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Evangelism in the Early Church

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Evangelism in the Early Church was a good book. I really learned a lot about evangelism that was done by the early Christians. It was in many ways, much like we do evangelism today. We were not the innovators, as we would like to think. Evangelism practice is a very old tradition. Green shows us the different elements of evangelism as practiced by the early church: pathways, obstacles, evangel, conversion, evangelists, methods, motives, and strategy.
Evangelism was quite a lengthy book - 280, not counting the notes section. It was a bit longer than it should have been. It was quite exhaustive and sometimes exhausting, for it had a lot of detail. Sometimes the detail seemed unnecessary. What is exceptional about this book is its many primary sources. The early Christian fathers and their direct biographers are quoted to add support. It also gives us a first-hand glimpse of their own experiences.
The purpose of this book is not really to encourage evangelism or missions, but rather is a good history book that tells us what our spiritual fathers went through. Although the ideals of evangelism remains the same, we are in far different situations and settings. God, in his providence, perfectly set the stage for the gospel to be spread rapidly in the first century. The Pax Romana, the influence of the Greek culture and lingua franca, and the inroads Judaism had already made, prepared the ground for the gospel to be planted. Of course, they also encountered obstacles like we have never experienced. It was a world-wide hatred towards Christianity. It is almost surprising how Christians ever survived the persecutions of the first two centuries. They were hated by Jews and Gentiles alike, but these are the people they sought after, and died evangelizing to.
Truly, the blood of the many martyrs watered the soil for the gospel. Being a Christian was not a "cool" thing. A person had to make a stand in the midst of persecution to proclaim his Christian faith. Green gives many such examples, ranging from apostles, to students, to children, to husbands, wives, to slaves and freedmen, officials, theologians, and wandering missionaries. Methods of evangelism was just as varied, from synagogue preaching to open air evangelism, prophecy, personal testimonies, home evangelism, one-on-one, visitations, and literature. However, large public gatherings was not a method they employed. That was difficult to do in the midst of persecution, and such gatherings were illegal in the Roman Empire. Yet, in view of today's result of "nominal Christiandom," perhaps such large public gatherings is not such a good idea.
I was quite surprised to read about the large role exorcisms, prophecy, and miracles played in the early church. I disagree with Green's definition of "prophecy ," and he seems to indicate that there was revelatory prophecy in the early church even after the canon is closed! Green also comments that such miracles and exorcisms were prevalent in early church evangelism much as they are practiced in the mission field today, where there is no scripture in the native language. Green seems to imply that where there is no inscripturated Word present, God continues to reveal himself by supernatural, revelatory means.
The greatest difference between early Christian evangelism and today is not of methods but in the quality of Christianity, not due to the gospel, but due to the Christians who bear the gospel. Today, we see evangelism as an optional activity of the Christian, a special program of the church or para-church. It is meant for those who are "called" to such evangelical ministry, or for those who are already positioned as ministers, pastors, missionaries, elders, deacons, or even Bible study teachers. However, in the early church, evangelism was correctly understood as the duty of every Christian. It was the everyday Christian who went out proclaiming the word of God. It was the everyday worker who died a martyrs' death. Every Christian recognized the seriousness of the issue - every soul without Christ would go to hell. Thus, they employed every strategy they could think of to persuade man. Perhaps today, we may criticize a few of their practices, and even rightly critique some of their views on the sacraments, yet let us bow our head in shame in light of the zeal they had in proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
It is through God's sovereign work through these early "fearless" Christians that the gospel has spread all over the world today. We are forever indebted to these early Christians, and Green shows us what they did to deserve such honor.

"Evangelism in the Early Church" by Michael Green has just been reissued, and no wonder. In a field that is usually as dry as sticks, Green is quite enthusiastic about his subject.

Green makes many of the usuual points: "that probably no period in the history of the world was better suited to receive" (p 14) the gospel due to the ease of travel and the peace. That Greek was the common language, a huge advantage for the early church. And that the Jews had backed a winner in Julius Caesar, thus winning impressive privileges which the Christians initially took advantage of.

But not for long. All too soon it was being argued that Christians "constituted a tertium genus, a third type of person in the world alongside Romans and Jews" (p 47).

