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Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints
Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints is a historical and theological window on Christianity’s first six centuries and beyond. It invites Latter-day Saints to encounter ancient followers of Jesus Christ, to hear what they heard, see what they saw, understand how they worshipped, and learn what they believed. Readers will come to see early Christian women and men as our sisters and brothers, fellow disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Informed by the questions and interests of Latter-day Saints, each chapter explores the history of important ancient Christian beliefs and practices. Readers will also experience the ancient Christians’ material world, their art, architecture, and manuscripts, through beautiful images that adorn the text. Together, their writings and art stand as a witness to the profound faith and devotion of these followers of Christ.
Latter-day Saints are connected with early Christians through Joseph Smith’s restoration project and what he called “the primitive church.” Yet the lives of these spiritual forebears are often overlooked, and their faith is sometimes misunderstood. In this book, readers are invited to learn from these venerable ancient Saints, feel their love of God, and rejoice in their testimonies of the Savior of the world.
Informed by the questions and interests of Latter-day Saints, each chapter explores the history of important ancient Christian beliefs and practices. Readers will also experience the ancient Christians’ material world, their art, architecture, and manuscripts, through beautiful images that adorn the text. Together, their writings and art stand as a witness to the profound faith and devotion of these followers of Christ.
Latter-day Saints are connected with early Christians through Joseph Smith’s restoration project and what he called “the primitive church.” Yet the lives of these spiritual forebears are often overlooked, and their faith is sometimes misunderstood. In this book, readers are invited to learn from these venerable ancient Saints, feel their love of God, and rejoice in their testimonies of the Savior of the world.
716 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 14, 2022
The Faithful LDS authors in this edited collection flat-out reject the Great Apostasy narrative we grew up with and examine the Early Church from a faithful perspective - as though people were striving to understand and apply scriptures to their lives. All of a sudden the Church Fathers become heroes with distinct personalities and priorities, solving problems and addressing issues much like our current leadership does. The chapters are NOT pedantic; their audience is a general LDS readership, not other scholars. They adopt a teaching stance that I so appreciated, since I have always felt Christian church history a hole in my understanding.
Honestly I am thrilled to see faithful BYU students head off to grad school, hold onto their LDS testimonies but return to Zion with such respect for their subject matter. Latter-day Saints are PART of an amazing religious tradition, extending back to Jesus' time but also before that. This book helps me fill in some gaps and see God's hand between the NT writers and the Reformation.
Honestly I am thrilled to see faithful BYU students head off to grad school, hold onto their LDS testimonies but return to Zion with such respect for their subject matter. Latter-day Saints are PART of an amazing religious tradition, extending back to Jesus' time but also before that. This book helps me fill in some gaps and see God's hand between the NT writers and the Reformation.
November 28, 2022
The Maxwell Institute BYU recently published Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints, and it is a fantastic journey into early Christianity geared specifically to Latter-day Saints. Through a collection of 14 essays dealing with topics ranging from praxis and worship to scripture and theology, the key elements of Christianity during its first several centuries (and beyond) are addressed in an accessible way. The discussions are punctuated by a large collection of artwork produced by early Christians, spread throughout the book in beautiful detail.
When approaching Latter-day Saint writings about early Christianity, I'm generally concerned that it will be an effort to convince people that the ancient Church was identical to the modern one in a polemic effort to reinforce the traditional apostasy-restoration narrative. Ancient Christians quickly dispatched that concern, with Jason R. Combs discussing this at length in the introduction. He notes that: "rather than dismissing entire epochs as corrupt ... today we work to understand ancient Christians on their own terms." He added that: "We cannot assume that today's Church is a template for what the first-century Church must have been, or vice versa. For that reason, in this book, our authors acknowledge the differences between ancient Christians and Latter-day Saints without automatically assuming such differences to be evidence of apostasy." In this way, Ancient Christians both compliments and expands on some of the concepts discussed in Standing Apart: Mormon Historical Consciousness and the Concept of Apostasy (Oxford University Press, 2014), though with more of solid a focus on aspects of the history of early Christianity.
I've studied several books on early Christianity, so a lot of the general ideas discussed were things that I at least had surface understanding going in. Still, the discussion coming from a Latter-day Saint point of view was illuminating. At times, it led me to reflection on my own life and worship as a Latter-day Saint or provided insights that will stick with me. For example, one author describes how the story of Isaiah having his lips cleansed with a live coal was compared with the Eucharist bread cleansing worshipers (something I will reflect on during the sacrament). There were plenty of images to underscore the discussion and many, many boxes with side discussions or general information on people and ideas brought up in the main essays (the boxes were almost too much for me, since they frequently disrupted the text, but that is a minor complaint). The discussions of different perspectives on theology like human nature, becoming like God, and work for the dead was also very interesting to me as a Latter-day Saint.
