Everett Ferguson

Frank A. James

John D. Woodbridge

Church History offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and developed. It did so, not in a vacuum, but in a setting of times, cultures, and events that both influenced and were influenced by the church. Church History looks closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church. Volume One explores the development of the church from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation. Filled with maps, charts, and illustrations, it offers overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds; insights into the church's relationship to the Roman Empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians; the place of art and architecture, literature and philosophy, both sacred and secular; and much more, spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries. - Publisher.

The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context

Church History

المعمودية في ممارسات ما قبل المسيحية وفي اليهودية وفي زمن العهد الجديد

A church history text that integrates the events and development of the church with the social, economic, and intellectual history of the world around it.

Church History - From Christ to Pre-Reformation

This magisterial volume is a comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history, arranged geographically within chronological periods. Baptism in the Early Church covers the antecedents to Christian baptism and traces the history of Christian doctrine and practice from the New Testament through the writings of the church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The book deals primarily with the literary sources, though it also gives attention to depictions of baptism (primarily of Jesus) in various art forms and to the surviving baptismal fonts.Ferguson's thorough study points to the central importance of baptism in the early church. Many blessings were attributed to baptism, but the two earliest and most consistently mentioned are forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit; faith and repentance were necessary in order to receive these benefits. Jewish immersion rites, the practice of John the Baptist, the meaning of the words used for baptism, the literary descriptions, and the material remains argue that full immersion was the normal practice, and the evidence from art is consistent with this interpretation.Containing nearly everything currently known about the early Christian ritual of baptism, with extensive citations to the primary and secondary literature, Ferguson's Baptism in the Early Church is destined to be a standard reference work."

History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries

Baptism in the Early Church

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Norms of Faith and Life

This is the first volume of Ferguson's collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on ""laying on of hands."" ""These essays, spanning four decades of Ferguson's scholarship, sum up major discussions of ministry and canon in early Christianity. Especially useful for exploring the terminology surrounding ordination, these essays are vintage Ferguson."" --Elizabeth A. Clark, Professor of Religion, Duke University Everett Ferguson is Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University. He was editor of The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (2nd edition 1997) and is author of many works including Early Christians Speak (2 volumes 1999, 2002); Backgrounds of Early Christianity (3rd ed., 2003); Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers (2004); Church History, vol. 1: From Christ to Pre-Reformation (2005); and Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (2009). Ferguson received the ""Distinguished Service Award"" from the North American Patristics Society (2008) and the ""Vestigia Award for Excellence in Early Christian Studies and Service to the Church"" from the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies (2020).

The Early Church at Work and Worship - Volume 1

This is the third volume of Ferguson's collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on ""laying on of hands."" ""Since the middle of the last century, no scholar of early Christianity has been more respected, even revered, than Everett Ferguson. He has displayed in his life and his many writings that the gift of the early church to Christians today is not only its theological ideas, but its testimony to the lived reality of Christian faith. In this edifying volume of essays, with essays on psalm-singing, spiritual sacrifice, the art of praise, active and contemplative lives, Ferguson, a wise teacher of our age, invites readers to contemplate the depth and richness of the church's first teachers."" --Robert Louis Wilken, William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor Emeritus of the History of Christianity, University of Virginia Everett Ferguson is Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University. He was editor of The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (2nd ed., 1997) and is author of many works including Early Christians Speak (2 vols., 1999, 2002); Backgrounds of Early Christianity (3rd ed., 2003); Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers (2004); Church History, vol. 1, From Christ to Pre-Reformation (2005); and Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (2009). Ferguson received the ""Distinguished Service Award"" from the North American Patristics Society (2008) and the ""Vestigia Award for Excellence in Early Christian Studies and Service to the Church"" from the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies (2002).

Worship, Eucharist, Music, and Gregory of Nyssa

The Early Church at Work and Worship - Volume 3

This is the first volume of Ferguson's collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on "laying on of hands."

Ministry, Ordination, Covenant, and Canon

The rule of faith was a summary of apostolic preaching and teaching made by writers of the early Christian centuries. As such it carries great importance for what the early church considered basic to its being and identity. It was not a fixed text, like a creed, but varied in wording and content according to circumstances. Yet, despite this flexibility and diversity, there is a clear Christ-centered, Trinitarian core at the heart of the rule shared by the early apostolic churches. In this short guide, Everett Ferguson introduces readers to the primary sources of our knowledge of the rule, the variety of ways in which ancient Christian authors spoke of the rule, and different scholarly attempts to interpret this ancient evidence. Ferguson argues that statements of the rule of faith were used to instruct new or potential converts, to combat false teachings, and to provide a framework for interpreting the Scriptures. He maintains that the rule retains considerable importance for churches of the twenty-first century.

