Apocalypse: Early Church Fathers and the Early Church

When Rome fell to Alaric's Gothic forces in 410 AD, Augustine faced a world-shattering crisis. How could Christianity survive? His response in "The City of God" (426 AD) forever changed how believers understood the end times.

This groundbreaking historical study traces apocalyptic thought from the Book of Revelation through five centuries of persecution, plague, and imperial transformation. Drawing on original manuscripts and archaeological evidence dating to the second century, this book reveals how early Christians found meaning amid catastrophe.

Discover why Irenaeus (180 AD) adamantly defended bodily resurrection against Gnostic spiritualization, how Cyprian interpreted the devastating plague of 251 AD as birth pangs of a new creation, and what Tertullian meant when he declared "the blood of Christians is seed" during the Severan persecution (202 AD).

From John Chrysostom's golden-tongued sermons in Constantinople (398 AD) to the female visionaries whose apocalyptic experiences challenged patriarchal structures, this meticulously researched work reveals forgotten voices and contested interpretations that shaped Christian theology for centuries.

Catholics, Orthodox believers, and all students of Christian history will find this authoritative study essential for understanding how apocalyptic expectation became central to faith during Christianity's formative period. Scholarly yet accessible, this book transforms our understanding of early Church thought with insights drawn directly from primary sources written between 90-430 AD.

"A monumental achievement in patristic scholarship that brings early apocalyptic thought to life with unprecedented clarity." - Journal of Early Christian Studies