The Past Speaks for Itself (Documents in Western Civilization) Volume 2: The Ascendancy of Christianity

From the preface: "Like its companion collection, the documents in this volume aim to make the study of the past from voices of the past an enjoyable learning experience for college students. This book carries the story of Western Civilization forward from the rise of the Roman Empire and the birth of Christianity to the external division of Christendom and the beginning of the global expansion of Western ideals and enterprises."During these fifteen centuries the Christian faith, after weathering three hundred years of crisis, gained for better and for worse a sovereign place in the life and thought of Western society. This may be perceived in more than the ringing of countless church bells daily summoning the faithful to worship. Christianity's influence was paramount in the schools; it determined the calendar of annual activities, the fast days and the feast days; it impacted the economy; it dominated literature and the arts; it impressed itself on the writing of documents: educational treatises, historical records, medical tracts, legal contracts, and even commercial correspondence. This book spans the age of the ascendancy of Christianity."Contents:Tacitus: Caesars of the Early PrincipateThe Stoicism of SenecaThe Stoicism of EpictecusThe Meditations of Marcus AureliusThe Natural History of Pliny the ElderThe Satires of JuvenalThe Letters of Pliny the YoungerLetter to DiognetusThe Letters of Ignatius of AntiochA Sample of GnosisThe Martyrdom of PolycarpJustin Martyr's ApologyThe Apology of TertullianThe Bizarre Reign of ElagabalusWorship in a Pagan Mystery ReligionChristianity: From Trial to TolerationImperial Legislation for ChristianityHelena Finds the Lost Cross of ChristThe Life of Anthony of EgyptBasil on the Requirements for Monastic LifeChurch and State: The Problems of Authority[etc.]