Customer Reviews

The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine, AD 30-312 (Baker History of the Church)

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The history of the church is so wide, so long, so vast, that it is intimidating to even begin a study of it. Yet the study of church history is exceedingly important, for only in understanding where the church has come from can we truly understand who we are and where we are going. In the past I have tried to read several series and one-volume histories of the church. Some have been wonderful and others have left a lot to be desired. Recently I decided to try reading The Baker History fo the Church. The five-part series (four of which are currently available) begins with The Birth of the Church which covers the early history of the church, stretching from the death of Jesus to Constantine's rise to power in AD 312--so roughly three hundreds years of history.

The first two volumes of this series, which is edited by Tim Dowley, are written by Ivor Davidson, senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. According to a brief biography provided by Baker, he has written extensively on the history and theology of the early church. With my limited knowledge of early church history I feel somewhat inadequate to review such a book. I will have little to say about the accuracy of the information Davidson presents about the early church, as I will have to leave that for more educated historians than myself. What I will do, though, is direct the reader of this review to some of the strengths and weaknesses that present themselves within the book.

Strengths: I found the book quite easy to read and greatly informative. This is a book that is suitable as a textbook for college-level courses, and it is my understanding that many colleges and seminaries have adopted it as their text. It contains few illustrations or frills. It is, plain and simply, history. It did bog down a fair bit in some of the middle chapters, where the author discussed particular points of theology relating to some of the church fathers. I had to force myself through several of those chapters, but was richly rewarded in the final three chapters which discuss the worship and practice of the early church, its ministry and morals and its faith and politics. So while the book is at times a little bit uneven, it is clearly directed at the layperson rather than the scholar.

The early chapters were particularly gripping. Davidson tells the story of the book of Acts in the way we might find it written in a history text and I found this a compelling approach. It led me to a greater understanding of the history of the early church. An entire chapter is devoted to Paul, his travels, his impact and his theology.

Weaknesses: I was somewhat disappointed to see that the author probably lends a little too much credibility to the ongoing questions of New Testament authorship. A person who reads a good study Bible will quickly learn that almost every New Testament book has generated some level of controversy surrounding its authorship, but at this point there are only a couple where any serious doubts remain. Davidson seems willing to concede that the pastoral epistles may not have been written by Paul and that James may have been written by someone other than James. This was a little bit disappointing to me and may cause a reader to doubt the authenticity of some of the books of Scripture.

A further weakness was in the author's understanding of the roles of women as defined by Scripture. The Bible provides women great freedom in their faith, but does restrict certain roles. Davidson would seem to doubt this and his belief is apparent that it was the early church that misread the Bible and caused women to be excluded from the leadership of the church.

In fact, it seems that perhaps the author is willing to concede a few too many points to political correctness and the spirit of our age. I was surprised to see him say, "Within a few years, the seeds would be sown that would develop into the shocking traditions of Christian anti-Semitism, in which the Jews would be blamed directly for the crucifixion of the Messiah and regarded as apostates upon whom God's justice had justly fallen." While anti-Semitism has existed within the church at various times and in various places, considering the Jews responsible for Jesus' death and considering them apostate, is hardly anti-Semitic and is, in reality, little more than what the Scripture teaches. This affirmation, however, ought not to cause Christians to turn on Jews or to regard them differently, for we know that we are all responsible for Jesus' death.

Conclusion: Despite these shortcomings, I did find this a valuable read and there is little doubt that I have a better understanding of the early church now than I did before I began this text. I intend to press on with the next volume of the series, which will lead me from AD 312 to AD 600.

As someone who has been interested in Church history for several years (and has done some mild studying), this book was kind of like learning the ABCs over again, even though they were already fresh in my mind. However, even though this book is about the basics, it does introduce some interesting cultural information (and perhaps sometimes speculation) and small details that might slightly change one's perspective towards certain details in Church history. For instance, the Roman Empire is portrayed fairly as it was, not as a necessarily evil and anti-Christian institution, but rather as a constantly changing entity that tended to have policy that was anti-Christian and resulted in persecution.

