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Focuses on travel in first-century Palestine. Indication that travel was a major part of life in Palestine as recorded by the Gospels; Journey of Mary the mother of Jesus to Judea; Details on Jesus Christ's visit to Bethany; What was the least expensive mode of transportation; Discussion on the usage of donkeys for the transportation of goods.

Discusses several political issues of the first-century in Palestine. Details on the reign of Roman leader Herod; Information on diversity among the opinions of Palestinian Jews; Conflicts between Jews and Samaritans; Relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans.

Presents information pertaining to Christianity, while focusing on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John found in the Bible. Features of the Gospels; Relationship between the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ; Discussion on the writers of the Gospels. INSET: The humane side of `the extreme penality,' by Mark Galli.

Profiles the five Christians who lived between the second and fourth century and helped to evangelize the Roman Empire. Background of Gregory Thaumaturgus dubbed as `The Wonder Worker;' How Cyprian found the Christian morality; How Arnobius was called the `The Christian Voltaire.'

Examines the charges against early Christians and how they responded. Why Suetonius, a Roman writer and secretary to Emperor Hadrian, considered Christianity as a deadly superstition; How the critics condemned Christians as incestuous cannibals; How the intonation of the rites and its semi-mystical quality has been associated with magic; Defenses used by the apologists, elite Christians who vigorously refuted the charges against their religion.

Presents an excerpt from `The Holy Fire: The Story of the Early Centuries of the Christian Churches in the Near East,' by Robert Payne.

Looks at the reasons why Saint Paul established residency in Corinth and Ephesus. Corinth's strategic location; Preaching of the gospel; Immorality and licentiousness of Corinthians; Paul's stay in Ephesus; Pagan worship of Artemis of Ephesus; Challenges from Ephesian magicians and exorcists.

Focuses on the travel conditions during the missionary journeys of Saint Paul. Relative safety of travelers in the Roman empire; Networks of roads built by the Romans; Lodging for travelers; Dangers of sea travel.

Features the Christian preacher Saint John Chrysostom. Education; Life as a monk; Impact of John's preaching against abuses of wealth and power; Archbishop of Alexandria as most formidable enemy; Exile.

Examines to what extent Greek and Roman religions influenced the lives and customs of Christians. Similarities of Christianity to mystery religions; Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity; Observation of special days and seasons by early Christians. INSET: Inside pagan worship, by Michael Walsh..

Focuses on the location of early Christian worship and teaching. Atriums and dining rooms; Frontier building; Cemetery celebrations; Spacious prayer halls.

Cites historical documents describing Christians at worship. A Roman official's report; A manual for churches; Commands for communion.

Presents a description of a typical Christian worship service during the second century. Connection of Sunday with Creation and Redemption; Scripture reading; Significance of bread and wine. INSET: Did they sing hymns?..

Focuses on persecutions of Christians during the Church's first three centuries. Importance of martyrdom; Fratricidal strife between Jews and Christians; Roman leaders' actions against and attitudes towards Christians. INSETS: Nero's cruelties.;Emperor Hadrian's moderate policies.;When Christianity triumphed..

Focuses on the piety of the early Christian persecutors. Pliny the Younger's perception of Christianity as a degenerate cult; Roman religion's emphasis on the usefulness of religious belief for the well-being of the commonwealth; Advent of a Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. INSETS: Pliny's letter to Emperor Trajan.;Rome's religious ferment, by Herbert Schlossberg..

Interviews Robert Louis Wilken, professor of history at the University of Virginia, on the lessons to be learned from the success of early Christian Church in converting its pagan culture. Parallelism between ancient Rome and the modern West; Other factors for the growth of the Church; Christian beliefs which most impressed and troubled the pagans.

Presents the story of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his contribution to the growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Constantine as commander and strategist; Vision of the cross, victory and conversion; Issuance of the Edict of Milan which gave Christians freedom of worship; Weakness of Constantine's personality. INSET: The most widely used Christian symbol.

Details the impact of Christian martyrs in the pagan society until the fourth century. How citizens in the first century viewed the persecution of Christians; Accounts of the death of Martyr Pionius; Reaction of the pagans in the Great Persecution of 303-312; Martyrdom as a serious factor in the Church's growth in the fourth century.

Presents the benefits of becoming a Christian in the ancient world. Christians living longer than their pagan counterparts; Social status of women in the church; Church as an urban sanctuary.

Recounts how typical converts from the first to fourth century were introduced to the Christian faith. Influence of organized communities of faith in the evangelization; How the attitudes of the early Christians made deep impression among the pagans; Classes and sacraments as the chief means of drawing the pagans into the fold of Christianity; Effectiveness of formal travelling evangelists in second century.

Presents information about the mixed motives and odd teachings of four notorious heretics. Valentinus as leader of Gnosticism; Novatian in fighting for a pure church; Paul of Samosata as a luxury-loving bishop; Pelagius in battling lax morals with bad theology.

Presents an interview with Gordon Fee, professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, about the role of spiritual experience in the Christian church in Saint Paul's day. Paul's active `Spirit-life'; Paul on the Damascus Road; Paul's experience with the Holy Spirit; Prophecy in Paul's writings; Miracles in the early church.

Discusses how Saint John Chrysostom battled heresy, superstition and paganism with pastoral compassion. Attacks on Arianism; Comparison of Chrysostom's sermons by today's standards; Success of a humble, rustic Christianity as a key proof of its truth to Chrysostom.

Focuses on the history of the Holy Communion in the early church. Adoption of a non-Passover meal format that can be observed anytime; Reworking of the Jewish prayers over the bread and cup; Reasons for expanding the originally brief prayers to one larger and more rhetorical.

