The History and Legend of the Church’s Villains

By Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina opens his newest book, Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians, with a bold statement: without the villain, the hero never has the chance to be good.

In Christianity, we’re familiar with the idea, because without the crucifixion, there is no redemption. Somehow, the wickedest plots are the things that God uses to save us from the wickedest plots.

In the story of Christianity, it’s often the villains who give us the outlines. The Church is forced to become more of what it was meant to be when it’s faced by evil.

Listen as Mike Aquilina explores four centuries of Church history and legend in ten minutes, all to give us something we don’t often hear: a celebration of villains.