Another aspect that is worth mentioning is that the book doesn't cover theology very well at all. This truly is a "history," and a traditional model of early catholic doctrine is not covered in this volume. As far as I can tell, this book is well-balanced, not offering a liberally biased perspective, but in the least it can be said that this book will not challenge anyone, even of a completely different faith. In some aspects this is definitely a good thing, because it attracts people to study the little-known post-apostolic Church history, but this is not a very good piece, therefore, to challenge a traditional Christian to put his/her worldview into spiritual perspective.

If the scope of the ensuing volumes of this series could be conjectured about, I think it would be best to describe them as a very comprehensive beginner's history. If you are looking for something a bit more entertaining and quick, but also presented in excellent writing, I would suggest Bruce L. Shelly's "Church History in Plain Language: Updated 2nd Edition." Or, if you are searching for something much more comprehensive and emphatic on the theological aspect of history, I would suggest "The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine" series by Jaroslav Pelikan.

Ivor J. Davidson is a professor of theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He holds distinguished degrees in classics and theology from the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. His publications include a major two-volume study of the De Officiis of Ambrose of Milan and his current research is concentrated in Christology. His study in Christology is foundational in his writings of The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312. His scholarly background and passion to explore the history of the church has influenced the detailed study of the birth of the church.

Davidson expresses his concern for the "need for a fresh narrative history of the early church that is accessible in style, comprehensive in scope, and -not least--up-to-date in scholarship" (7). Writing a historical book with an objective as such, Davidson sets high standards for the development of a historical book on the birth of the church and fulfills his standards through his book, The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312. Through his comprehensive and in depth study of the beginnings of the church, Davidson provides readers "who have some knowledge of early Christianity as well as those who have none" (7), a clear and concise perspective of the beginnings of the church. He presents not only a general overview of historical facts and comprehensive timeline of dates and contributors to the historical church, but Davidson concentrates on the issues faced in the history of the church such as "theology, politics, and ideas, but also...social artistic, and cultural evolution of Christianity" (7-8). Davidson goes beyond his purpose to "furnish a new generation of readers with a work that might fulfill something of the function that earlier--and is some cases now classic--introductory texts on the period had provided for the predecessors" (8). Through Davidson's book, he engages his readers to explore the world during the birth of the church and studies the detailed historical background of the development of the church and the persons involved.

The chronologically ordered chapters guide readers through the historical birth of the church exploring historical, social, and personal backgrounds of the development of the church. He not only provides a strict factual outline, but provides his readers his own opinion on subject manners. For example, in the chapter "Paul: Missionary, Teacher, Martyr", Davidson provides his opinion that "even within Paul's own circle, the many men and women who served as his vital co-workers are too easily overlooked, and in the contexts of the early faith as a whole, an incalculable number of other pioneers also deserve recognition" (97). Davidson raises historical inquiries that are not necessarily presented in a typical historical book. This detailed examination of all aspects of the history provides readers an insight to Davidson's theological understanding of the history of the church.

The language of the book is clear and concise. For readers unfamiliar with the subject matter of the birth of the church, Davidson provides a format that is easy to follow, with detailed explanations of historical background of each era. For myself, a student of the study of the history of Christianity, Davidson's book has provided me a comprehensive and chronological study of the development of the church including details of contributors to the birth of the church.

Ivor J. Davidson's book, provides readers of all backgrounds, whether in seminary or wanting to learn more about the history of Christianity, a clear understanding and inquisitive outlook on the beginnings of the Christian church.


Betty Vattakunnel
Houston Graduate School of Theology, Houston, Texas

The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine
Reviewed by Catheryn Longino

Reading the accounts on the back cover of the book, it is clear that Ivor J. Davison is well versed in the history of the early church. As a professor of systematic theology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, he has written extensively on the history and theology of the early church.

Yet in this book he goes beyond the tradition scholarly writings to provide "a fresh narrative history of the early church that is assessable in style, comprehensive in scope, and--not least--up-to-date in scholarship" (7). This book gives the beginning history scholar fundamental information and the learned history scholar a fresh approach to analyzing familiar data. He sates that the book is "designed, naturally, for students in universities, seminaries, and schools, but also for their teachers, and for all intelligent readers, Christian and otherwise, who wish to find out more about how the church began" (7).