Having read the Maxwell Institute's Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints, I have to say that I highly recommend it to Latter-day Saints seeking greater understanding of their spiritual ancestors from the Classical and Late Antiquity eras.
When approaching Latter-day Saint writings about early Christianity, I'm generally concerned that it will be an effort to convince people that the ancient Church was identical to the modern one in a polemic effort to reinforce the traditional apostasy-restoration narrative. Ancient Christians quickly dispatched that concern, with Jason R. Combs discussing this at length in the introduction. He notes that: "rather than dismissing entire epochs as corrupt ... today we work to understand ancient Christians on their own terms." He added that: "We cannot assume that today's Church is a template for what the first-century Church must have been, or vice versa. For that reason, in this book, our authors acknowledge the differences between ancient Christians and Latter-day Saints without automatically assuming such differences to be evidence of apostasy." In this way, Ancient Christians both compliments and expands on some of the concepts discussed in Standing Apart: Mormon Historical Consciousness and the Concept of Apostasy (Oxford University Press, 2014), though with more of solid a focus on aspects of the history of early Christianity.
I've studied several books on early Christianity, so a lot of the general ideas discussed were things that I at least had surface understanding going in. Still, the discussion coming from a Latter-day Saint point of view was illuminating. At times, it led me to reflection on my own life and worship as a Latter-day Saint or provided insights that will stick with me. For example, one author describes how the story of Isaiah having his lips cleansed with a live coal was compared with the Eucharist bread cleansing worshipers (something I will reflect on during the sacrament). There were plenty of images to underscore the discussion and many, many boxes with side discussions or general information on people and ideas brought up in the main essays (the boxes were almost too much for me, since they frequently disrupted the text, but that is a minor complaint). The discussions of different perspectives on theology like human nature, becoming like God, and work for the dead was also very interesting to me as a Latter-day Saint.
Having read the Maxwell Institute's Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints, I have to say that I highly recommend it to Latter-day Saints seeking greater understanding of their spiritual ancestors from the Classical and Late Antiquity eras.
February 9, 2023
Myths Dispelled. History Revealed.
The words of Miranda Wilcox written specific to medieval Christianity, yet applicable to any era of ancient Christianity, provide a fitting description of the effect of this book on my heart and mind.
“Studying their creative devotion enriches mine. While not every aspect of medieval Christianity is worthy of emulation, much may be admired. The lives, work, and art of medieval Christians yield insights about how Christianity transforms human culture, how ministering in the Savior’s way includes discerning spiritual vocation, how meditating on Christ’s life cultivates a personal relationship with him, and how enacting the drama of salvation anticipates resurrection and communion.”
It seems apparent … ancient Christians were real people doing their best to to ascertain truth in pursuit of worshipping God and Jesus Christ. Not so (if at all) different than me.
The words of Miranda Wilcox written specific to medieval Christianity, yet applicable to any era of ancient Christianity, provide a fitting description of the effect of this book on my heart and mind.
“Studying their creative devotion enriches mine. While not every aspect of medieval Christianity is worthy of emulation, much may be admired. The lives, work, and art of medieval Christians yield insights about how Christianity transforms human culture, how ministering in the Savior’s way includes discerning spiritual vocation, how meditating on Christ’s life cultivates a personal relationship with him, and how enacting the drama of salvation anticipates resurrection and communion.”
It seems apparent … ancient Christians were real people doing their best to to ascertain truth in pursuit of worshipping God and Jesus Christ. Not so (if at all) different than me.
April 25, 2023
A number of well researched and footnoted essays on issues of interest to Latter-day Saints or anyone with an interest in “primitive” Christianity. It is worth noting that this book reframes the LDS church’s [now somewhat de-emphasized] teaching of a “great apostasy” as something much less delineated in history.
It also shows the evolution of Christian beliefs over the centuries. It is not an apologetic. It does not try to shoehorn modern LDS ideas or practices into ancient Christianity or vice versa. It makes comparisons and draws contrasts where warranted.
They document debates that were happening in the early church about major sources of doctrinal development such as the trinity and original sin. The essay on evolving worship practices was very interesting to me.
We are shown a world where local churches planted by the early disciples of Jesus were in unity more philosophically than in particularity of practice, for the first couple centuries. These were followers of Jesus who were just trying to make sense of what had happened and all of its doctrinal significance and implications. For the first hundreds of years, there was no cohesive structure or org chart. There was no “falling away” that immediately changed anything (as former LDS dogma held), but rather an evolution as philosophers and theologians began working through the scriptures looking for ways to explain what had happened with the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Unfortunately for Christians, some “bad” doctrines gained more support (original sin) and some “good” doctrines fell by the way (preexistence).
