History of Christianity [Paperback]

Paul Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 1, 1979

This is Part 2 of a two part Cassette audiobook edition.

First published in 1976, Paul Johnson's exceptional study of Christianity has been loved and widely hailed for its intensive research, writing, and magnitude. In a highly readable companion to books on faith and history, the scholar and author Johnson has illuminated the Christian world and its fascinating history in a way that no other has.

Johnson takes off in the year 49 with his namesake the apostle Paul. Thus beginning an ambitious quest to paint the centuries since the founding of a little-known 'Jesus Sect', A History of Christianity explores to a great degree the evolution of the Western world. With an unbiased and overall optimistic tone, Johnson traces the fantastic scope of the consequent sects of Christianity and the people who followed them. Information drawn from extensive and varied sources from around the world makes this history as credible as it is reliable. Invaluable understanding of the framework of modern Christianity - and its trials and tribulations throughout history - has never before been contained in such a captivating work.

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

Editorial Reviews

Review

Malcolm Muggeridge New Statesman (London) Paul Johnson's study of Christianity, from his namesake Apostle to Pope John XXIII, more particularly in relation to the role in world history of the Roman Catholic Church and other institutional manifestations, can only be described as masterly. It combines a great wealth of scholarship, including many fascinating byways as well as the main highways, with a vigorous, confident style, a kind of innate intensity which carries the narrative along so that it rarely falters and is never dull.

W. H. C. Frend The New York Review of Books His is a tour de force, one of the most ambitious surveys of the history of Christianity ever attempted and perhaps the most radical. In eight sections, with a great range of reading and a knowledge that is never made tedious, he tells the story of the rise, greatness, and decline of Christianity.

Richard Marius The Christian Century Paul Johnson, an English Roman Catholic, has given us the best one-volume history of Christianity ever done.

Michael McCauley Commonweal That the history of Christianity can be lucidly surveyed in a single, comprehensive volume of 556 pages is no small accomplishment. To Paul Johnson's credit A History of Christianity neither skimps on significant details or wallows in scholarly fussiness. Johnson provides a panoramic overview of events which have shaped our twentieth century Western lifestyle far more than we realize....For economy of style combined with a sympathetic understanding of the nearly 2000 years of Christianity's conflicts as well as its glorious achievements, Johnson's History is exceptional.

J. Enoch Powell The Daily Telegraph (London) It is astonishingly well done.

Robert Kirsch Los Angeles Times Johnson has written a readable and provocative history based more on politics, economics and social and cultural facts than on theology....[He] bases his account on modern scholarship, achieves objectivity without aridity, arrives at the present age after examining the recurring cycles of religious response to situations.

Mayo Mohs Time An ambitious, magisterial and ultimately positive book.

Martin E. Marty The New York Times Book Review A reliable if hard-edged story of the public church.

About the Author

Born in 1928 and educated at Magdalene College, Oxford, Paul Johnson was editor of the influential English weekly, The New Statesman, from 1964-1970, and is now Director, New Statesman Publishing Company. Mr. Johnson's prodigious scholarship and varied interests are evident in the themes of his books. Since publication of A History of Christianity he has written Enemies of Society, The Civilization of Ancient Egypt and Civilizations of the Holy Land.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1st Touchstone Ed edition (August 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684815036
• ISBN-13: 978-0684815039
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beginning with Modern Times (1985), Paul Johnson's books are acknowledged masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 111 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars solid introduction to the history of Christianity January 19, 2003

By Yalensian VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Given the two millennia which the history of Christianity fills, Johnson's work is necessarily limited in what it covers and in the detail it devotes to certain topics. In a book of this nature (one designed for a general readership), much is left out. But the "spine" is there, and Johnson traces the development of the Church from the time of Christ (with some brief background information on Jewish sects before Christ) through, approximately, Vatican II and Humanae Vitae.

The Catholic Church is more the topic of the book than is Christianity in general. Perhaps this results from the age of Catholicism versus the age Protestant denominations. After all, for three quarters of the period covered, the Catholic Church was virtually alone on the scene, at least as far as Western Europe (Johnson's focus) was concerned. But even in the post-Reformation era, Protestantism receives attention that pales in comparison to that given Catholicism. And the Eastern Orthodox churches are mentioned virtually not at all after the 1054 split, except to compare the Church's adherence to Latin while the Orthodox churches accepted the native tongues of its members. All of this is fine, of course, but the title is somewhat misleading in this regard. A better title might have been "A History of Catholicism" or "A History of Christianity in the West."

