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Early Christians Speak, Vol. 1 3rd Ed.: Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries is unavailable, but you can change that!

These studies in early church history cover various aspects of the church life of early Christians. They focus on the second century.What did the second century Christian leaders say about faith, baptism, infant baptism, worship services, the Lord's Supper, prayer, singing, church organization, mercy and the role of women? New Testament texts bearing on the topic are listed at the beginning of...

devoted to baptism of which we know, by Melito of Sardis (III.10), indicates the importance of baptism. In the one passage from the work which survives the author finds all of nature having received a baptism. Hence, it was fitting that the Lord of nature was baptized. Our oldest surviving work on baptism is by Tertullian (III.15, 16). He goes further in finding baptism everywhere he finds a reference to water in scripture. The benefits conferred by Christian baptism placed it in contrast with the ceremonial