H. T. Bruns, Canones apostolorum et conciliorum sæculorum IV, V, VI, VII, Berlin, 1839. Cited as Bruns. Although not source-books, yet of very great value for the sources they contain should be mentioned: J. C. L. Gieseler, A Text-Book of Church History, English translation, New York, 1857. K. R. Hagenbach, A History of Christian Doctrines, English translation, Edinburgh, 1883-85. C. J. Hefele, Conciliengeschichte, Freiburg-i.-B., 1855-70. Second edition, 1873 et seq. A new French translation with admirable supplementary notes has just appeared. The English translation (History of the Councils), Edinburgh, 1876-95, extends only through the eighth century. Cited as Hefele. THE FIRST DIVISION OF ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY THE CHURCH UNDER THE HEATHEN EMPIRE: TO A. D. 324 By the accession of Constantine to the sole sovereignty of the Roman Empire, A. D. 324, ancient Christianity may be conveniently divided into two great periods. In the first, it was a religion liable to persecution, suffering severely at times and always struggling to maintain itself; in the second, it became the religion of the State, and in its turn set about to repress and persecute the heathen religions. It was no longer without legal rights; it had the support of the secular rulers and was lavishly endowed with wealth. The conditions of the Church in these two periods are so markedly different, and the conditions had such a distinct effect upon the life and growth of the Christian religion, that the reign of Constantine is universally recognized as marking a transition from one historical period to another, although no date which shall mark that transition is universally accepted. The year 311, the year in which the Diocletian persecution ceased, has been accepted by many as the dividing point. The exact date adopted is immaterial. The principal sources in English for the history of the Christian Church before A. D. 324 are: The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A. D. 325. American edition, Buffalo and New York, 1885-1896; new edition, New York, 1896 (a reprint). The collection, cited as ANF, contains the bulk of 3 |