Customer Reviews

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a long and scholarly history of the background, birth and growth of Christianity. The author is an Anglican and church historian. The narrative makes it clear that there has never been just one church, but many interpretations of who Jesus Christ was : from the early gnostic "heretics" (who lost the PR/political battles and were banned) to the Western Roman Church to the Eastern Greek Church to the Reformation and beyond (which spawned Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, et al). The love of Christ as shown by early Christian martyrs and by St. Francis of Assisi is contrasted with the intolerance of differences as shown by the religious wars and the Crusades. It is very readable and assumes no prior knowledge by the reader. With the approach of Easter, Mr. MacCulloch has written a book for the lay reader.

Although he left out the history going back a few thousand more years in the development of god in ancient Sumerian, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian cultures, which led to the god Jehovah's appearance to the Jews of the Old Testament this was an admirably well narrated story about the development of Christianity in which the author traced to roots in Greece and Rome 1000 years before the Common Era. Maculloch wrote in an impartial tone even as he pointed out excesses, absurdities, mythical incidents and contradictions. "In the Gospels, events in historic time astonishingly fuse with events beyond time". His account of the synoptic gospels pointed to contradictions but not in as great a detail as say, GA Well's "Did Jesus Exist?" But his account spanned a greater range than Wells'. He wrote in detail about the development of the various early churches in the Roman Empire, and explained why the church flourished - in its diverse forms. His chapter on the split in the church from the western and eastern orthodoxy to protestantism was an interesting and informative. Patience is required not because the writing style was turgid (on the contrary, it was extremely clear) but because it is a long account. His final chapters dealt with the rise of Christianity as a world religion and ecumenical efforts to seal the inevitable rifts created by diverse cultures and the hermeneutical method of understanding a vague Holy Book. It is a book for the believer and non-believer alike. One might not like or agree with his comments but the historical tracings are indispensable to anyone who wants to know the history of the religion as opposed to what the religion is about.

"...a landmark in its field, astonishing in its range, compulsively readable, full of insight even for the most jaded professional and of illumination for the interested general reader. It will have few, if any, rivals in the English language." Dr. Rowan Williams



Jon Meacham, Newsweek Editor, wrote an interest provoking review for the book in the NY Times, and when I read it I got myself to a nearby Borders, to find how the Christian faith is rooted a thousand years before its birth. After reading through the book for few hours, the Pulitzer author persuaded me of acquiring a copy of his compelling historiographic account.
I tried to discern the authors ideas and interpretation of the social and intellectual progress of Christianity from Meacham own critique, writing, "I live with the puzzle of wondering how something so apparently crazy can be so captivating to millions of other members of my species." That puzzle, I thought, did not hinder thousands of martyrs to offer their lives in defense of Christianity. They did not realize then its deep roots in the Jewish hope of 'human salvation,' echoed by Jeremiah's declaration of the 'New Covenant', Jer. 31:31-37.

MacCulloch does not only portray a vivid story but provides a balanced narration of a long and dramatic advance of the tradition, faith and spread of Christianity. He keeps coaching his reader to be mindful of the everlasting impact of Christianity on mundane events as well. "What Christianity brought into all this was a definition of Jewish identity (congregational fellowship) that opened up to become a definition of human identity..., the very idea of a religion as a form of belonging together," in the words of Dr. Rowan Williams. The learned Archbishop praises MacCulloch for resisting the narrative of decline and fall temptation of the skeptical historian of the church. "As a serious historian, he brushes aside the luxuriant growths of conspiracy theory - the Gnostics plus Mary Magdalene plus Knights Templar fantasy world," adds the Archbishop. The compelling scholar represents factual, well searched history of religious thought that diminishes the illusions of Gnostic teachings.

The author is very articulate on dogmatic turn points, with the clarity of a fair minded analyst. It is impressive how the eminent Oxford historian has related Pelagius opposition to Augustine on original sin as part of a medieval morality that left little room for personal experience and human freedom, which the Eastern Church call synergy, personal participation of own salvation. Another fine doctrine was the description of faith about the person of Christ by the ancient Church of Alexandria as Miaphysite rather than Monophysite, and various other doctrinal issues. He elaborated on the expansion of Christianity in the last three centuries, and described the reformation of the church institutions, a subject he proved his talent and knowledge, as re-establishing of the Catholic faith on the same basic biblical teachings. In conclusion, MacCulloch creatively helps the reader to realize that the historical evolution of church traditions was a normal progress and inevitable result of the development of Christianity that encountered theological and dogmatic differences.

