The Early Church: From the Beginnings to 461 by W. H. C. Frend
Aimed at the undergraduate academic and interested lay person, this is a classic history of the formative period of the Church. It includes an account of Rome and 1st-century Judaism, the Gnostics and the conflicts of Eastern Christendom and examines such figures as Origen, Arian and St Augustine of Hippo. A bibliography of general works on Church history is also included.