Oliver O’Donovan begins the sixth chapter of his Desire of the Nations, a chapter concerned with the status and legitimacy of Christendom, by considering what made the political witness of the early church compelling:
Read Full Article »Christ had gone up on high; he had led captivity captive, and given gifts to men. So the nations and rulers of the world were confronted with the rule of God, triumphantly present in a community that owned no other rule. No account of the pre-Nicene church can do it justice if it overlooks the extraordinary missionary triumphalism to which this faith gave rise. These Christians saw themselves riding on the wave of the future, conquering society with the word of truth and the blood of the martyrs, God’s own strategy for success. It was only a matter of time before the pagan empire, too, with its repellant idolatry, would yield before Christ’s army. And so it happened (as it seemed) at the Milvian Bridge.
