Customer Reviews

After Jesus: The Triumph of Christianity

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think this book presents the earliest periods of Church history, from Jesus Christ to 600 AD, in a very readable and entertaining manner. The book will suit everybody, but particularly the average reader, who might lack formal theological training. By the average person, I mean someone whose knowledge of Church history might only extend back to when his or her pastor was born, but who has a sense of history and wants to know about the origins of his or her faith.

The book has many charts, pictures, and anecdotal stories, thus making it suited for those who do not have the time, or the will, to read volumes on Church History (since many Church History books are densely written for the scholar). The charts are particularly useful, such as the ones detailing the four views of Christ during the 4th century Trinitarian controversies, and the canon chart, showing which early writers accepted which books as holy. There is a nice index, and a glossary of important terms for easy access. If there was ever a Church History coffee table book, this is it!

I am saddened that this is now out of print. Whenever a friend asks me why I study church history in graduate school, and what exactly it is, I usually let them borrow this book. It is scholarly (Jaroslav Pelikan, noted Church Historian, contributed to it), as well as readable. I hope someday it is back in print, so that non-scholars and scholars alike can benefit from it! When I teach a Church History class in the future I would like to use this book as kind of a primer, to get the students interested and prepared to dig deeper.

This is a no nonsense historical account of the five centuries after the cruxificion of Jesus Christ. If you are Catholic, it will unravel many of the symbolism the Church incorporates into the liturgy or mass. For example, the book has an excellent depiction of the evolution of the wording that went into the Apostle's Creed and how it changed several times into what we hear Catholics profess today. The book offers a perfect chronology of the Christian movement from its beginnings as a Jewish sect to the structuring of one of the most powerful religious institutions of our time. The illustrations and photographs, as well as the easy reading level, make this book enjoyable from beginning to end. It is the perfect primer on the history of Christianity before the Protestant Reformation and the beginnings of Islam. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in historical theology.

"After Jesus" is beautifully presented and a joy to read. Unfortunately, having just read the extraordinary "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" I have to admit that I viewed this book in a cautious light. The information, while fairly comprehensive, did not posit the fundamental questions put forward in "The Autobiography...". If the foundation stone of a house is not stable, should we continue building? "After Jesus" is a well written scholarly work, but didn't give me any more insight into the man so clearly depicted in "The Autobiography...". This is not a failing of the author's, so much as the basic premise of the book. However the title is "After" Jesus', so perhaps I am being too picky. For the history of the development of early Christianity, you won't find better than this.

This book replaces the one I lost when moving. Excellent reading. Opens up a lot of information a majority of Christians don't know about church history.