David W. Bercot, editor
Interest in the ways of the early church has never been more intense. What did early Christians believe about the divinity of Christ? What did they think about resurrection? How did they regard John the Baptist? What were the beliefs of those who sat at the feet of Jesus' disciples? What did the early Christians believe about gifts of the Spirit? Or footwashing? Or the rapture? What about the beast of Revelation or the antichrist? What did they believe the number 666 represented? What were their understandings of the major Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity, salvation, baptism, communion, and life after death?
Now, for the first time, a unique dictionary has been developed to furnish ready answers to these questions and others like them. David W. Bercot has painstakingly combed the writings of these early Christian leaders and categorized the heart of their thinking into more than 700 topics.
This scholarly work collects together over 7000 quotations from the writings of the early Christians, arranged alphabetically by topic. More than 700 theological, moral, ecclesiastical, and historical topics are covered. It offers the user a unique window into the early Christian world. A must for every pastor and serious Bible student. 704 pp. hardback.
Wonderfully suited for devotional or thematic study as well as sermon illustration, this resource offers a window into the world of the early church and affords a special opportunity to examine topically the thoughts of men like Clement of Rome, Ignatius, and Polycarp, who were students of the original apostles, as well as the thoughts of other great lights in the life of the early church such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. For anyone interested in historic Christianity, this book cannot be overlooked. This book features:
* Relevant comments on key Christian concepts from prominent figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Hippolytus
* Key biblical verses associated with each topic
* Brief definitions of unfamiliar terms or concepts
* A "Who's Who" of Ante-Nicene Christianity to put in context the ancient Christian writers
* Discussion of more than 700 key theological, moral, and historical topics
* Strategic cross-references to related topics
* A topical index to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers
What others are saying about A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs:
"David Bercot has done the church a great service in providing an accessible point of entry into the extant writings of the pre-Nicene church. ...Overall, Bercot is to be commended on this work. If it leads some into the riches of those whose thought-world and culture were similar to if not identical with that of the New Testament writers and who lived and worked much nearer to our sources than we do, then he has done a useful service for the church." Evangelical Review of Theology
"This is an excellent and easy-to-use dictionary. It opens with a Who's Who among the Ante-Nicene Fathers and then moves to an alphabetic section of subjects that tells you what these ancient scholars believed and wrote. ...This is a must text for everyone interested in theology in general and especially historical studies." The Conservative Theological Journal
"This book is basically an extended index to the ten-volume Library of Ante-Nicene Fathers, now also published by Hendrickson. The author has gone through these volumes and selected quotations according to subject matter, making it possible to see at a glance what the early Christians thought about such things as the mark of the beast and natural law, as well as more familiar topics like baptism and martyrdom." Ashland Theological Journal
"This is a very helpful one-volume reference work, which no theological library should be without." Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology
