A Public Faith: From Constantine to the Medieval World AD 312-600

Part of an eight-volume series that provides assessments of the history of Christianity in various periods, this volume begins with the emperor Constantine and ends in the 7th century at the eve of the medieval period. This present study follows on from volume one, by the same author, which looked at the origins of the Christian Church to the 4th century, by which time Christianity had survived persecution and affected individuals from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds far beyond the Roman empire. In volume two, Ivor Davidson examines the new public faith that emerged from the time of Constantine onwards, which heralded a new era for Christianity when it earned its status as an official religion and found new converts across Europe and the east. A broad and comprehensive assessment, this study explores many issues including the relationship between Constantine and the Church, churches in the Greek east, consolidation and worhip in the west, the rise of ascetics, Augustine of Hippo and the conflict between Christians and barbarians.