ante-Nicene

The attitude of the church in the post-Nicene period differs from that in the ante-Nicene in two important respects.

But as it is implicit and not part of his distinctive message, it did not hinder his book from enjoying wide quasi-canonical honour during most of the Ante-Nicene period.

Throughout the ante-Nicene period, until the reign of Constantine, Christian churches were few in number, and any public dedication of them would have been attended with danger in those days of heathen persecution.

There is an English translation in the Library of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

It is not possible from existing documents to form a continuous and detailed history of the ante-nicene Church.