Jonathan Hill has the uncanny ability to sketch portraits of his subjects — whether early church apologists, medieval doctors of the church, Reformation giants, nineteenth-century philosophical behemoths or contemporary feminist scholars — that are simultaneously lively, brief and revealing. Similarly, he ably penetrates to the nub of their thought, combining apt description with pithy quotations from their work. Significant events, councils, movements and terms are introduced and explained, putting the cat off characters in context and illuminating their place within the development of Christian ideas and ideals. Dust jacket included. Pages are unmarked.