As the times of the New Testament drew to a close, the Christian community became aware of its identity and its mission. The young Church was to bring new life to an old world and lead it to God. The following centuries were to bring in turn, persecution; recognition threats of schism, heresy, and corruption; consolidation and reform. Concisely and clearly, this volume tells the story of the most extraordinary phenomenon in history, the rise and development of the Catholic Church. It treats all the important councils of the Church and records her accomplishments as preserver of culture in the West and as messenger of God's Word in distant lands. The Story of The Church follows the history of Catholicism through its struggles with nationalism at the end of the eighteenth century when both the Church and the papacy faced the modern world, having survived the passing of the old order. Gordon Albion, fellow of the Royal Historical Society and member of the Catholic Record Society, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London and his doctorate in Historical Sciences from the University of Louvain, Belgium. A former professor of Church History, he is the author of several historical biographies, and co-author of Volume 4 in The New Library of Catholic Knowledge.