There is no doubt that Christianity has had a major impact on the history of European civilisation, but defining and quantifying that impact is a complicated task. Christianity has asked more of its followers and converts than perhaps any other faith and its influence has been, and remains, far-reaching. These twelve essays assess the social and cultural impact of Christian ideas on people from all walks of life, across Europe, and to places further afield such as colonial America. Beginning in the Ancient World, this group of renowned scholars traces the progress of the Christian faith in conquering and converting the `barbarians', the emergence of the Eastern Church, the proliferation of Christian values and beliefs in the Middle Ages, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and the 19th and 20th centuries.