If you’re a student of Christianity generally or especially an LDS student of Christian history and thought, or even aspiring to be such, this is a great introduction to many subjects. The copious footnotes provide lots of jumping off points for further research and exploration of areas of particular interest.
Well done, Maxwell Institute and BYU! I hope this volume gets the readership it deserves.
It also shows the evolution of Christian beliefs over the centuries. It is not an apologetic. It does not try to shoehorn modern LDS ideas or practices into ancient Christianity or vice versa. It makes comparisons and draws contrasts where warranted.
They document debates that were happening in the early church about major sources of doctrinal development such as the trinity and original sin. The essay on evolving worship practices was very interesting to me.
We are shown a world where local churches planted by the early disciples of Jesus were in unity more philosophically than in particularity of practice, for the first couple centuries. These were followers of Jesus who were just trying to make sense of what had happened and all of its doctrinal significance and implications. For the first hundreds of years, there was no cohesive structure or org chart. There was no “falling away” that immediately changed anything (as former LDS dogma held), but rather an evolution as philosophers and theologians began working through the scriptures looking for ways to explain what had happened with the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Unfortunately for Christians, some “bad” doctrines gained more support (original sin) and some “good” doctrines fell by the way (preexistence).
If you’re a student of Christianity generally or especially an LDS student of Christian history and thought, or even aspiring to be such, this is a great introduction to many subjects. The copious footnotes provide lots of jumping off points for further research and exploration of areas of particular interest.
Well done, Maxwell Institute and BYU! I hope this volume gets the readership it deserves.
May 16, 2024
This book was an apology, in the "something said or written to defend something that other people criticize" sense of the word. The authors were very knowledgeable about their subjects and very passionate about them, too. I appreciated that very much.
The reason for not liking it was that as apologetic literature directed at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and being a member of this church, I felt like the defense was directed at me! I was hoping to read all about early Christians from a point of view of members of our church and to glean what is known about their lives, beliefs and worship practices from the limited sources we have. Instead much of the book felt to me that it was about the authors seeking to prove their strongly held belief in the goodness and faith of early Christians, and not about sharing their wealth of knowledge about early Christians and Christianity as a whole. For that reason it was a very skewed work which may have been the authors' intentions, but made it a difficult read for me.
When reading works about history I appreciate greatly the help of informed scholars to place in context the people and places of the past leading me to greater understanding, but in this work I felt repeatedly told what I should think instead of being left to study it out for myself.
The early men and women of Christianity lived faith filled lives of devotion to Christ. I am strengthened by their faith and testimonies- Julian of Norwich being one of those whose writings I had never heard before and I loved reading them. There were also many who corrupted the practice of Christianity to the extreme. Both existed. Because the book was written to convince the reader that the history of Christianity is filled with true believers, it makes sense that the focus wasn't on those who used the vehicle of religion for their own purposes, but I personally felt the authors were seeking to "enlighten" me to misconceptions that I do not have and were glaringly dismissive of the reality of the evil that did exist and greatly influenced the development of Christianity as well. The book just didn't work for me.
The reason for not liking it was that as apologetic literature directed at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and being a member of this church, I felt like the defense was directed at me! I was hoping to read all about early Christians from a point of view of members of our church and to glean what is known about their lives, beliefs and worship practices from the limited sources we have. Instead much of the book felt to me that it was about the authors seeking to prove their strongly held belief in the goodness and faith of early Christians, and not about sharing their wealth of knowledge about early Christians and Christianity as a whole. For that reason it was a very skewed work which may have been the authors' intentions, but made it a difficult read for me.
When reading works about history I appreciate greatly the help of informed scholars to place in context the people and places of the past leading me to greater understanding, but in this work I felt repeatedly told what I should think instead of being left to study it out for myself.
The early men and women of Christianity lived faith filled lives of devotion to Christ. I am strengthened by their faith and testimonies- Julian of Norwich being one of those whose writings I had never heard before and I loved reading them. There were also many who corrupted the practice of Christianity to the extreme. Both existed. Because the book was written to convince the reader that the history of Christianity is filled with true believers, it makes sense that the focus wasn't on those who used the vehicle of religion for their own purposes, but I personally felt the authors were seeking to "enlighten" me to misconceptions that I do not have and were glaringly dismissive of the reality of the evil that did exist and greatly influenced the development of Christianity as well. The book just didn't work for me.
