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a definite and pertinient source for the marginalized believers of the early church in that records are not maintained of the poor and uneducated believers....

Ivor J. Davidson is a senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has written extensively on the history and theology of the early Church. The consulting editors are John D. Woodbridge research professor of church history and the history of Christian thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and David F. Wright, professor of patristic and Reformed Christianity at the University of Edinburgh.

The Birth of the Church brilliantly discusses and provides a comprehensive explanation of the history of the church from Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312, Volume One. The book includes maps and illustrations of the Roman Empire during the first to the third centuries. Davidson states that while any number of guides exists for those who would learn about the early history of Christianity, this book was written in the conviction that there is nevertheless a need for a fresh narrative story of the early church that is accessible in style, comprehensive in scope, and not least up-to-date in scholarship (7). The author's disclaimer is that "no author can be an expert in all of the component parts of such a vast and multidisciplinary field", nevertheless, he has endeavored to keep in mind all of the contingencies of "word limits, time, energy and knowledge, which accompany the comprehensiveness of exploring such a vast subject.

Davidson concentrates on issues of theology, politics, and ideas, and he also looks at the social, artistic, and cultural evolution of Christianity (7).

The book begins with "In the Beginning" and goes through the timelines of early Christianity. The author examines the world of Jesus's first followers, Paul's missionary journeys, and Paul's role as a teacher and a martyr. It also focuses on the worship practices and faith and politics of the first through the third centuries. Davidson in writing this book wanted to produce an account that is fair and balanced to diverse interpretations of often-complex evidence (8). The book is in chronological order and is clear and detailed. It also includes a chart of the time line of early Christianity from ca. 30 to 324, which is very helpful for the seminarian who needs a reminder at times of the dates and events of the early centuries in their chronological order.

For the readers who are tempted to go the Web for their study or just to glean information concerning this study, the author has these words: "The wheat and the chaff are best sifted by those who have done some other reading first".

Davidson states that he was advised that the aim of his book "was to furnish a new generation of readers with a work that might fulfill something of the function that earlier and in some cases now classic-introduction texts on the period had provided for their predecessors" and admits that is no small order, but hopes that his book will "in some small part be as useful as some of those that have gone before it" (8).

The reader of this book by Davidson will have a clearer understanding of the birth of the church during the first through the third centuries including subjects on Easter and the dating of, fasting, prayer and praise, the persecutions of the Christians, the roles of women in the Church, and the differences between Christian thought in the Church in the West as compared to the Church in the East. This writer enjoyed reading this book of history and would highly recommend this book to the students who are excited about studying history and especially to the students who are not so excited about the study of history. This book will hold your interest and you will not want to put it down. It is fast-paced and easy to ready and understand.

Davidson's wide-ranging historical study features an analytical evaluation of Church History. I would highly recommend The Birth of The Church, From Jesus to Constantine A.D. 30-312, Volume One, because it provides a valuable exploration of this period. In this reader's limited opinion, to some extent, Davidson accomplished his aim in providing "a new generation of readers with a work that might fulfill something of the function that earlier and in some cases now classic-introduction texts on the period had provided for their predecessors".

The history of the church is so wide, so long, so vast, that it is intimidating to even begin a study of it. Yet the study of church history is exceedingly important, for only in understanding where the church has come from can we truly understand who we are and where we are going. In the past I have tried to read several series and one-volume histories of the church. Some have been wonderful and others have left a lot to be desired. Recently I decided to try reading The Baker History fo the Church. The five-part series (four of which are currently available) begins with The Birth of the Church which covers the early history of the church, stretching from the death of Jesus to Constantine's rise to power in AD 312--so roughly three hundreds years of history.

The first two volumes of this series, which is edited by Tim Dowley, are written by Ivor Davidson, senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. According to a brief biography provided by Baker, he has written extensively on the history and theology of the early church. With my limited knowledge of early church history I feel somewhat inadequate to review such a book. I will have little to say about the accuracy of the information Davidson presents about the early church, as I will have to leave that for more educated historians than myself. What I will do, though, is direct the reader of this review to some of the strengths and weaknesses that present themselves within the book.

Strengths: I found the book quite easy to read and greatly informative. This is a book that is suitable as a textbook for college-level courses, and it is my understanding that many colleges and seminaries have adopted it as their text. It contains few illustrations or frills. It is, plain and simply, history. It did bog down a fair bit in some of the middle chapters, where the author discussed particular points of theology relating to some of the church fathers. I had to force myself through several of those chapters, but was richly rewarded in the final three chapters which discuss the worship and practice of the early church, its ministry and morals and its faith and politics. So while the book is at times a little bit uneven, it is clearly directed at the layperson rather than the scholar.

The early chapters were particularly gripping. Davidson tells the story of the book of Acts in the way we might find it written in a history text and I found this a compelling approach. It led me to a greater understanding of the history of the early church. An entire chapter is devoted to Paul, his travels, his impact and his theology.

Weaknesses: I was somewhat disappointed to see that the author probably lends a little too much credibility to the ongoing questions of New Testament authorship. A person who reads a good study Bible will quickly learn that almost every New Testament book has generated some level of controversy surrounding its authorship, but at this point there are only a couple where any serious doubts remain. Davidson seems willing to concede that the pastoral epistles may not have been written by Paul and that James may have been written by someone other than James. This was a little bit disappointing to me and may cause a reader to doubt the authenticity of some of the books of Scripture.

A further weakness was in the author's understanding of the roles of women as defined by Scripture. The Bible provides women great freedom in their faith, but does restrict certain roles. Davidson would seem to doubt this and his belief is apparent that it was the early church that misread the Bible and caused women to be excluded from the leadership of the church.

In fact, it seems that perhaps the author is willing to concede a few too many points to political correctness and the spirit of our age. I was surprised to see him say, "Within a few years, the seeds would be sown that would develop into the shocking traditions of Christian anti-Semitism, in which the Jews would be blamed directly for the crucifixion of the Messiah and regarded as apostates upon whom God's justice had justly fallen." While anti-Semitism has existed within the church at various times and in various places, considering the Jews responsible for Jesus' death and considering them apostate, is hardly anti-Semitic and is, in reality, little more than what the Scripture teaches. This affirmation, however, ought not to cause Christians to turn on Jews or to regard them differently, for we know that we are all responsible for Jesus' death.

Conclusion: Despite these shortcomings, I did find this a valuable read and there is little doubt that I have a better understanding of the early church now than I did before I began this text. I intend to press on with the next volume of the series, which will lead me from AD 312 to AD 600.