The Rise of Christianity (Turning Points in World History) [Paperback]

Don Nardo (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Turning Points in World History | Publication Date: January 1999

Now one of the world's predominant religions, Christianity survived difficult beginnings during a turbulent time in history. The authors of the essays in this volume discuss the birth, growth, and spread of Christianity as well as the problems faced by the early christians. (20020701)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 10 and up. This excellent overview of Christianity's rise and eventual triumph as a world religion is part of the Turning Points in World History series. The book comprises 19 essays by top scholars in the field of religion and history, including Michael Grant and Will Durant. Among the topics covered are the Jewish background of Christianity; the life of Jesus; the growth of Christianity, with emphasis on the work of the apostles; Roman persecution of Christians and the impact of rival religions on the early church; and the spread of Christianity across Europe and the role of Christianity as the official religion of Rome. The lucid and thought-provoking essays are presented in a crisply designed format. High-school and junior-college libraries will find this a worthwhile purchase for the 200 shelves. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"There's a lot of material packed in here, but the brief annotation and summary of each article will help students decide where they want to start their research or reading. An appendix of primary source documents brings in the voices of the time."
-- Booklist (Febraury 2000) (Booklist 20020601)

"A chronological collection of excellent writings that reflect the peculiar and dramatic influences of a generation."
-- School Library Journal (July 2002) (School Library Journal 20020401)

"Each chapter has excerpts from books by scholars, political participants in the events under consideration, or eyewitnesses. Teachers will find this volume useful."
-- School Library Journal (June 2002) (School Library Journal 20010401)

"A wise purchase for those looking for an overview of or supplemental materials on the era. These essays might be useful for older students beginning a study of Western Civilization."
-- School Library Journal (April 2002) (School Library Journal 20001101)

"We can learn much from history and Greenhaven Press has a book series that brings history alive for students and educators. The Turning Points in World History series offers a vivid and eclectic view of major events in world history using thought, analyses, and conclusions of scholars and historians who contribute essays of revelation, connection, and provocation."
-- Exlectic Book Review (January - April 2001) (UNKNOWN 20000501)

"Although the value of this book lies in its information for reports, anyone interested in the subject will find the text fascinating."
-- School Library Journal (November 2000) (School Library Journal 19991101)

"This is a trustworthy research source, especially for students with little background in the period."
-- School Library Journal (May 2000) (School Library Journal 19990901)

"Excerpts from primary sources; an extensive, topically arranged list for further reading; a four-page chronology and a comprehensive index add to the value of this resource. Useful as report and debate materieal."
-- School Library Journal (November 1999) (School Library Journal 19990101)

"The clear, concise essays, written by noted scholars and historians, offer a fine opportunity for understanding the complex issues often overlooked...Students interested in further research will appreciate the excerpts from primary source documents and the extensive bibliography."
-- Booklist (September 1999) (Booklist 19990101)

"The lucid and thought-provoking essays are presented in a crisply designed format. High-school and junior-college libraries will find this a worthwhile purchase for the 200 shelves."
-- Booklist (January 1999) (Booklist 19981115)

"The editors continue the Greenhaven Press tradition if carefully selecting and presenting material that will help students understand the essentials on any given topic - here Turning Points in World History. These books will be especially helpful where library collections don't cover these events thoroughly, because each presents a wealth of information, presented by a wide variety of notable historians and/or reporters. Each book is an invaluable introduction to the complexities of each of the subjects discussed."
-- Kliatt (January 1999) (KLIATT )

"Sophisticated reading, the book will nicely support a modern history curriculum. Bibliography; chronology; glossary; discussion questions; primary source documents."
-- Booklist (November 1998) (Booklist ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565109627
• ISBN-13: 978-1565109629
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,323,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Nardo is a historian and award-winning writer who specializes in the ancient world, especially the civilizations of Greece and Rome. He began as a actor and worked with the National Shakespeare Company before turning to writing screenplays and teleplays and, soon afterward, devoting much of his time to historical research and writing. In the past two decades, he has published nearly two hundred volumes on diverse historical topics. And having earned numerous favorable reviews, he is widely recognized as the country's leading writer of historical works for young adults. He is also versed in various other subjects and as a result is frequently asked by publishers to write books on a number of scientific and literary topics.

Mr. Nardo also composes and arranges orchestral music, having started composing in his early teens. Over the years he has turned out more than eighty musical works, including 2 symphonies, 4 string quartets, several concertos, a film score, incidental music for stage productions, and several commissions, the most recent a double concerto for violin and Portuguese guitar written for two noted musicians. He is also the resident composer and arranger for the Amadis Orchestra, based in Connecticut. For more information, see his official web site at www.nardopublishing.com and his more extensive biography at Wikipedia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rise of Christianity, December 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rise of Christianity (Turning Points in World History) (Paperback)

Written by a variety of biblical scholars, this work is easy to read and should be interesting to anyone in search of a good overview of Christianity, its beliefs, history and the manner in which it spread. No illustrations but a very good book. I would recommend this one for students from the 8th grade up, as well as the teachers and parents.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good articles, great appendix, October 23, 2002

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turning Points in World History - The Rise of Christianity (hardcover edition) (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of nineteen articles on the rise of Christianity, covering everything from the Jewish roots of Christianity, through the Reformation. Each article is between about five and ten pages, and is written by an established historian or author. As one might expect from a collection of essays, they are something of a mixed bag: some are quite fascinating, while others are too academic or just plain too short for the subject.

My favorite part of the book, though, is definitely the appendix. The forty page(!) appendix is a collection of excerpts from 25 documents referenced in the articles. As such, you can read what the modern writer has to say, and then compare it with the original document and what it says. Even just on their own, these make for some wonderful reading.

As such, I found this to be a very good book, though something of a mixed bag. I would recommend that you read this book, but I do not recommend that you buy it, unless you are buying for a library. I give it a guarded recommendation.