This is the first volume in a ten-volume history of the Catholic Church by Henri Daniel-Rops, the pen name of one Henri Petiot. The editions published by Cluny Media is actually a twenty-volume history with each of the ten divided into two volumes. Therefore, "The Church of Apostles and Martyrs", Volume I, covers the period from the life and death of Christ through the first two centuries, Anno Domini, culminating in the period of the on again, off again persecutions by the Roman emperors. The final two chapters describe life in the catacombs and the development of a specifically Christian literature in response to the critiques of the pagan authors and the need to solidify the core of Christian theology to counter the emergence of the first heresies that had sprung up, primarily from within the Eastern precincts.

The chief protagonist of the story, apart from Jesus himself, is St. Paul. Daniel-Rops provides a detailed account of his life and works. Following his famous conversion "on the road to Damascus" St. Paul becomes second only to St. Peter in stature and is effectively the first intellectual presence in the Christian hierarchy. Unlike the original apostles who were culled from among the humblest ranks of the Jewish people, Paul was a man of learning, steeped in the law and traditions of the Jewish religion. At the same time having grown up in the Hellenized city of Tarsus and as a result of his travels throughout the Mediterranean world he was acquainted with the several religious alternatives and schools of philosophy. Like Peter he eventually comes to Rome and takes advantage of his status as a Roman citizen to ensure that he cannot be executed without benefit of a trial. He even "benefits" from the form of execution. Paul is martyred by beheading; when compared with the upside down crucifixion of Peter, you could say sardonically that "membership had its privileges".

Daniel-Rops relies for his account of the earliest history of the Christians to a great extent on the Acts of the Apostles, a brief book, authored by St. Luke, a part of the New Testament that is not as well known as the Gospels and Epistles, but an excellent source for the activities of the apostles from the Ascension to the imprisonment of St. Paul at Rome. Among other topics, it relates the decision of the early Christians, who after all were all Jews to, in effect, go global by preaching the Good News to the Gentiles.

Eventually, the decision to undertake conversions of the Gentiles, caused Christianity to collide with the multitude of established or recognized religions practiced in the Roman Empire. The climax of the first volume deals with persecutions and martyrdoms, most notably under Nero, Domitian and Marcus Aurelius.

Daniel-Rops' style is less academic and more like the great narrative historians whose prose is unencumbered by professional jargon. In the edition published by Cluny Media from a 1960 edition, the author is well served by the translator Audrey Butler. "The Church of Apostles and Martyrs" will interest professional historians of Christianity as well as the general reader who is interested in the subject matter. I recommend it and look forward to the second volume of Volume 1. ( )

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