History of Christianity (Hardcover)

by Paul Johnson (Author) "SOME TIME ABOUT THE MIDDLE of the first century AD, and very likely in the year 49, Paul of Tarsus travelled south from Antioch to..." (more)
Key Phrases: populist triumphalism, pontifical king, gros tournois, Middle Ages, New Testament, Dark Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A first-rate history of Christianity from its emergence into a chaotic world ripe for universal monotheism to the "nadir of triumphalism" in the 20th century. Paul Johnson, an English publisher, biographer, and historian, has perceived in the current waning of Christendom an opportunity for a comprehensive one-volume retrospective, presenting "the salient facts as modern scholars see and interpret them." Though the narrative is fast-paced and the style vigorously economic, the account brims with telling details and reasoned judgments and never seems superficial, Johnson eschews all special theological pleading and abides by professional canons of evidence and objectivity. Drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary sources, he maintains a healthy balance between the internal and external dimensions of Christianity's development; events and ideas mesh into a coherent story. He analyzes the vicissitudes of growth and adaptation with tough realism; in fact, he accents the conflicts, shortcomings, and institutional distortions and thereby effectively counters the homogenized interpretations of much orthodox church history. Though scholars can cavil at points of detail, Johnson's book is a bold achievement of compression and analysis. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Reprint Editioin edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743282035
• ISBN-13: 978-0743282031
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,282 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Yalensian - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Christianity (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.

110 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Hans Friedrich (Greenwood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Christianity (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.

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Popular, but solid history, August 4, 2006

By	R. W. Schwerdt (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I needed to use this for a graduate level course. For that, I thought it was less than suitable. But this is a solid history, that gives some depth on a popular level. It's aimed at a general audience, and has little citation of direct sources. Still, Johnson is a solid historian, and I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of the Christian faith and church.