The Transformation of Early Christianity from an Eschatological to a Socialized Movement A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Literature in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

"The Transformation of Early Christianity from an Eschatological to a Socialized Movement" by Lyford Paterson Edwards is an academic exploration of how early Christianity changed from concentrating on the end of the world to becoming more involved in community and society. It checks out how politics, money, and religious beliefs all worked together to make this change happen. The dissertation begins by explaining the political and religious situation when Christianity first started, pointing out that early Christians didn't come up with totally new political ideas; instead, they used and changed the ideas that were already around from the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. It also talks about how early Christians felt about following the rules and leaders, which was linked to their beliefs about the end times being close. This sets the scene for a more detailed look at how these beliefs affected how the Church dealt with society, how they thought about owning things, and how Christianity started to focus more on social practices.