As a novice church history student, I find the book to be power packed with a wealth of information. Starting with the early beginnings of the Christian church, analyzing the essence of the first followers of Jesus and their attempt to understand and emulate the character and persona of Christ, you can almost imaging being there. He gives an in depth account of what living during that era was like and helps the reader to move throughout the region with his imagery in words and pictures. He engages the reader in contemplative bantering as he utilizes the book of Acts as the backdrop for the framing of his writing in the beginning of the book.

Interwoven throughout his writing is the traditional scholarly account of the historical times, sequences, dates, and periods affiliated with the birth of the church. The chapter titles (The World of Jesus' First Followers; Spreading the News; Paul: Missionary, Teacher, Martyr; Being Christian; Israel Old and New; A Catholic Church?; External Pressures: Suffering for and Defending the Faith; Christian Thought in the West; Alexandrian Christianity and Its Legacy; Worship and Practice; Ministry and Morals; Faith and Politics) provide good description of the book's content.

Davidson writes, "I have tried to concentrate not only on the issues of theology, politics and ideas but also to look in some measure at the social, artistic, and cultural evolution of Christianity." (7-8) Evidence of all of these elements are through his writing. He explores the theologians of the time opening up to the reader their insight and contribution to the faith. He helps the reader to understand the fullness of thought that resonated during this period along with its challenges and consequences. He provides the reader with a comprehensive time line of early Christianity and an exhaustive bibliography of source data corresponding to each chapter. He gives you the historical account and then correlates how that history impacted the ministry, morals, practices, and politics of the emerging church.

Though I would never profess to be a lover of history, this book gave me a new awareness of the historical significance in modern day life. It gave new meaning to the saying, "you can not know where you are going if you do not know where you have come from." Truly this book helps the reader understand some of the nuances that currently exist and where they got their start in the early Christian church.

a definite and pertinient source for the marginalized believers of the early church in that records are not maintained of the poor and uneducated believers....

This is an excellent textbook for an introductory course in early church history. This first as well as its companion second volume in the excellent Monarch (or Baker) History of the Church series gives a scholarly overview based on the most recent research in the field. It's good also to see an author from the southern hemisphere in this series, Ivor Davidson from the University of Otago, in Aotearo/New Zealand.

Engaging view of church history

In Ivor J. Davidson's text The Birth of the Church, he provides an engaging look into the embryonic stages of the development of what would become known as "Christianity." He provides a text that does not require a great deal of theological background, nor a seminary interest in Church History. Davidson chronologically takes readers on a journey through the Jewish foundation of those who became followers and believers of Jesus. He does not spiritualize his discourse, but gives an objective account of the historical events that shaped the movement that would eventually emerge into Christianity.

Davidson looks at this history through a lens that not only includes the biblical accounts that many are familiar with, but with the political, social and cultural climate. He spends a considerable amount of time on the rule of the Roman Empire, and its impact on Judea and Galilee. He expounds on the difficulty of the economic environment and its affect on the socio-political disparity that shaped the early followers. One of the more notable sections is the one on the impact of philosophy in the lives of the early believer. These Hellenistic beliefs were deep seeded because of Grecian influence, and "posed their own particular questions for the practice of popular religion" (30). Davidson's section on philosophical traditions effectively articulates the origins of philosophy's multifaceted impact on religion, and the "Jesus Movement" as Davidson identifies early Christianity. The movements when viewed as a whole "illustrate just how eclectic the religious and philosophical world of the first century was" (35).

Davidson's discourse candidly looks at not only the theoretical aspects of the Jesus Movement, but the mres and practices of those in the early church. The worship experience, and of course Pentecost are explored, but the communal aspects associated with the Jerusalem group of believers is discussed in detail. The division of leadership and the establishment of what will later be deemed as the apostolic authority along with the dispersing of believers because of persecution are presented in a fair and objective manner.

As one should expect, any discussion of the early church eventually land at the feet of Paul. Davidson devotes much discourse on Paul and his Gentile focused evangelistic crusades. While imperative to Christian history, the Pauline focus seems however, to diminish the impact of other who were apart of the early Jesus movement, including Peter, James, and John.

Davidson further provides readers with a historic retrospective on Israel, while providing the foundational information for the birth of the Catholic Church. He includes the work of leading writers of the church and their views on early doctrinal concerns including Orthodoxy and Heresy, as they sought to further define Christianity as a religion.

