Life and Practice in the Early Church: A Documentary Reader

By Steve McKinion

Book Overview

A collection of primary texts revealing how early Christians practiced their faith

Life and Practice in the Early Church brings together a range of primary texts from the church's first five centuries to demonstrate how early Christians practiced their faith. Rather than focusing on theology, these original documents shed light on how early believers "did church," addressing such practical questions as, how did the church administer baptism? How were sermons delivered? How did the early church carry out its missions endeavors?

Early Christian writings reveal a great deal about the tradition, as well as the wider culture in which it developed. Far from being monolithic, the documents which present the voices of the early church fathers in their own words demonstrate variation and diversity regarding how faith was worked out during the patristic period. The texts illuminate who was eligible for baptism, what was expected of worshippers, how the Eucharist was celebrated, and how church offices and their functions were organized. Contextual introductions explain practices and their development for those with little prior knowledge of Christian history or tradition. The pieces included here, all in accessible English translation, represent such sources as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, the Cappadocians, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, and Augustine.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814756492
• ISBN13: 9780814756492
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

This book is a great service for all Christians

I've had to read this book twice, since I've take McKinion for two different classes. I will say up front--it was worth every minute of it, and would probably be worth reading again. The format of the book is simple. Each chapter deals with a specific topic concerning the practice of the early church--baptism, worship, preaching, Eucharist, evangelism and church leaders. The author simply introduces the topic, then introduces each work with a succinct summary. After that, he has edited the writings of the early church fathers that has just been explained. The opportunity to read, first hand, what the church fathers taught is great. The editing keeps the reader from getting lost in the text, focusing in on the subject at hand. It is quite a blessing, since the piety and authority with which the church fathers spoke is lost when reading secondary sources. The only real complaint about the book is that the section on proclamation relies heavily on Augustine and John Chrysostom, with the most focus on the latter. Of course, these are two of the most prevalent figures in history, but I, personally, was hoping to find a little more diversity. That being said, the book was still no let down. There is oftentimes talk of becoming a "New Testament Church" today. While the fathers are obviously after the closing of the canon, they do give a major clue as to what that might look like. The differences in modern church life and early church life are often nothing short of astounding. McKinion has done a terrific job, giving the modern reader a taste of early church life.