Quoted Book Reviews:
"MacCulloch begins with what turns out to be one of many tours de force in summarizing the intellectual and social background of Christianity in the classical as well as the Jewish world." Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.
"MacCulloch's book is a landmark contribution to 'that understanding' -- Christianity cannot be seen as a force beyond history, ... and within human limitations. ... I did not see how people could make sense of the Bible if they were taught to think of it as a collection of Associated Press reports." Jon Meacham

If you are in the market for a comprehensive 1000 page overview of the history of Christianity this is the one. Diarmaid MacCulloch has written a masterful synthesis. He covers all that one might reasonably expect in such a volume -- moving from ancient Greece, Rome, and Israel up to the contemporary culture wars, including the Orthodox East as well as the Latin West. He transitions seamlessly from topic to topic and is almost never merely superficial. He successfully balances the need to relate relevant details with the virtue of concision. His interpretations are often stimulating and characteristically judicious.

The book either can be read profitably straight-through (for those with strong attention spans) or used as a reference source as the occasion arises. It helpfully contains extensive source endnotes, suggestions for further reading, and an index, plus page references for inter-related topics are noted parenthetically throughout the text.

That the development of Christianity might be treated historically at all may seem heretical to some. History seldom consistently comforts belief. MacCulloch points out, for example, that right off the bat "one of the greatest turning points in the Christian story" may have been that the last days, as apparently expected by many early followers of the movement, had not arrived by the end of the first century CE.

He emphasizes that certain major historical outcomes were contingent, not inevitable. For example, the victories of Christian over Islamic forces in 678 at Constantinople and in 732-33 near Poitiers helped shield the West from Islam and "preserved a Europe in which Christianity remained dominant, and as a result the centre of energy and unfettered development shifted west from its old Eastern centres." Later, he believes, the Church's response to Luther was unnecessarily heavy-handed, further dramatically re-shaping the West (not surprisingly, he is especially strong on the Reformation, the subject of his earlier well-received major work).

MacCulloch does not shy away from lofty theology, often a turn-off to some readers of religious histories. Indeed, he seeks to demonstrate how seemingly rarified theological controversies have sometimes stirred the masses. He provides ample discussion of the doctrine of the Trinity, the Chalcedonian controversy, disputes regarding the Eucharist, and the like, but never to the point of tedium.

He traces how theological emphases shifted over time, including the emergence of elements of Christian belief that had little or no Biblical foundation. For instance, he calls the concept of Purgatory, which had taken root by the 1170s, "one of the most successful and long-lasting theological ideas in the Western church. It bred an intricate industry of prayer: a whole range of institutions and endowments," financing priests to devote their time to saving souls.

MacCulloch attends to Christianity's engagements with worldly power and with political and societal issues. He provides plentiful material for readers to construct their own balance sheets of where Christians have stood through history regarding, for example, the roles of women, slavery and race, war and violence, concerns for the poor and the oppressed, religious tolerance, and (more recently) Fascism and Nazism.

MacCulloch points out that "doubt is fundamental to religion. One human sees holiness in someone, something, somewhere: where is the proof to others?" He notes, for instance, that while the nineteenth century is typically seen as a period of skepticism, it was a period "crowded with visionaries both Catholic and Protestant" when Christianity ambitiously spread its global reach.

Christianity has never been uniform. Its ability to mutate is one of its great strengths, particularly its ability to accommodate syncretist variations in non-European cultures. MacCulloch concludes with the observation that, "It would be very surprising if this religion, so youthful, yet so varied in its historical experience, had now revealed all its secrets."