Much of this work, however, focuses on the trouble experienced by those who were apart of the early church, and the persecution that plagued them. "Though some defected," Davidson states astutely, for most, "trouble had strengthened the Christian witness" (349). The reading of this text will strengthen the knowledge of those who have a vested interest in Christianity because of faith, but will also serve as an intellectually stimulating historical discourse for the student, history enthusiast or anyone interested in the peaks and valleys of this movement that transformed the world!

Ivor J. Davidson is a senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has written extensively on the history and theology of the early Church. The consulting editors are John D. Woodbridge research professor of church history and the history of Christian thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and David F. Wright, professor of patristic and Reformed Christianity at the University of Edinburgh.

The Birth of the Church brilliantly discusses and provides a comprehensive explanation of the history of the church from Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312, Volume One. The book includes maps and illustrations of the Roman Empire during the first to the third centuries. Davidson states that while any number of guides exists for those who would learn about the early history of Christianity, this book was written in the conviction that there is nevertheless a need for a fresh narrative story of the early church that is accessible in style, comprehensive in scope, and not least up-to-date in scholarship (7). The author's disclaimer is that "no author can be an expert in all of the component parts of such a vast and multidisciplinary field", nevertheless, he has endeavored to keep in mind all of the contingencies of "word limits, time, energy and knowledge, which accompany the comprehensiveness of exploring such a vast subject.

Davidson concentrates on issues of theology, politics, and ideas, and he also looks at the social, artistic, and cultural evolution of Christianity (7).

The book begins with "In the Beginning" and goes through the timelines of early Christianity. The author examines the world of Jesus's first followers, Paul's missionary journeys, and Paul's role as a teacher and a martyr. It also focuses on the worship practices and faith and politics of the first through the third centuries. Davidson in writing this book wanted to produce an account that is fair and balanced to diverse interpretations of often-complex evidence (8). The book is in chronological order and is clear and detailed. It also includes a chart of the time line of early Christianity from ca. 30 to 324, which is very helpful for the seminarian who needs a reminder at times of the dates and events of the early centuries in their chronological order.

For the readers who are tempted to go the Web for their study or just to glean information concerning this study, the author has these words: "The wheat and the chaff are best sifted by those who have done some other reading first".

Davidson states that he was advised that the aim of his book "was to furnish a new generation of readers with a work that might fulfill something of the function that earlier and in some cases now classic-introduction texts on the period had provided for their predecessors" and admits that is no small order, but hopes that his book will "in some small part be as useful as some of those that have gone before it" (8).

The reader of this book by Davidson will have a clearer understanding of the birth of the church during the first through the third centuries including subjects on Easter and the dating of, fasting, prayer and praise, the persecutions of the Christians, the roles of women in the Church, and the differences between Christian thought in the Church in the West as compared to the Church in the East. This writer enjoyed reading this book of history and would highly recommend this book to the students who are excited about studying history and especially to the students who are not so excited about the study of history. This book will hold your interest and you will not want to put it down. It is fast-paced and easy to ready and understand.


Davidson's wide-ranging historical study features an analytical evaluation of Church History. I would highly recommend The Birth of The Church, From Jesus to Constantine A.D. 30-312, Volume One, because it provides a valuable exploration of this period. In this reader's limited opinion, to some extent, Davidson accomplished his aim in providing "a new generation of readers with a work that might fulfill something of the function that earlier and in some cases now classic-introduction texts on the period had provided for their predecessors".

The book is informative. It is not well written. Some of the chapters are a chore to get through.

Davidson's perspetive on early Church history is undoubtedly amazing. He explains history in such a way that allows the reader to enjoy and understand the complext events, characters, and doctrinal issues of the past. Davidson remains to have some non-bias historical view in regards to the Roman Catholic Church. He makes various statements that allow a possibility and non-possibility of an embryonic Roman Catholic Church. Personally, I found his volume to be most striking with the progressive power that the church of Rome began to declare and wield. I have now read this volume twice and I intend to read it a third time in the future. I assure any Church history buff to buy this for sake of gaining an non-bias view of the early Church. It seems so rampant among early Church historians to present a "Catholic" view or an "anti-Catholic" but Davidson, with elegance, presents early Church history in such a generalistic way that he allows the reader to determine his own views.