Second Century Christianity: A Conversation with Mike Bird and Scott Harrower

Have you ever wondered what happened between the time of the early church and figures like Paul and later Christianity as represented by Augustine? Second-Century Christianity is an often-neglected time period but full of exciting changes in biblical theology, heresiology, and more. Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Polycarp are just a few of the prominenttheologians of this time period. In this episode, Claire is joined by Mike Bird and Scott Harrower editors of A Handbook to Second-Century Christianity a forthcoming book from Baylor University Press.

Michael Bird is an Australian biblical scholar and Anglicanpriest who writes about the history of early Christianity, theology, and contemporary issues. He is Deputy Principal and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of over thirty books including Evangelical Theology, Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible, Romans (SGBC), The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, What Christians Ought To Believe, and with N.T. Wright, The NewTestament in its World.

Scott Harrower is a lecturer in Christian Thought at RidleyCollege in Melbourne, Australia and an ordained Anglican minister. He was brought up by missionary parents in Argentina and has wide-ranging ministry experience in several countries. He has published articles on SyrianChristianity, comparative hagiography, and Augustine of Hippo, as well as books on women in the early church and the Trinity. Scott is also a former nurse and has written extensively on how we can relate psychological science and theology for the sake of human flourishing in our churches, including Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Churches, and God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of this World.