A comprehensive and authoritative history of the Christian church, this book traces the development of Christian doctrine and practice from the early church to the modern era. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including the Bible, the writings of the church Fathers, and the historical record, Gieseler and Davidson provide readers with a detailed and nuanced understanding of the Christian faith. 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.