July 15, 2023
I’ll start with the good. This book was aesthetically pleasing, well organized, and full of beautiful and interesting photographs. I learned a good deal about the Christians of the first few centuries (although I would have liked less about their philosophies and more about their actual lives.) i enjoyed learning more about the original Greek of the New Testament. I gained a greater sense of compassion for them, which is obviously what the authors intended—they were doing their best to follow Christ in a world with only the Bible and no living prophet to guide them.
That said…
My main complaint with this work is that the authors/editors see their subject through rose-colored lenses. Other than a few brief mentions (all by female authors, coincidentally… “Oh, by the way, the Crusades happened too”), the reader is presented with a very rosy view of these early Christians. Often during this reading I felt I was being lectured at for ever believing they were anything other than the most righteous of people.
Furthermore, some of the ideas put forth by the authors are not in line with what our prophets have taught. In many points in the book the reader is cautioned to “be careful how we use the term ‘apostasy.’” Other comments seem to imply to that the Apostasy either didn’t happen the way we have been taught, or didn’t happen at all.
In chapter 12, the author says “The JST adapted” New Testament scripture to “reinforce the modern revelation.” I went back and did some reading to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood something about the JST…no, I hadn’t.
In short, if you read this book, read it with a pinch of salt. Also read the talks “Apostasy and Restoration” by Dallin H. Oaks (1995) and “From the Beginning” by Neal A. Maxwell (1993.) Also see “Apostasy” under “Topics and Questions” in the Gospel Library as well as the “Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation.”
That said…
My main complaint with this work is that the authors/editors see their subject through rose-colored lenses. Other than a few brief mentions (all by female authors, coincidentally… “Oh, by the way, the Crusades happened too”), the reader is presented with a very rosy view of these early Christians. Often during this reading I felt I was being lectured at for ever believing they were anything other than the most righteous of people.
Furthermore, some of the ideas put forth by the authors are not in line with what our prophets have taught. In many points in the book the reader is cautioned to “be careful how we use the term ‘apostasy.’” Other comments seem to imply to that the Apostasy either didn’t happen the way we have been taught, or didn’t happen at all.
In chapter 12, the author says “The JST adapted” New Testament scripture to “reinforce the modern revelation.” I went back and did some reading to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood something about the JST…no, I hadn’t.
In short, if you read this book, read it with a pinch of salt. Also read the talks “Apostasy and Restoration” by Dallin H. Oaks (1995) and “From the Beginning” by Neal A. Maxwell (1993.) Also see “Apostasy” under “Topics and Questions” in the Gospel Library as well as the “Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation.”
February 10, 2023
This is an excellent book that serves as an introduction surrounding the history and theology of Ancient Christians for LDS audiences. Each essay is well-researched and carefully cited, with informative and illuminating notes as well. The essays all have a different overall topic, and each essay has graphs, quote boxes, and examples from the art world.
I found the book very illuminating and touching, as well as a very useful tool that coincides with the Come Follow Me New Testament study. I also teach Medieval Art, so I loved the copious art examples that were placed in historical and theological context.
I was very happy to see these scholars step back from a "Great Apostasy" narrative and embrace the idea that we can learn from other Christians. Ancient Christians--their lives, their art, their faith, their worship, their devotion--have so much to offer us modern Christians.
The scholars who wrote this book are academically qualified yet also faithful Christians themselves. This will be a book I revisit again and again, and I have a growing list of other books to read that can be found in the essay bibliographies.
I found the book very illuminating and touching, as well as a very useful tool that coincides with the Come Follow Me New Testament study. I also teach Medieval Art, so I loved the copious art examples that were placed in historical and theological context.
I was very happy to see these scholars step back from a "Great Apostasy" narrative and embrace the idea that we can learn from other Christians. Ancient Christians--their lives, their art, their faith, their worship, their devotion--have so much to offer us modern Christians.
The scholars who wrote this book are academically qualified yet also faithful Christians themselves. This will be a book I revisit again and again, and I have a growing list of other books to read that can be found in the essay bibliographies.
June 5, 2023
This book blew me away. The publication quality is of highest standards with heavy, glossy paper and a plethora of photos of amazing art work from the 1st through 4th Centuries. As the subtitle indicates, this is an introduction to ancient Christian thinking and understanding. It is the most charitable, thoughtful book I’ve read on how to understand early Christian perspectives on many topics, including: the apostasy and restoration, catechism of new converts, selection of books to include in the New Testament, priesthood and women’s roles in leadership, development of worship spaces, atonement theology, work for the dead, etc. Each chapter is written by an expert in the topic area. The book is straightforward and quite readable. The artwork helps connect the reader with these early Christians in appreciating the depth of their faith and belief in Jesus Christ. I finished this book with nothing but admiration and appreciation for these early forbearers of the gospel on who’s shoulders we stand.
