Encyclopedia of early Christianity. / editor Everett Ferguson ; associate editors Michael P. McHugh, Frederick W. Noris.

the generally inadequate western understanding of the extent to which Christianity spread to the middle and far East also seemed to call for a broader treatment.There is also a coverage of geographical regions in the traditional western areas.

Covers persons,places,doctrines,practices,art.liturgy,heresies,and schisms with a brief definition,identification,or characterization.The biographical articles in the encyclopedia cover the person's life,writings,teachings,importance and influence.The doctrinal articles present pertinent biblical data and trace the historical development .The Regional surveys provide a sense of continuity in the early history while at the same time showing local variations in Christianity.The second edition gives attention to the eastern expansion of Christianity where there is an extension of the chronological limits of the work in order to give afuller picture ,both because the " patristic "period of eastern Christianity extends later than in other regions and because later writings often preserve otherwise lost material