This book brings to life the lived experience of the disciples after Christ’s death, the possibilities they faced and the choices they made. Nothing was inevitable: the earliest Church could have gone in this direction or in that. In The Earliest Church, the late Rev. William P. Sampson, SJ, takes us on a journey of imagination, spirit, and theological contemplation. By helping us to explore the earliest days of the Church, he guides us into a deeper understanding of our Church in the present day. Just as Fr. Sampson guided so many on spiritual retreats, this book continues his legacy of scholarship, reflection, and helping others to most authentically live their faith. -John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University The Earliest Church is exciting reading for anyone who wants to experience the initial development of Christianity as the work of humans essentially just like us. Here the late Rev. William J. Sampson, SJ, applies a unique combination of historical and exegetical imagination and scholarly rigor to reconstruct the hypothetical journey of the direct and indirect disciples of Jesus from their considering him to have been an extraordinary man to their envisioning him also as God. Before his own death, Georgetown University’s pedagogically gifted Rev. James S Walsh, SJ, carefully prepared Rev. Sampson’s manuscript for scholarly publication. -David Goldfrank, Professor of History, Georgetown University The Earliest Church is a fascinating exploration of how the religious experience continues to open up new insights into the past and the meaning of the Christian perspective. It provides a new analysis for readers seeking to know the history and contemporary unfolding of Christianity as seen in the early development of the church. -Dr. Ronald Johnson, Professor Emeritus of History, Georgetown University