October 20, 2025
I loved this book! It was a fascinating read about a topic that I previously did not know a lot about. This book is a series of 14 essays all about different topics related to ancient Christianity.
The essays explore the formation of the biblical canon, early worship spaces, and Christian art. The art in this book is spread throughout the whole book and is beautiful. Ariel Bybee Laughton’s study on women’s roles was especially powerful to me, revealing that early Christian women preached, taught, and served as deacons before later cultural shifts narrowed their opportunities.
This book also redefined for me the concept of The Great Apostasy. The authors show that the early and medieval church was full of sincere and faithful disciples who sought Christ with as much devotion as any modern believer. The “apostasy” as we’ve inherited it, they argue, is more a product of 18 and 19th century Protestant tradition than historical fact.
The essays explore the formation of the biblical canon, early worship spaces, and Christian art. The art in this book is spread throughout the whole book and is beautiful. Ariel Bybee Laughton’s study on women’s roles was especially powerful to me, revealing that early Christian women preached, taught, and served as deacons before later cultural shifts narrowed their opportunities.
This book also redefined for me the concept of The Great Apostasy. The authors show that the early and medieval church was full of sincere and faithful disciples who sought Christ with as much devotion as any modern believer. The “apostasy” as we’ve inherited it, they argue, is more a product of 18 and 19th century Protestant tradition than historical fact.
June 10, 2023
A good survey of early Christian thought and practice. Readers are treated to articles by LDS scholars on various aspects of ancient Christianity — ritual, women’s roles, the Second Coming, etc.
The articles are academic enough to feel like you’re learning history, but the authors are intent on situating their scholarship within the context of relatively orthodox LDS ideas and doctrine. LDS general authorities are quoted, not often, but within most chapters in special boxes of text. Non-LDS readers may find this off-putting; more than that, non-LDS readers would need to wade through a lot of LDS-specific content to get to the academic meat. I’d suspect many better sources on early Christianity for the non-LDS reader exist.
But LDS readers seeking good, survey-depth scholarship set in a faithful context will find this volume useful.
The articles are academic enough to feel like you’re learning history, but the authors are intent on situating their scholarship within the context of relatively orthodox LDS ideas and doctrine. LDS general authorities are quoted, not often, but within most chapters in special boxes of text. Non-LDS readers may find this off-putting; more than that, non-LDS readers would need to wade through a lot of LDS-specific content to get to the academic meat. I’d suspect many better sources on early Christianity for the non-LDS reader exist.
But LDS readers seeking good, survey-depth scholarship set in a faithful context will find this volume useful.
May 3, 2023
Excellent book, cohesive, instructive, engaging and beautiful!
I loved this book and how it frames and reframes the “early day saints” for Latter-day Saint audiences. Great work, wonderfully edited together into a cohesive whole. The art made me want a print copy as well as digital. Written for a general audience and with deep scholarship supporting it. Thank you so much to the authors and editors!
I loved this book and how it frames and reframes the “early day saints” for Latter-day Saint audiences. Great work, wonderfully edited together into a cohesive whole. The art made me want a print copy as well as digital. Written for a general audience and with deep scholarship supporting it. Thank you so much to the authors and editors!
April 4, 2023
It is exactly what it promises: a thorough, in depth look at how the ancient Christians (0-600 AD) believed, acted, reasoned and philosophized, with some comparisons to the LDS faith. Also included are pictures of ancient stained glass windows, sarcophagus covers, and other relics of that time. There is even a brief mention of Christianity in the medieval times at the end.
January 22, 2024
This is a really beautiful book, high quality paper, many photos of ancient Christian art, all in color. It took me quite a while to read all the way through, but I kept coming back to it. I appreciated learning more about early Christians.
July 1, 2024
I really enjoyed this book and the perspectives of its authors. Admittedly, early Christianity is a bit of an unknown for me so I learned so much about the differing perspective of early Christian theologians.
June 22, 2023
Some of these were more interesting than others, but informative throughout and some of the essays were very good. I especially loved the inclusion of all the art.
June 23, 2024
Interesting, but rather over my head much of the time. Scholarly and not written for the average reader. I did enjoy the wide range of topics presented
August 6, 2025
4.5 stars for content, but the writing is very academic and difficult to get through.
September 9, 2025
Really should be 5 stars but it took me a while to complete this dense book. It’s excellent and a great resource to learn more about early Christianity.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews