Robert M. Grant Chapter Summary

Robert M. Grant was an early church historian and professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, he was an also an Episcopalian minister. Grant tells the reader in his preface that his work is not so much a history of the early church as it is a “venture into the reconstruction of early Christian practicality. ” According to the author, the book was written to contrast the mythical and romanticize vision of the early church which, too often is associated with accounts of the early church. Grant believes that this is caused by a great divide in study between the sacred and the secular and is a serious mistake , and that, much like issues which concern religious liberty in our world today, the church must be understood and studied in relation to society. His first three studies mirror this conviction; he focuses on topics which bridge the gap between church and state. In this book review I will summarize sections I-III and then evaluate these three sections .

The first section of the book concerns the population of Christians in the Roman Empire. Scholars are interested in the studying the Christian population because it will have an effect upon how scholars study Christianity as a

First is the Church’s view towards the State and taxes which is best illustrated in the synoptic gospels. The gospel writers repeatedly refer to tax collectors and prostitutes being welcomed at the table of the Lord. Furthermore, Matthew, who was once a tax collector, became one of the twelve apostles. So, not only does Christ invite government officials to join Him at His table, but one of His chosen twelve was a tax collector. From this Grant concludes that the early Christians held absolutely no animosity towards state and taxation, for “Jesus was no enemy of the Roman state and its tax system [and] Christians are not rebels against Rome