Features early Christians who preserved early church worship through writing. Justin Martyr; Perpetua; Melito of Sardis; Clement of Alexandria.

Focuses on the issue of lapsed Christians in the early church during the reigns of Decius and the Tetrarchy. Attack of Christians during the reign of Decius; Forgiveness of post-baptismal sin; Visions of the nature of the church. INSET: Cyprian's letter to banished Christians..

Features martyrs and confessors of the early Christian church. Includes Ignatius of Antioch, Justin and six friends, martyrs of Lyons and Vienne, martyrs of Scilli, Crispina of Numidia.

Focuses on the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great as the emperor to end persecution of Christians. Family background; Rise to emperor; Actions favoring Christians; Religious convictions; Consequences of Constantines favor towards the Christians on Roman civilization. INSETS: The `edict of Milan', by Lactantius.;Constantine's famous emblem..

Features the Roman emperors who persecuted Christians from A.D. 30 to A.D. 311. Inadvertent persecution of Christians by Claudius for disturbing the peace; Nero as a savage madman; Trajan as the first emperor to persecute Christians as a distinct group from the Jews.

Presents a comparative history timeline with focus on Augustine's life and the struggles of the Catholic Church against orthodoxy. Augustine's and John Chrisostom's births in 354 A.D.; Experience of serious illness in 361; Death of Donatus in 355; Studying of rhetoric in Carthage and taking of mistress in 370; Death of Antony of Egypt; Death of Augustine's father and birth of his son in circa 371.

Presents a historical map which relates to Christianity, with reference to first-century Jews. Information on Damascus; Details on the Mount Hermon mountain; In-depth look at the sea of Galilee; Discussion on the Jordon River; Background information on the Dead Sea; Creation of Israel's geographical features.

Provides information on events which took place in synagogues in Palestine during the first-century. Definition of a synagogue; Details on the reading of Scriptures and the preaching of sermons; Identification of the major function of synagogues; Information on synagogue services in the New Testament.

Presents historial information on Jesus Christ. Argument of Christians relating to Jesus Christ; Discovery of several manuscripts and archaeological findings; Information on first-century Palestine.

Presents information on several facts relating to history of Christianity. Information on a synagogue in Capernaum, Israel where Jesus worshiped; Estimation of the Palestine population in the days of Jesus; Identification of the games played by children in those days; Details on the cities where Jesus lived.

Presents an excerpt of the book `Paganism and Christianity, 100-425 C.E.: A Sourcebook.' INSET: Religious resort.

Presents the religions which competed with the Christian Church in the Roman Empire. Mithraism, a religion which combined the elements of astrology and the Greek mystery religions; Imperial cult, where the emperor is worshipped as a god; Paganism as the strongest rival of Christianity.

Highlights the growth of Christianity from c. 30 until c. 380. Population of Christians in the Roman Empire from A.D 300-A.D. 350; Details on the important events which took place from c.30 to 380.

Introduces a series of articles which traces the growth of the Christian Church in the Roman Empire. Demography of early Christians; Persecution as a highlight to its survival.

Presents various facts about the growth of Christian Church in the ancient pagan world. How evangelism was conducted in A.D. 150; Romans' belief in pagan gods; Establishment of churches in Rome.

Discusses the issues on what Christian beliefs and how the early church teachers practiced their faith. Early church's belief that nuns and monks can live together; Attitude of the church on Christians serving in the military; Calendar heresy.

Presents the heretics in the early church. Gnosticism; Quartodecimanism; Montanism; Monarchianism; Puritanism; Others.

Discusses some facts about heresy in the early church. Christ's relation to God; Orthodox theologians with regards to Christ's relation to God; Deity of the Holy Spirit; Confusion of early theologians regarding Christ's nature; Other heresy.

Presents Christendom's most influential leaders during Saint John Chrysostom's era. Martin of Tours; Ambrose; Jerome; Augustine; Gregory of Nazianzus; Basil of Caesarea; Gregory of Nyssa; John Chrysostom; Athanasius.

Provides information about Christian preacher Saint John Chrysostom. Meaning of the Greek name Chrysostom; Education; Significance of Christmas in John's life; Number of time John referred to the New Testament in his writings; Number of sermons and letters survive.

Questions how much of the worship practices of the early church should be imitated. New Testament's support for foot washing; Cultural setting to the foot-washing ceremony.

Presents historical events related to Christian worship in the early church. The appointment of the first deacons in the church; Exclusion of Jewish Christians from synagogue services; Romans' destruction of the temple at Jerusalem.

Presents facts about Christian worship in the early church. Why many Romans believed Christians were a funeral society; Preparation of Christians for Easter; Disagreement among Christians when to celebrate Easter.

Focuses on the first Council of Nicea, a gathering of Christian bishops and deacons convened by Emperor Constantine to settle division in the church. Creeds as the instruments of conformity; Dispute over Arianism; Understanding of the nature of Jesus Christ.

Focuses on the `Edict of Milan,' an agreement between Roman emperors Licinius and Constantine which shifted Christianity from being an illicit and persecuted sect to become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Guarantee of full religious freedom to the christians; Main provisions of the edict as written in a rescript by Licinius and preserved by Christian writer Lacantius and church historian Eusebius.

Presents a timeline of the history of persecutions against Christians from 35 A.D. to 337 A.D. Includes the martyrdom of Stephen and the conversion of Paul; Execution of Peter and Paul during Nero's reign; Martyrdom of Polycarp and Justin; Naming of Constantine as Augustus.