📘 About this eBook

Author:
➡️ Joseph Cullen Ayer (1866–1944) — An American historian and theologian who taught at the University of Pennsylvania. He specialized in early Christian history and church doctrine. His writings aimed to make historical Christian documents accessible to students and researchers.

📖 Title:

A Source Book for Ancient Church History

This book is a compilation of primary historical documents from the first six centuries of Christianity (ca. 30–600 CE).
It includes translations and summaries of original sources such as:

• Early Church Fathers (e.g., Ignatius, Tertullian, Augustine),

• Councils and creeds (like Nicaea and Chalcedon),

• Early writings on heresies, liturgy, theology, and Christian life under Roman rule.

Ayer’s work was designed as a teaching and reference tool for students of theology, history, and religion.

📚 Reading Level:

➡️ Reading ease score: 64.2 (8th–9th grade)
That means it’s moderately easy to read — not overly academic in tone, but it deals with complex religious ideas and historical context.

🗂️ Library Classification (LoC Class):

BR — Christianity (General)
This places the book in the field of Christian theology and history, specifically the early or primitive church period.

🕊️ Subjects:

• Church history — Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600 — Sources
  The focus is on the documents themselves (letters, decrees, treatises) that reveal how early Christianity developed its beliefs, structure, and traditions.

📂 Technical Details:

• Category: Text — Written content only (no illustrations or multimedia).

• EBook-No.: 24979 — The Project Gutenberg identification number.

• Release Date: April 2, 2008 — When it was first digitized and released online.

• Most Recently Updated: June 20, 2020 — Date of the last text revision or formatting update.