On the initiative of the missiology of western cultures history group fifteen scholars from eight countries met in paris in 1996 to discuss the origins of christendom the objective was to gain a missiological perspective on the history of christianity in the west for their purposes the group understood christendom as a civilisation in which christianity is the dominant religion and in which this dominance has been backed up by social and legal compulsions p viii the group of . For well over a millennium the civilization of western europe was christendom with christianity the dominant religion buttressed by social and legal structures this volume studies christendom at its origins bringing the insights of leading scholars in the fields of ancient history theology patristics and liturgy to bear on aspects of europes christianization from a missiological perspective the contributors ask what is christianitys impact upon culture what is . For well over a millennium the civilization of western europe was christendom christianity was the dominant religion buttressed by social and legal structures this volume studies christendom at its origins bringing the insights of leading scholars in the fields of ancient history theology patristics and liturgy to bear on aspects of europes christianization. For well over a millennium the civilization of western europe was christendom christianity was the dominant religion buttressed by social and legal structures this volume studies christendom at its origins bringing the insights of leading scholars in the fields of ancient history theology patristics and liturgy to bear on aspects of europes christianization