This book tells the story of the beginnings of Christianity, exploring its early development and the social and political context in which it arose. The author provides readers with a view of the state of the Roman world at the birth of Christ, and explores the ways in which Christianity developed in this context. The book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of religion and history.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.