As a Presbyterian pastor and long student of Christian history I am enamored of the scholarship, critical acumen and clarity of writing produced by Dr. D. MacCullouch of Oxford University. It is astounding that one scholar could be so expert in so many areas of the Christian story from Western Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy and the development of the Christian faith in every continent on the globe.
MacCullouch's brush strokes are deft as he paints a picture of Christianity which has over 2 billion adherents worldwide. The story begins in the faith's merging of Greek search for order in the cosmos with the quest of the Jewish people to find a Messiah. Christianity is based on the belief that Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified arose from the grave and is the resurrected Lord. This good news was carried across the Roman Empire by Paul and others until Christianity became the state religion under Constantine in the fourth century.
We sit through all the theological controversies of the middle ages as we become acquainted with such theological giants as Augustine, Athanasius, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi and many others.
The rise of monasticism and the papacy are given many pages.
MacCullouch is especailly good at recounting the history of the Protestant Reformation. We learn the theologies of such luminaries as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer and the English reformers. We see the Roman Catholic Church respond with its own Counter-Reformation spearheaded by Loyola and his Society of Jesus. Missionary activity is widely covered from the earliest days of faith to the modern era.
"Christianity" is a magisterial one volume scholary yet readable account of the faith begun by Jesus Christ.
It is essential reading for anyone interested in church history or the state of Christianity in the 21st century.
This is an important and essential book of religious schoarship!

I would highly recommend this books placement in the reserved reading section of a University library. It's size makes it too big for a one semester course on the History of Christianity, but could be used for a two semester course. This book is slightly bigger than the other standard in the field (i.e. A History of Christianity by Williston Walker) but definitely worthy to sit beside it. It is much more colorful and enjoyable to read than Walker's text, thus making it more captivating and memorable. It also covers many aspects of Christian history few books delve into with their Western focus. It would be worth buying simply for it's chapter on the conditions that allowed for or led to the Reformation. It presents such a good synthesis on this issue, that it would be good required reading for students taking a course that covers this period. I move now to a detailed look at the downsides and positive features of this book.

The downside of this book comes from the fact that it is more interpretive than some of the others in this field (i.e. Walker's). I suppose this cannot be avoided in a book of this size. This can be seen in the first four chapters more than the others as it deals with the formations of Judaism and Christianity delving into times when little was recorded in the historical record. Educated guesses sometimes have to be made with what little evidence there is and it seemed as if MacCulloch did this without making it completely clear what he was basing his conclusions on and why he took them in the directions that he did. When MacCulloch makes these guesses he takes a more liberal direction on them. I will give but one example. He notes the Ebionites (i.e. "the poor") that Saint Jerome encountered on the eastern side of the Jordan. These "Christians" did not believe in the virgin birth and practiced many Jewish customs unlike the Western Church. MacCulloch assumes these are "the poor" that Paul the Apostle mentioned as the church living in Jerusalem and headed by the Apostle James that was later dispersed by the persecution of Temple Authorities and the destruction of the Temple. He goes on to state the reason they didn't believe in the virgin birth is because they could read the Hebrew which says "alma" or "young woman" while the Western Church only knew how to read the Septuagint. These are plausible connections that could explain their name and practices, but they are mere educated guesses. He gives enough information for a careful reader to discern this, but I am not sure everyone will have the habit of reading between such lines. The two chapters before this chapter on Christianity's birth are even less clear. For instance, he states as fact the liberal assumption that Daniel was written not long before the time of Jesus since it had ideas similar to some that were in Persia (i.e. Zoro-Astr). But conservative scholars would contests such a late date for Daniel and there are scholarly debates that continue on this today. Instead of merely stating his view as a fact, it would have been helpful to explain his reasoning a bit more on this issue and perhaps explain plausible views other than his own. And I could give other examples along these same lines.

