Early Church: Byzantium - Part II (A Christian Survey of World History)

What did it mean for the Early Church to confront a world built on pagan power, philosophical confusion, and state tyranny? In this stirring message, R.J. Rushdoony traces how early believers, often new converts from morally decayed cultures, faced not only persecution by the Roman Empire but also internal threats from heresies like Gnosticism, Arianism, and Pelagianism. These distortions of the faith attacked either the nature of God or the nature of man, ultimately undermining the necessity of Christ's atonement. Yet, through bold confessions and courageous councils, the Church held fast to the truth of Christ as fully God and fully man—guarding the Gospel against philosophical dilution and moral relativism. Alongside theological battles, the early Christians endured brutal persecution for refusing to recognize Caesar’s authority over the Church. Their refusal to accept state licensing or taxation affirmed the Kingdom of God as an independent and higher authority. Rushdoony brings this era to life through the gripping story of Perpetua and Felicitas—young women who chose martyrdom rather than deny their Lord—and shows how even state-imposed burdens, like Julian the Apostate’s attempts to conscript the clergy into civic administration, eventually paved the way for Christian influence over a crumbling empire. Their faith wasn’t theoretical—it was lived, suffered, and ultimately victorious.