In fact, Christians were at a huge disadvantage when trying to convert the pagans. Christians were hated and persecuted. They were urged by their fellow Christians to give up everything that the other people around them most enjoyed--the games, the plays, the pagan festivals. It is a miracle that Christianity won.

Green clearly admires the great love that so many of the early Christians felt for Jesus. So will you.

One very small caveat: Green argues that the subapostolic church misrepresented the gospel, although not, perhaps, as greatly as Harnack and others have suggested. "Ignatius claims that the coming of Jesus has put an end to magic, one must sorrowfully confess that in some areas of the church it introduced a new sort of majic' (p 166) such as Ignatius saying, "The Eucharist is the 'medicine of immortality..." (p 166).

What, I wonder is any different from the claims about the Eucharist in the 2nd century than in the 1st? What about Paul 1 Cor. 11:23-29 saying that that you must receive the Eucharist worthily or you may earn death. Also 1 Cor. 10:16, the Didache, John 6:35-71. Also from 110 AD Ignatius:The heretics abstain from the Eucharist...because they do not confess that the Eucharist the flesh of our savior Jesus Christ" Letter to Smyraeans.

Still, this is one small difference I had in an otherwise wonderful book.

You will find no other book like this on the market right now. Green does an incredable job at looking at the early church at multiple angles. The secondary material he uses to study what the church was like, how it was viewed both inside and outside the church, and many other angles is pretty amazing - I had to keep one thumb in the end notes so I could refer to them often.
I am a person that doesn't just want to know linearly what is happening, but wants to know the whole picture - what is happening around an event - this book for sure does this.
Green covers such angles as evanglism to the gentiles (which is rich with very applicable things to our present day), evangelism to Jews, Motives/Methods/and Strategy of Evangelism, and more including a very interesting chapter on the Obsticles of evangelism.

Enjoy this well done book.

I found this book by reading J.P. Moreland's The Kingdom Triangle. Green comes from a great perspective as both a scholar and a practitioner. He believes that everyone should be a theologian and an evangelist and he wrote this book with an eye for both. His description of the situation in ancient Rome was fascinating, both things that helped the early evangelists and things that hindered them. His study of the way that the Apostles and early fathers preached the gospel has inspired me to do my own study in Acts.

After having New Testament survey classes in undergrad with Mark Given (who did his doctoral work with Bart Ehrman), this book has done much to help clarify what the teaching of the early church was over against the hyper-skepticism found in Ehrman's writings and lectures. The third chapter is especially helpful; it goes back to the earliest sources of Christianity, determines what this message of the Gospel entailed and then cross-references third-century sources (like Origen, etc.) to demonstrate that the message had not fundamentally changed.

More than being an interesting history lesson, however, this book will stir you to share the news that Christ came to save sinners--and *you* qualify.

I appreciate Michael Green's heartfelt scholarship. "Evangelism in the Early Church" does more than educate, it inspires Christians today to continue to carry the unique message of salvation to the society in which we live. Green skillfully draws lessons from the examples of early Christians using scholarly research. One of his emphases is that early Christians expected the demonstration of the power of God to accompany their witness, and he chides those in the church today who would shy away from the supernatural. Green also recounts touching stories of early evangelists, such as the Roman youth we only know from a crude inscription mocking him for his faith. Nearby, another inscription reads "Alexamenos fidelis," or "Alexamenos is faithful," a testament either to Alexamenos' resolve or perhaps more hopefully, one of his persecutor's change of heart. Green's book contains an abundant number of these types of insights that both educate and inspire.

This is the best book I have ever found on the subject of early Christian evangelism. Yes, he writes as an enthusiastic Christian who is well schooled in the available materials from the first few Christian centuries. The perspectives offered to us from that literature are much needed today. I write as someone who has done graduate level work in early Christian history. Green is a good guide in this area.

I haven't finished it yet but this is a great historical and biblical account of Evangelism in the Early Church. It brings you back to the bare and pure simplicity of what all believers have been called to do. This is an absolute must for any disciple.

Green is thorough, but fundamentally limited by 1) his categories and 2) his critical judgment. The latter does not exist for canonical Christian texts. Paul conducted his mission as reported in Acts, etc. In fact, Pl's letters do not support the picture of Acts.
Categories are those of modern evangelical theology. Not wicked, but not those of the first century/ argument therewith vitiated.