Emperor Constantine was Great, but was he good? If you were talk to many Christians today, they might suggest that much of the problems in the church today go back to Constantine. Before Constantine, the church was made up devoted followers of Jesus. After Constantine, the church was an institution with an unhealthy tie to ... Read More "How Bad Was Constantine the Great?" »

There had been numerous persecutions on a small scale for the first three centuries but the church experienced a much more significant persecution in the early fourth century under the Emperor Diocletian and his colleagues. Under the argument that the Empire needed to come together religiously in order to prosper, they imposed certain sacrifices that ... Read More "Episode 56 – Diocletian and the Great Persecution" »

The third century was a time of great upheaval for the Roman Empire and it was equally so for the church in Rome. The bishop of Rome, which would eventually be known as “the pope” played an important role. In this episode we look at those popes and a couple of antipopes as well. Other ... Read More "Episode 55 – The Popes of the Third Century" »

One of the religious movements that emerged in the third century was that of Manichaeism. This religion, founded by the Iranian prophet Mani, would go on to attract even the great Augustine. In this episode, we take a look at the basics of this religion that had many connections with Christianity. This episode is brought ... Read More "Episode 54 – The Rise of Manichaeism" »

The Christian Church existed within and was growing inside the Roman Empire. What was happening in the Roman Empire during the third century? In this episode we look at the Severan Dynasty, the Crisis of the Third Century, and the beginning of Empire-wide persecutions. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. Please consider ... Read More "Episode 53 – The Roman Empire in the Third Century" »

By the third century, the church had been growing rapidly. They were facing threats both internal and external. In this episode, we look at some lesser and more known figures from the first half of the third century. We will also take a brief look at the Gospel of Peter and the Acts of Thomas. ... Read More "Episode 52 – The Church in the First Half of the Third Century" »

Two of the brightest, most influential, and most prolific church fathers were Origen of Alexandria and Tertullian of Carthage. They were both eventually considered to be heretics. In this episode, we look at these two intellectual giants who continue to influence the Church today.

Pope Pius XII was the pope during the Second World War. There is controversy over how he responded to the crisis. Should he have openly opposed Nazism or should he have positioned himself strategically for later negotiations? This is a special crossover episode between the Second World War Podcast and the History of Christianity Podcast. ... Read More "Episode 50- A Pope in Wartime: Pius XII" »

As we conclude our look at the second century, we revisit some of the people we have already talked about. These are the early apologists. By looking at the things they were responding to, we get a snapshot of what the church was experiencing in this important century. Other episodes related to this episode: Episode ... Read More "Episode 49 – Christian Apologists in the Second Century" »

Since the time before Jesus, the Jews were a part of the Roman Empire. Not a willing part, but a part nonetheless. Not everyone was happy about this and there were attempts to throw off the Roman yoke. There was a war against Rome in the first century in which the Jews were defeated. That ... Read More "Episode 48 – The Second and Third Jewish Wars" »