The lectures published in this volume were originally delivered in 1895 as part of the Lowell Lectures of the Lowell Institute in Boston. The lectures are concerned with various topics in the earliest period of Christian history, such as: "The Rise and Spread of Early Christianity", "The Organization of the Early Church", "The Apostolic Fathers", "The Struggle with Heathenism", "The Struggle within the Church", "The Christian School of Alexandria", and "The First Ecumenical Council". The volume concludes with a helpful index of the major topics of discussion.