Philip Schaff Prize, American Society of Church History S-USIH Book Award, Society for U.S. Intellectual History Merle Curti Award in Intellectual History, Organization of American Historians “A fascinating book...Gin Lum suggests that, in many times and places, the divide between Christian and ‘heathen’ was the central divide in American life.”—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker “Offers a dazzling range of examples to substantiate its thesis. Rare is the reader who could dip into it without becoming much better informed on a great many topics historical, literary, and religious. So many of Gin Lum’s examples are enlightening and informative in their own right.”—Philip Jenkins, Christian Century “Brilliant...Gin Lum’s writing style is nuanced, clear, detailed yet expansive, and accessible, which will make the book a fit for both graduate and undergraduate classrooms. Any scholar of American history should have a copy.” —Emily Suzanne Clark, S-USIH: Society for U.S. Intellectual History In this sweeping historical narrative, Kathryn Gin Lum shows how the idea of the heathen has been maintained from the colonial era to the present in religious and secular discourses—discourses, specifically, of race. Americans long viewed the world as a realm of suffering heathens whose lands and lives needed their intervention to flourish. The term “heathen” fell out of common use by the early 1900s, leading some to imagine that racial categories had replaced religious differences. But the ideas underlying the figure of the heathen did not disappear. Americans still treat large swaths of the world as “other” due to their assumed need for conversion to American ways. Race continues to operate as a heathen inheritance in the United States, animating Americans’ sense of being a world apart from an undifferentiated mass of needy, suffering peoples. Heathen thus reveals a key source of American exceptionalism and a prism through which Americans have defined themselves as a progressive and humanitarian nation even as supposed heathens have drawn on the same to counter this national myth.

Amidon offers the first English translation of Books 10 and 11 of Rufinus' Church History. Books 1-9 comprise a Latin translation of Eusebius' history. Books 10 and 11 are Rufinus' own continuation, covering the period 325-395. As the first Latin church history, this work exerted great influence over the subsequent scholarship of the Western Church.

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Philostorgius (born 368 C.E.) was a member of the Eunomian sect of Christianity, a nonconformist faction deeply opposed to the form of Christianity adopted by the Roman government as the official religion of its empire. He wrote his twelve-book Church History, the critical edition of the surviving remnants of which is presented here in English translation, at the beginning of the fifth century as a revisionist history of the church and the empire in the fourth and early-fifth centuries. Sometimes contradicting and often supplementing what is found in other histories of the period, Christian or otherwise, it offers a rare dissenting picture of the Christian world of the time.

Gelasius, the Nicene bishop of Caesarea Maritima for roughly the last third of the fourth century, has been overshadowed by his more famous uncle and patron Cyril of Jerusalem. Gelasius’ works are preserved only fragmentarily in later authors. The most important of his writings was a church history, which supplemented and continued that of his eminent predecessor Eusebius. Later ecclesiastical historians and hagiographers, such as Rufinus of Aquileia, drew on Gelasius’ history extensively, although usually without attribution. It furnished them with a model for Nicene historiography and with material on topics such as the youth of the emperor Constantine, the discovery of the True Cross in Jerusalem, the Council of Nicaea, and the beginnings of Christianity in Ethiopia and Georgia. The fragments of Gelasius’ Ecclesiastical History are presented here systematically for the fi rst time. They are accompanied by the fragments of his doctrinal writings as well as all known testimonia about the bishop’s life and work. The edition is introduced by a thorough discussion of the sources and includes a facing English translation and notes.

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England, a seminal work by Saint the Venerable Bede, is a cornerstone of English historical literature. Written in the 8th century, this remarkable chronicle provides a comprehensive account of the early history of Christianity in England and the development of its church. Bede’s meticulous research and eloquent prose bring to life the trials and triumphs of the early English church. What insights can we gain about faith and society from this historical masterpiece? As readers journey through the pages, they will encounter influential figures, significant events, and the rich tapestry of culture that shaped early England. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England is celebrated for its scholarly rigor and narrative depth. Bede’s unique perspective as a monk and historian provides invaluable insights into the intersection of religion, politics, and daily life during a transformative period in English history. His work not only preserves the past but also offers timeless reflections on faith, morality, and human endeavor. Readers are drawn to Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England for its importance in understanding the foundations of English identity and Christianity. This book is essential for historians, theologians, and anyone interested in the roots of modern society, revealing how the threads of history connect us to our spiritual and cultural heritage. Don't miss the chance to explore this monumental work that has shaped centuries of thought. Secure your copy of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England today, and delve into the captivating stories that illuminate the journey of faith in England!

Rescued from being a lost book, this history's last manuscript lay deep within the Vatican Archives, this classic historical text is now, for the first time, being published for the modern reader. Sulpicius Severus is best known for his biography of St. Martin of Tours and his Sacred History (also known as the Chronicle.) Sacred History is a brief history of the world from the beginning to his own time and in the latter portions focuses on the Priscillianist heresy that disordered his home province of Aquitaina which is in modern day France, as well as the Arian controversy. Severus prefers a purely historical interpretation of the scriptures in reaction to the gnostic philosophy that entrenched his region that reduced the sacred history to mere allegory. The Sacred History is written in classic style, such as what is found in Tacitus, and is intended to introduce lovers of history to the histories of the Bible.

All ten books of Eusebius' famous church history are presented here complete in a superb and authoritative translation. Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is one of the first comprehensive, chronologically arranged histories ever written about the Christian church, and it is consulted by scholars and historians to this day. Eusebius authored his history as the Roman Empire's influence upon the European continent waned amid insurgencies and surrender of Roman lands to other peoples. This also a time in which Christianity's influence upon Europe's peoples burgeoned and grew. As one of a very few learned and scholarly Christians of his era Eusebius enjoyed a rare privilege: access to the document archives of the early Christian church. Much of these archives have since been lost; Eusebius' use of these long lost texts is the only window which readers of today have to such records. Thus, a sense of mystery is present as events for which scant evidence still exists are told.