Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

If Paul could see us now : four centuries of dramatic change -- Second-generation Christianity : the churches of the Apostolic Fathers -- Suffering and dying for God : persecution and martyrdom -- Getting organized : ministry and structure -- Getting recognized : Emperor Constantine's revolution -- Radical discipleship : asceticism and monasticism -- Women in the early church : liberated or confined? -- The emerging shape of worship : Eucharist and liturgy -- Getting in and staying in : baptism and penance -- Exploring the paths : the development of early Christian doctrine -- Mapping the mind of the church : orthodoxy defined.