About the book: 1840 / Russian spiritual writer, historian, chamberlain of the Russian imperial court, poet and traveler Andrei Muravyov (1806–1874) became widely known for his books about pilgrimages to holy places, about the history of the Russian Church and its great ascetics. The book “The First Four Centuries of Christianity”, published in the 19th century. several publications, occupies a special place in his work. This is a vivid picture of the formation of the Orthodox Church, starting from the time of the first apostles. The birth of the first Christian communities, the preaching activities of the apostles Peter and Paul, the last years of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, the beginning of persecution of Christians by the will of Emperor Nero in the 1st century, the amazing feats of martyrs for the faith, the end of persecution under Emperor Constantine at the beginning of the 4th century, the emergence of disputes in the Church, the first Ecumenical Councils, the life of great figures of the Church - this and much more is described in Muravyov’s narrative. The electronic version of the text is presented on the website azbyka.ru.