That said, this is still an excellent book, and the material it includes is examined excellently. Theological doctrine and debates necessarily enter the story (such as the Trinity and the Pope's infallibility), but this is not a history of doctrine and its development. Rather, Johnson focuses on the evolution of Christianity (or, if you like, the Church) as a political, social, legal, and economic institution, one centered in Western Europe but also attempting to radiate outward--through the Crusades, missionary work, and, later, attempting to establish a foothold in North America. A key element of the story is the church-versus-state relationship, which changed over time. At times, the Church was the dominant player, and at other times, it yielded much authority to European monarchs. Much of the history witnesses series of give-and-take between church and state and, of course, concludes with the triumph of the state and also with the virtual separation of the world into two (sometimes competing) spheres.

This is an excellent treatment of Christian history, summarizing in 500 pages what could legitimately fill (and has filled) many thousands of pages. It is more than mere narrative as well, for Johnson includes many insightful analyses and draws thought-provoking conclusions. The book does not assume too much pre-existing knowledge of the subject (although having read the Bible, or at least Acts, would probably be helpful for the first part of the book), and it serves as a very fine starting point for studying the history of Christianity.

73 of 77 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful work of scholarship May 3, 2000

By Gaston Yalonetzky

Format:Paperback

Johnson's history of christianity is simply a masterpiece. The book will not let down the reader that not only want to learn about the rise and evolution of christianity but also wants to take some lessons out of it. Written with sincerity, though Johnson is an english catholic, the book describes the most important periods of christianity depicting the major trends and changes in the history of the religion that shaped the spirit of the western culture. Johnson's chronicle starts with the birth of a jew in an obscure corner of the Roman empire and ends when Paul VI becomes pope, and so it leaves the reader without almost the last 30 years of history. However, this book is a must read: the way Johnson gathers the facts of history together in order to describe the main trends and seizures is magnificent. Therefore, through a pleasant reading, one learns, for instance, the evangelization of Europe, the struggle for power between the pope and the european rulers in the middle ages, the causes and consequences of the reform and the wars of religion, how the secularization process started in the western world during the XVIII century, and many other things. The books shows also the evolution of the philosophical and social perspectives on christianity, from Agustin to John XXIII, and through the work of personalities like Thomas, Inocentius III, Beckett, Erasmus, Luther, Pascal, Locke, Leon III, Pius X, among others. Finally, two strengths must be emphasized. First, the book shows how the history of the last 500 years of christianity has been shaped by two antagonical forces: on one side, humanist and liberal forces (developed by people like Erasmus and John XXIII), and on the other side, ultra-conservative and retrograde forces (represented by Pius X for example). The book's second strength is the analysis of the XX century period (up to 1970's). There Johnson condemns brilliantly Pius XII's undersantable but unforgivable cowardness during Nazi rule in Europe and shows the dramatic changes that led to the second Vatican council and the unresolved problems left after the council finished. In the end, Johnson says, the way the catholic church will lead with these unresolved problems (for example about the government and decision-making within the church) will be one of the most important factors shaping the history of christianity for the next decades.

133 of 146 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work by Johnson, historian and mistress-spanker October 27, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Paul Johnson is easily the best pop-historian writing today. He's so good, his books almost qualify as serious academics- really the only thing that keeps them "popular" literature is their astonishingly ambitious scope, far too wide to facilitate truly serious study. But it is this breadth of scope which I love most about them. Johnson writes these sweeping studies of peoples, movements and centuries that provide a framework for understanding that is simply invaluable. In his History of Christianity, he has done it again.

I've heard that Johnson is Roman Catholic, but he doesn't come across that way in his book. He's very unbiased toward any one tradition. But that's not to say he's an impartial observer. He alternately lambastes and praises almost every major figure in church history from Augustine to John Calvin to the spineless Pius XII.

The narrative is constructed as a tension between the forces of humanism in the church, and the more conservative elements. Both sides have had their problems, often springing from dogmatism and overzealous application of their own philosophies to the lives of others, through the instrument of the state. Of all the personalities treated in the book, his favorite seems to be Erasmus, who he sees as almost the ideal Christian- intellectual, but with conviction, open-minded, but with a foundation for his thought.

There's not much pre-A.D. history provided as background in the book, but this doesn't detract from the quality of the history that is given. I assume that A History of Christianity takes up where Johnson's History of the Jews left off, so I plan on reading it before long. My only real regrets about this book are that it doesn't deal more with the Eastern Orthodox church and that it ends in 1970. I'm also interested in reading an academic study of American fundamentalism, a movement which I find fascinating in its strangeness, although Johnson only touches on it briefly here. I'd highly recommend A History of Christianity to anyone with even a passing interest in church history. The context it provides for further study is invaluable and the book, although a long read, is a delight.