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Early Christianity certainly was more diverse in its understanding of Deity than what became normative Christianity at the time of the various councils and the final assembly of the New Testament canon. The Unitarianism of the 17th through the 19th century can trace itself back to early days, as can just about any gnostic version of Christianity, as well as the concept of the Father, Son, and Spirit being separate entities with the last two working under the direction of the Father. It is important to remember that what we have come to think of as traditional or normative Christianity did not emerge full blown - it took a lot of infighting for power and a lot of political manuevering to come up with what most folks would swear is "true" Christianity. One thing I do wonder about - are there are documented works from the first century or two of Christianity that tell us more about the role of women in the early church? That to me seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle, aside from the occasional reference here or there.
Early Christianity certainly was more diverse in its understanding of Deity than what became normative Christianity at the time of the various councils and the final assembly of the New Testament canon. The Unitarianism of the 17th through the 19th century can trace itself back to early days, as can just about any gnostic version of Christianity, as well as the concept of the Father, Son, and Spirit being separate entities with the last two working under the direction of the Father.
It is important to remember that what we have come to think of as traditional or normative Christianity did not emerge full blown - it took a lot of infighting for power and a lot of political manuevering to come up with what most folks would swear is "true" Christianity.
One thing I do wonder about - are there are documented works from the first century or two of Christianity that tell us more about the role of women in the early church? That to me seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle, aside from the occasional reference here or there.
