANITY?1
2
3
4
5
61
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1711
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
33 Folio