The Organization of the Early Christian Churches
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Delivered as eight lectures before the University of Oxford, Edwin Hatch’s The Organization of the Early Christian Churches is an engrossing historical account of the formation of ecclesiastical polity. Addressing such controversies as the secular influence within the creation of the early church as well as adopting systems already engaged by civil organizations of the time, Hatch’s lectures have been an integral and contentious resource for early Church historians and theologians.
- Thorough introduction by the author
- Detailed table of contents
- Complete indices
The treasure chest of Greco-Roman analogues and parallels that Edwin Hatch opened for New Testament students remains open. It is a wonderful resource that we should continue to mine.
—Journal of Biblical Literature, 1999
- Title: The Organization of the Early Christian Churches
- Author: Edwin Hatch
- Publisher: Rivingtons
- Publication Date: 1882
- Pages: 270
Edwin Hatch (1835–1889) studied at Cambridge and then graduated from Pembroke College at Oxford University. Ordained in 1859, Hatch proceeded to teach at a number of schools and universities, including Trinity College in Toronto and Oxford University, where he returned as vice-principal of St. Mary Hall. A noted theologian and scholar, his books regularly provoked controversy and criticism.