Books in Brief

Christian Archaeology

Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine

Graydon F. Snyder (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985) 187 pp. plus 97 photographs, illustrations and maps. $19.95

Suprisingly, Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine is the first English language introduction or source book for early Christian archaeology. With this book Graydon Snyder, dean and professor of New Testament studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, Oak Brook, Illinois, has gone a long way toward filling an obvious need.

As the title indicates, his book concentrates on the Christian archaeological evidence datable to the first three centuries of Christian history. But Ante Pacem is more than just a mere source book. It attempts to reconstruct daily Christian life through a detailed examination of “nonliterary” archaeological evidence.

Each chapter looks at a different kind of evidence: Christian symbols, pictorial representations, church buildings, inscriptions and graffiti and, finally, papyri. The book’s 50 black-and-white photographs and 47 illustrations, including maps, plans and drawings, amply support the text.