A detailed examination of the background and development of Christian thought and life in the period spanning the Apostolic Fathers through to the Council of Nicaea (325). The course analyzes the complex formulation of Pre-Nicene Christianity through the writings of some of its most influential thinkers, leaders, and movements (both orthodox and heretical) with an eye toward identifying major developments in early Christian theology and practice. An attempt is also made to understand the variety of Christianities which contended for dominance as the church strove to define itself and to establish its place in the world.