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This article asks when Christian theology can properly be said to have begun. Rather than locating its origins primarily in the second-century Apologists, the major patristic theologians, or the conciliar period, it argues that theological reasoning was already present within the earliest Christian…
This article examines the practical management of material resources in late-antique Christian communities. While histories of early Christianity often concentrate on councils, creeds, bishops, and theological controversies, churches also had to manage land, buildings, oil, wax, grain, clothing, liturgical objects, donations, charitable distributions,…
The Hidden World of Early Christian Gatherings in the Seven Churches of Revelation When modern Christians think about church, they often imagine a dedicated building with a sanctuary, pulpit, choir, classrooms, offices, and perhaps a large congregation gathered for worship. Yet the believers…
How did Christianity survive centuries of opposition in the Roman Empire? This article explores the causes of persecution, the courage of Christian martyrs, the role of emperor worship, and the remarkable resilience of the early Church. It reveals how faith, perseverance, and conviction…
Religion in the Roman Empire was deeply intertwined with politics, social identity, and public life. Unlike modern distinctions between church and state, Roman religion functioned as an essential component of civic loyalty and imperial unity. Traditional worship of the Roman gods existed alongside…
This article explores the historical, geographical, cultural, and theological significance of the Seven Churches of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Located within the Roman province of Asia in present-day western Turkey, these cities occupied strategic positions along major trade…