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The Early Christian WorldEdited by Philip F. Esler, 2017&#160;Since its publication in 2000, The Early Christian World has come to be regarded by scholars, students and the general reader as one of the most informative and accessible works in English on the origins, development, character and major figures of early Christianity. In this new edition, the strengths of the first edition are retained. These include the book’s attractive architecture that initially takes a reader through the context and historical development of early Christianity; the essays in critical areas such as community formation, everyday experience, the intellectual and artistic heritage, and external and internal challenges; and the profiles on the most influential early Christian figures. The book also preserves its strong stress on the social reality of early Christianity and continues its distinctive use of hundreds of illustrations and maps to bring that world to life. Yet the years that have passed since the first edition was published have seen great advances made in our understanding of early Christianity in its world. This new edition fully reflects these developments and provides the reader with authoritative, lively and up-to-date access to the early Christian world. A quarter of the text is entirely new and the remaining essays have all been carefully revised and updated by their authors. Some of the new material relates to Christian culture (including book culture, canonical and non-canonical scriptures, saints and hagiography, and translation across cultures). But there are also new essays on: Jewish and Christian interaction in the early centuries; ritual; the New Testament in Roman Britain; Manichaeism; Pachomius the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This new edition will serve its readers for many years to come.(Text by the editor)&#160;Table of Contents&#160;DedicationList of IllustrationsPrefaceList of Abbreviations&#160;I THE CONTEXT1.The Mediterranean Context of Early Christianity - Philip F. Esler2.Emperors, Armies and Bureaucrats 68-430 CE - Jill Harries3.Greek and Roman Philosophy and Religion - Luther Martin4.Jewish Tradition and Culture - James Aitken&#160;II CHRISTIAN ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT5.Jesus in His World - Douglas Oakman6.Early Jewish Christianity - Edwin Broadhead7.Paul and the Development of Gentile Christianity - Todd Klutz8.The Jesus Tradition: The Gospel Writers’ Strategies of Persuasion - Richard Rohrbaugh9.The Second and Third Centuries - Jeffrey S. Siker10.From Constantine to Theodosius and Beyond - Bill Leadbetter11.Jewish and Christian Interaction from the First to the Fifth Centuries - Anders Runesson&#160;III COMMUNITY FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE12.Mission and Expansion - Thomas Finn13.The Development of Office in the Early Church - Mark Edwards14.Christian Regional Diversity - David Taylor15.Monasticism - Columba Stewart&#160;IV EVERYDAY CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE16.Reading the New Testament in Roman Britain - Richard Cleaves17.Sex and Sexual Renunciation I - Teresa Shaw18.Sex and Sexual Renunciation II: Developments in Research since 2000 - Elizabeth Castelli19.Women, Children and House Churches - Mona LaFosse20.Worship, Practice and Belief - Max Johnson21.Ritual and the Rise of the Early Christian Movement - Risto Uro22.Communication and Travel - Blake Leyerle&#160;V CHRISTIAN CULTURE23.Christian Realia: Books, Papyri and Artefacts - Giovanni Bazzana24.Scriptures in Early Christianity - Outi Lehtipuu and Hanne von Weissenberg25.Saints and Hagiography - Mark Humphries26.Translation and Communication across Languages - Malcolm Choat&#160;VI THE INTELLECTUAL HERITAGE27.The Apostolic Fathers - Carolyn Osiek28.The Apologists - Anders-Christian Jacobsen29.Early Theologians - Gerald Bray30.Later Theologians of the Greek East - Andrew Louth31.Later Theologians of the West - Ivor Davidson32.Creeds, Councils and Doctrinal Development - Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski33.Biblical Interpretation - Oskar Skarsaune&#160;VII THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE34.Early Christian Architecture: The First Five Centures - L. Michael White35. Art - Robin Jensen36.Music - John Arthur Smith37.Imaginative Literature - Richard Bauckham&#160;VIII EXTERNAL CHALLENGES38. Political Oppression and Martyrdom - Candida R. Moss39. Graeco-Roman Philosophical Opposition - Michael Simmons40. Popular Graeco-Roman Responses to Christianity - Craig de Vos&#160;IX INTERNAL CHALLENGES41.Internal Renewal and Dissent in the Early Christian World - Sheila McGinn42.Gnosticism - Alistair Logan43.Montanism - Christine Trevett44.Donatism - Jakob Engberg45.Arianism - David Rankin46.Manichaeism - Jason BeDuhn&#160;X PROFILES47.Origen - Thomas Scheck48.Tertullian - Geoffrey D. Dunn49.Perpetua and Felicitas - Shira L. Lander and Ross S. Kraemer50.Constantine - Bill Leadbetter51.Antony the Great - Columba Stewart52.Pachomius the Great - James E. Goehring53.Athanasius - David Gwynn54.John Chrysostom - Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen55.Gregory of Nyssa - Elena Ene D-Vasilescu56.Jerome - Dennis Brown57.Ambrose - Ivor Davidson58.Augustine - Carol Harrison59.Ephrem the Syrian - Kathleen McVey60.Julian the Apostate – Michael Bland Simmons