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Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church is unavailable, but you can change that!

Christianity at the Crossroads examines the crucial issues that faced the second-century Church—a period often neglected or overlooked in other studies. It was during this period that the fledgling Church struggled to work out its identity and stay true to the vision of Christ and the apostles. Threatened by divisive controversies from within and fierce persecution from without, the Church’s...

strong and steady leadership. Chapter 3 explores how these challenges led to a transition in ecclesiastical structure. While the evidence suggests the first-century Church was largely led by a plurality of elders/presbyters, by the end of the second century that structure had changed considerably. At some point during the second century, churches began to be ruled by a singular bishop (as opposed to a plurality of elders)—what some would call a ‘monoepiscopate’. This chapter also explores the particular
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