The Early Christians
10 Episodes
How did the religion of Love survive paganism and barbarianism? The Empire persecuted the Christians and was eventually converted. The Barbarians sacked Rome, but were converted too.
How did the religion of Love manage to survive against paganism and barbarianism? How did the first Christians live? Who were their most terrible enemies: idols, lions, Jews... or heretics? How did they defend their faith? How did they propagate it?
The blood of the martyrs was the seed for new Christians. But after the persecutions of the Romans and the barbarian invasions came another grave danger for the new religion: heresies... They would not be lethal. On the contrary, they provided the opportunity to define the essential truths of Christian faith, consolidating the roots of a millennial Church. This in-depth new film series produced in Europe explores this amazing story of the witness of the early Christians and the spread of Christianity.
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Episode 2
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The Early Christians Ep. 1: The Scandal of the Cross
Episode 1
This episode describes the New Life embodied by the Christians in sharp contrast with the Paganism surrounding them. Liturgical life is centered in the Eucharist, the practice of real brotherly charity, and the striving to sanctity. The perception of Jesus Christ as God and Man sets the ground fo...
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The Early Christians Ep. 2: The Empire's Conversion
Episode 2
Christians refuse to let their God be one more in the Roman Pantheon. This is the turning point where History changes. It meant confrontation between polytheism and the Mystery of the Cross. In face of a sensual and materialistic society, Christians present the powerful figure of Jesus. His super...
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The Early Christians Ep. 3: Persecution and Defense
Episode 3
Christians are attacked by the imperial authorities, by the public opinion through slander, and by pagan intellectuals. How did they react? Not with violence, but by conquering minds and hearts. This was achieved mainly by the shining figures of the Apostolic Fathers, building stones of the Chris...
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The Early Christians Ep. 4: The Threat of the Heresy
Episode 4
Who was Arius? Why was his doctrine so influential in the Roman world? The errors around the concepts of Jesus God and Jesus Man. The rapid spread of the Arian heresy fueled by power politics. Its geographical expansion and its permanence in time spells deep fears and new ideas on how to prevent ...
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The Early Christians Ep. 5: Constantine and The End of the Persecutions
Episode 5
The so-called "giving up" of the Church to the Secular Power is a recurrent theme throughout history. In this episode we shall discover the truth about Emperor Constantine and how he gave liberty to the Christians. And how, while granting them religious freedom, he tried to exert control over the...
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The Early Christians Ep. 6: Saint Augustine, A Light in the Darkness
Episode 6
We discover the adventurous life of one of the World's most powerful minds. His works would inspire philosophy and theology and became a pillar of western culture. This wayward youth from Carthage would be Saint Augustine. Long years of missteps and tireless search for truth led him from Manichae...
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The Early Christians Ep. 7: Monks, Virgins and Hermits
Episode 7
They were a new phenomenon. During the first three centuries, Christians had led an ascetic life without abandoning their homes and work. There was no community life yet. Now in the 3rd century some retire to the desert seeking refuge during the persecutions. Gradually a sort of community life wi...
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The Early Christians Ep. 8: Baptizing the Barbarians
Episode 8
During the 5th century, when the Barbarians threatened to smash the Western part of the Empire, the Church emerged as the only authority left to face the danger. Thanks to her the Latin language and culture were preserved. Moreover, Roman Law became one of the pillars of the new Christian civiliz...
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The Early Christians Ep. 9: Byzantium, The New Rome
Episode 9
The Eastern part of the Empire was more christianized then the West. It survived the Barbarian scourge one thousand years more. Byzantium accomplished the fundamental mission of safeguarding the classic civilization, the roman law and the Greco Christian philosophy. Without this the basis of the ...
