An engaging introduction to the history of the early church from its emergence in the Mediterranean world dominated by Rome until the fall of Rome in the age of Augustine. Relates the story of Christianity's struggle for life during the early days of persecution; the defence of the faith against prejudice, heresy, and rivalry; the Arian debate; the rise of monasticism in the east and in the west; and the influence of Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Augustine.

George Hodges (1856-1919) was an American Episcopal theologian, born at Rome, N. Y., and educated at Hamilton College (A.B., 1877; A.M., 1882; LL.D., 1912). He served at Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1881 to 1894. In 1893 he helped establish the Kingsley Association in Pittsburgh, an organization dedicated to helping immigrant workers. Afterward, he became the dean of the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge, Massachusetts. "The high esteem in which his religious messages are held by the reading public" resulted in a number his books being reissued as a second edition in 1914.