Christians died out. Or one could opt for a still later point of time, as François Vouga does when he includes the whole period up to the time of writing of the latest New Testament writings, around 150 CE.3 The first of these options is based upon a clearly recognizable cut-off point, and the second has a measure of plausibility, particularly when one chooses ‘A History of the First Christians’ as a title. The third really extends the scope of such a work as this too far, even if one recognizes