But once one moves past the first four chapters into the period right after Christ and so on, the book becomes less interprative as the facts are more established (i.e. there are more recorded records from the early church and other secular sources). What I like most about this book is that he not only traces the Western Calcedonian Church, but the Orthodox Church in detail as well. Williston Walker's was typical in that it hardly dealt with the Eastern Church. MacCulloch's book deals with it's divergence from the west and it's history down to our own present day. He also deals with that third wing of the Church that few even touch on: the Jacobite and Nestorian Churches. These churches which lay on the fringes of the Roman Empire never accepted the Council of Calcedon (unlike the Western and Eastern Orthodox Churches) but had more believers within them than the Western Church for a very long time. Missionaries from Syria even planted monastaries as far as India and China at a suprisingly early date. I found it refreshing that MacCulloch even covered the rise and demise of this church. Along with this eye for a comprehensive history of the Christian Church, MacCulloch takes his history to our own day. He covers the Missionary Movements of Roman Catholics after Trent into the New World and the later rise of Protestant missionary movements. He traces the decline of Christianity in Western Europe following the Enlightenment (and other factors), the emergence of the Anglican Communion, the uniqueness of the American (U.S.) version of Christianity and the rising tide of Christianity in new parts of the world (i.e. Africa, China and India). He then ends by stating challenges Christianity faces into the future with positive notes and projections as well. This book would serve well in the task of educating people on the WHOLE history of the Church (i.e. not just the Western Church, or the Calcedonian Churches, or up to Trent but remembering the Third-World as well). The comprehensiveness of his approach not only tells the full story of the Church up to now, but gives students interested in other cultures a stake in this history...

I enjoyed this book immensely. I read it nearly every day until I finished and now I'm re-reading certain sections I found particularly interesting or enjoyable (such as the chapter entitled "The Crucified Messiah").

Professor MacCullough writes very well and is surprisingly entertaining. My experience reading it was like having a friendly uncle sit with me and tell me the story, with great skill and amusement, as if he hoped I would find the subject as intriguing as he did. The recurring tension between his status as a rigorous historian and his apparent affection for those of the faith is masterfully and convincingly balanced.

I disagree with those who say it contains nothing a reasonably well-educated person wouldn't already know. If so, an Ivy League degree, a professional degree, and an adult life of relentless reading has left me short on education.

I found the book easy to read, compellingly interesting for such a subject, and a downright pleasure.

This is a beautifully crafted epical accounting of the world's greatest religion. It is a song from the heart versing the twists and turns of humanity's struggle with implementing Christ's "Kingdom on Earth."

It is scholarly yet approachable, colossal but consumable in small bits, and a somber tale but nevertheless enlightening. All this is due to MacCulloch's dogged research, elucidating perceptions and artful writing skills. At times it is exhausting, heart-wrenching, and sometimes debilitating, but as you reach the end of the tale it is immensely rewarding.

I will never look at Christianity the same way again. Neither will you.

I am hopeful for the next 3000 years. May we learn from the mistakes made in the first 3000!

Hi: I won't repeat others' favorable comments on the breadth and readability of this epic work, but let me note that the publishers were LAZY in making this available on Kindle. While the footnotes are hyperlinked in true Kindle fashion, the author makes frequent back- and forward- PAGE references to other sections of the book (inevitable, given the geographic and temporal breadth of the subject ...BUT these PAGE references are repeated blindly and lazily in the Kindle edition.

For a few bucks, they could have/should have paid someone to convert these page references to the usual section reference with anyperlink for this Kindle edition. In this way, the complexity of the subject would be so easily available to the Kindle readers -- in fact, if organized that way, the Kindle version would become the preferred mode, since it would allow quick and easy back- and forward references on the complex subject.

Alternately, Amazon could have/should insist on some standards of Kindle publishing ... help a poor reader out!

This is a great book. It's just quite long. 1000 pages long. But what else could MacCulloch do? He's trying to cover 3000 years of history. And he does an admirable job.

MacCulloch is a great writer. He found a fine balance between concise summaries of church history and fascinating tidbits of information you probably won't find anywhere else (e.g., the connection between Kellogg's cornflakes and the Mormon church). But due to the length of the book, I frequently found myself wanting to put it aside.

Therefore, this book is hard to recommend. You have to make a major commitment to get through it. So if you want a summary of church history, there are others that are more concise, though you won't get as much out of them. If you want historical information on a particular person or period, I recommend simply getting a book which deals specifically with that subject. If, however, you want a detailed summary of worldwide church history (Yes, he writes about the church in Russia, China, Africa, and South America, not just Europe and North America like most church history books), then this is the book for you.