The Cross Before Constantine: The Early Life Of A Christian Symbol

Upending a longstanding consensus, Bruce W. Longenecker presents a wide variety of material artifacts to illustrate that Christians made use of the cross as a visual symbol of their faith long before Constantine appropriated it to consolidate his power in the fourth century. Constantine did not invent the cross as a symbol of Christian faith; for an impressive number of Christians before Constantines reign, the cross served as a visual symbol of commitment to a living deity in a dangerous world.

• • Author: Bruce W. Longenecker
• • Publisher: Fortress Press
• • Publication Date: Aug 01, 2015
• • Number of Pages: 244 pages
• • Language: English
• • Binding: Paperback
• • ISBN-10: 1451490305
• • ISBN-13: 9781451490305