A Guide

The Rule of Faith

This magisterial volume is a comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history, arranged geographically within chronological periods. Baptism in the Early Church covers the antecedents to Christian baptism and traces the history of Christian doctrine and practice from the New Testament through the writings of the church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The book deals primarily with the literary sources, though it also gives attention to depictions of baptism (primarily of Jesus) in various art forms and to the surviving baptismal fonts. Ferguson’s thorough study points to the central importance of baptism in the early church. Many blessings were attributed to baptism, but the two earliest and most consistently mentioned are forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit; faith and repentance were necessary in order to receive these benefits. Jewish immersion rites, the practice of John the Baptist, the meaning of the words used for baptism, the literary descriptions, and the material remains argue that full immersion was the normal practice, and the evidence from art is consistent with this interpretation. Containing nearly everything currently known about the early Christian ritual of baptism, with extensive citations to the primary and secondary literature, Ferguson’s Baptism in the Early Church is destined to be a standard reference work.

Conversion, Worship, Spirituality, and Asceticism

Forms of Devotion

CourseGuide for Church History, Volume One: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation

Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries

Early Christians Speak

Church History, Volume One Video Lectures---a companion to the widely used textbook, Church History, Volume One, by Everett Ferguson---provides 24 lessons, each corresponding to a chapter in the book. The lectures offer a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and developed from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation

From Christ to the Pre-reformation

Church History Video Lectures

The Church History, Volume One Pack contains everything you need to gain an in-depth understanding of how the Christian church developed from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation. It includes the bestselling textbook Church History, Volume One by Everett Ferguson and a corresponding set of 24 chapter-by-chapter video lectures.

Church History Pack

Church History, Volume One offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and grew from its development in the days of Jesus to the years leading up to the Reformation. Looking closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church, Church History paints a portrait of God's people within its setting of times, cultures, and events that both influenced and were influenced by the church. FEATURES: Maps, charts, and illustrations spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries. Overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds and how they developed or declined. Insights into the church's relationship to the Roman Empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians. Explanations of the role of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy—both sacred and secular—in the Church. Details on the major theological controversies of the periods. Each chapter also contains callout passages from Scripture to assist in understanding the narrative of the Church, even to the present day, as part of the greater narrative of the Bible. AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE: Scholar and writer Everett Ferguson wrote this history of the church from the perspective that such a history is the story of the greatest movement and community the world has known. It's a human story of a divinely called people who wanted to live by a divine revelation. It's a story of how they succeeded and how they failed or fell short of their calling. From the Apostle Paul to the apologists and martyrs of the second century to Martin Luther, the historical figures detailed are people who have struggled with the meaning of the greatest event in history—the coming of the Son of God—and with their role in that event and in the lives of God's people.

Church History, Volume One: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation

This is the third volume of Ferguson's collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on "laying on of hands."

David Scholer

An integrated overview of history The volume in this series are arranged topically to cover biography, literature, doctrines, practices, institutions, worship, missions, and daily life. Archaeology and art as well as writings are drawn on to illuminate the Christian movement in its early centuries. Ample attention is also given to the relation of Christianity to pagan thought and life, to the Roman state, to Judaism, and to doctrines and practices that came to be judged as heretical or schismatic. Introductions to each volume tie the articles together for an integrated understanding of the history. Offers insights and understanding The aim of the collection is to give balanced and comprehensive coverage, selected on the basis of the following criteria: original and excellent research and writing; subject matter of use to teachers and students; groundbreaking importance for the history of research; background information for issues and opinions. Understanding the development ofearly Christianity and its impact on Western history and thought offers valuable insights into the modern world and the present state of Christiantiy. It also provides perspective on comparable developments in other periods of history and reveals human nature in its religious dimension.

Doctrines of God and Christ in the Early Church

George Kalantzis

Understandings of the Church explores the ways imagery is used by biblical writers and early Christian teachers such as Cyprian, Ignatius of Antioch, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen to describe the concept of church. Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources is a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. The books in the series will make the wealth of early Christian thought available to new generations of students of theology and provide a valuable resource for the church. Developed in light of recent patristic scholarship, the volumes will provide a representative sampling of theological contributions from both East and West. The volumes of the series are relevant for a variety of courses from introduction to theology to classes on doctrine and the development of Christian thought. The goal of each volume is not to be exhaustive, but rather representative enough to denote for a nonspecialist audience the multivalent character of early Christian thought, allowing readers to see how and why early Christian doctrine and practice developed the way it did.

Everett Ferguson

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