Roman Empire Archives | Early Church History

Ancient Catholic Church by Robert Rainy

ByRob Bradshaw November 25, 2020November 25, 2020

Today’s free book is Robert Rainy’s comprehensive survey of early church history from the time of the Emperor Trajan to Fourth General Council (98-451 AD). My thanks to Book Aid for making a copy of public domain title available for digitisation. Robert Rainy [1826-1906], The Ancient Catholic Church from the Accession of Trajan to the…

Mithraism | Mystery Religions | Roman Empire

Sources Illustrating Mithraism – A.S. Geden

ByRob Bradshaw October 19, 2020October 18, 2020

Mithraism was a widespread mystery religion in the Roman Empire during the first centuries of Christianity. This little book gathers together primary sources from both pagan and Christian sources relating to mithraism. My thanks to Book Aid for making a copy of this public domain title available for digitisation. Alfred Shenington Geden [1857-1936], Select Passages…

Roman Empire

Church’s Task Under the Roman Empire by Charles Bigg

ByRob Bradshaw February 2, 2018January 8, 2018

This is a series of four lectures on the Church’s task of evangelising the Roman Empire. Charles Bigg [1840-1908] was Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford. This title is in the public domain. Charles Bigg [1840-1908], The Church’s Task under the Roman Empire. Four Lectures with Preface, Notes and an Excursus….

Backhouse & Tylor’s Early Church History to the Time of Constantine

ByRob Bradshaw October 27, 2017October 27, 2017

Early Church History to the Death of Constantine was Edward Backhouse’s final work and was completed posthumously by Charles Tylor. Backhouse intended to write church history from the perspective of The Society of Friends (Quakers). His desire, perhaps not fully allowed to himself, was to find out with what early early teachers stigmatised as heretics…

Paul | Persecution | Roman Empire

William Ramsay’s The Church in the Roman Empire

ByRob Bradshaw November 30, 2015April 12, 2016

William M. Ramsay’s book, The Church in the Roman Empire Before AD 170 is now available for free download in PDF. The map facing p.472 of the Lycus Valley in particularly useful and is reproduced at various resolutions.

Apologists | Introduction | Irenaeus of Lyons | Persecution | Tertullian

Alfred Plummer’s Church of the Early Fathers

ByRob Bradshaw September 22, 2014September 20, 2014

I recent conducted a poll on the Facebook Group Theology on the Web asking members to vote to the most useful book on church history from a list of possible titles I had available to scan. The winner was a work by Alfred Plummer (1841-1926), which was regarded as one of that author’s most important…