SATURDAYS, JUNE 1 & 8 from 3:30PM - 7:00PM

How did the Christian faith move from its darkest early days to become the largest religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers? ANCIENT ROADS FROM CHRIST TO CONSTANTINE addresses this query as host Jonathan Phillips, professor of History at Royal Holloway University in London, journeys back in time through four centuries. Traveling through seven countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, accompanied by archaeologists, historians, and theologians, Phillips explores the actual locations (including Bethlehem, Judea, and Rome), to discover how Christianity evolved from a small Jewish movement called The Way into a dominant world religion.

Starting in Bethlehem, the series traces the life of Jesus from his birth to his resurrection. Subsequent episodes reveal the transformation of the Apostle Paul and his quest to bring Christ’s message to Asia and Europe; how the remaining apostles, except for John, are martyred for their unwavering beliefs in Christianity; and paganism’s decline in Roman Empire as Christianity gains a foothold in the region. Phillips also journeys to Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, where John (one of the twelve Apostles), wrote the New Testament’s Book of Revelation in a cave; and to North Africa to tell the story of Perpetua, a young martyr. The last episode of the series documents the Roman Empire’s inability to eradicate Christianity as well as Emperor Constantine’s conversion to the religion and ultimate patronage of the church.

ANCIENT ROADS FROM CHRIST TO CONSTANTINE offers a deeper understanding of how Christianity emerged and flourished against significant odds.