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1 - The History of Ancient Christian History

from Part I - Contested Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2023

By
David E. Wilhite
Edited by
Bruce W. Longenecker  and
David E. Wilhite
Bruce W. Longenecker
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
David E. Wilhite
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
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Summary

When was the first history of ancient Christianity written? The answer of course is not so simple. For instance, one may think of Eusebius’s Historia ecclesiastica (c.324) as the first account of ancient Christian history, covering the time of Christ up until the time of Constantine. However, the term historia in Eusebius’s title implies “narrative” more than a modern notion of “what happened.”1 In other words, much depends on what is meant by the category of ancient Christian history, and so debate ensues about the nature of studying this subject.

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The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity , pp. 3 - 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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