Christianity

Watch Jonathan Hill discuss his new book, Christianity Find more videos like this on Fortress ForumThe first 400 years after the death of Christ saw huge changes in the emerging faith. Christianity spread from Jerusalem to much of the known world. Despite enormous pressures from within and without, including persecution, Christianity became the official religion of the empire in the fourth century.Jonathan Hill charts the fascinating history of this crucial period in the development of Christianity. He shows how and why certain ideas triumphed over others. He introduces the key figures, both within the faith and among its opponents. He describes the main battles, often bitterly fought with both weapons and ideas.Though often portrayed as a simple advance in doctrine, this early period was actually marked by Christians battling each other and their neighbors over slavery, martyrdom and persecution, sex, charlatans, class and religious hatreds, cults of the dead, and political intrigue. Hill shows it all. This is the exciting account of how a new and diverse religious movement first struggled, then spread, then triumphed in the ancient world.