Little is fully known of Christianity in its first 150 years; sources are few. This and other complications have limited scholars to probable rather than provable conclusions, based largely on the biblical book of Acts, whose historicity is See more

Christianity in the 600s was well established around the Mediterranean, and beyond, in multiple Christian communities that … See more

By the fourteenth-century, papal power had stopped increasing while kings had substantively gained and consolidated power for … See more

The enlightenment had shifted the paradigm, and after 1750, secularization at every level of European society can be observed. Various ground-breaking discoveries led to the Scientific revolution (1600–1750) and an upsurge in skepticism. Virtually … See more

In Late Antiquity, Christianity's "systems of authority, patterns of belief, and control of funds and property" turned the existing network of diverse Christian communities into an organization … See more

The High Middle Ages is no longer seen as a unified pious "golden age" of Christendom. Instead, scholars see Latin Christendom as … See more

Powerful and pervasive ecclesiastical reform developed from medieval critiques of the church, but the institutional unity of the church was shattered. Church critics of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries had challenged papal authority. Kings and councils asserted … See more