This book traces the history of the laity during the first five centuries of Christianity. It demonstrates that the laity did not appear as a separate class in the-Church until *re middle of the third century. Prior to this point, all Christians were considered kleros, a "people set apart."
Reflecting on both the ancient Christian writers and the early Church orders, Dr. Faivre presents this historical study as the basis for a rediscovery of the laity in the twentieth century. Just as the laity first emerged at a point when the Church's self-understanding was changing, so too the changes initiated by Vatican II call for a rediscovery of the role of the laity today. This book is addressed not only to specialists in early Church history, but to all who are concerned with the vitality and mission of the Church today.