A New History of Early Christianity [Hardcover]

Charles Freeman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 030012581X | ISBN-13: 978-0300125818 | Publication Date: October 27, 2009

The relevance of Christianity is as hotly contested today as it has ever been. A New History of Early Christianity shows how our current debates are rooted in the many controversies surrounding the birth of the religion and the earliest attempts to resolve them. Charles Freeman’s meticulous historical account of Christianity from its birth in Judaea in the first century A.D. to the emergence of Western and Eastern churches by A.D. 600 reveals that it was a distinctive, vibrant, and incredibly diverse movement brought into order at the cost of intellectual and spiritual vitality. Against the conventional narrative of the inevitable “triumph” of a single distinct Christianity, Freeman shows that there was a host of competing Christianities, many of which had as much claim to authenticity as those that eventually dominated. Looking with fresh eyes at the historical record, Freeman explores the ambiguities and contradictions that underlay Christian theology and the unavoidable compromises enforced in the name of doctrine.

Tracing the astonishing transformation that the early Christian church underwent—from sporadic niches of Christian communities surviving in the wake of a horrific crucifixion to sanctioned alliance with the state—Charles Freeman shows how freedom of thought was curtailed by the development of the concept of faith. The imposition of "correct belief," religious uniformity, and an institutional framework that enforced orthodoxy were both consolidating and stifling. Uncovering the difficulties in establishing the Christian church, he examines its relationship with Judaism, Gnosticism, Greek philosophy and Greco-Roman society, and he offers dramatic new accounts of Paul, the resurrection, and the church fathers and emperors. (20091001)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A History of Early Christianity is a masterful book, and a pleasure to read. Freeman narrates the development, diversity, and spread of Christianity with originality and verve. It is a story that brims over with fascinating accounts, intriguing quotations from figures in the ancient Mediterranean, and illuminating historical analysis. It is also a crucial resource for our understanding of ongoing cultural negotiations of religious and political spheres, all those theologico-political paradoxes that face us now more than ever. I do not think there exists a more engaging and illuminating history of early Christianity than this one."—Ward Blanton, University of Glasgow

(Ward Blanton )

"Even those who are adherents to Christianity may be puzzled by the tensions which exist in its primary sources, and this meticulous attempt to probe its origins and development is to be welcomed. Charles Freeman embraces the different kinds of approaches and positions which are found in the ancient texts, Christian and otherwise, painting a vivid picture of the nature of Christianity in all its diversity in the earliest centuries of its existence."—Christopher Rowland, author of Christian Origins

(Christopher Rowland )

"This is a bold and imaginative historical synthesis which fills an important need. For the first time, Freeman makes the complex story of Christianity''s birth and early development available in concise, lively, eminently readable form. A tragic story in many ways, but a great pleasure to read."—Richard Rubenstein, author of When Jesus Became God

(Richard Rubenstein )

"[Freeman] surveys a surprisingly diverse range of early Christian communities, . . . [and] recounts how small and politically marginal bands of Christians. . . transformed into an imperially powerful church serving Roman emperors (notably, Constantine and Theodosius) and persecuting heretics unwilling to embrace the creeds those emperors helped to hammer out."—Bryce Christensen, Booklist

(Bryce Christensen Booklist )

"A fresh and provocative book: insightful, adventurous and controversial."—Laurie Guy, Colloquium

(Laurie Guy Colloquium )

"This book combines clear descriptions with a large amount of detail, presenting them in manageable bits, so that even the interested lay reader will find this book accessible with a little study. . . . Much to Freeman''s credit and to the benefit of readers, he leads them through the years in which Christianity was shaped by these imperial forces, considering to what extent these were internal and external changes. This book is a great addition to the bookshelf of both educators and pastors who are interested in the origins of Christianity."—Andrea Janelle Dickens, Interpretations

(Andrea Janelle Dickens Interpretations )

"As usual, Freeman writes clearly and avoids the tediousness that can afflict scholarly texts."—Randal Hunhoff, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

(Randal Hunhoff Arkansas Democrat Gazette )

About the Author

Charles Freeman is a specialist on the ancient world and its legacy. He has worked on archaeological digs on the continents surrounding the Mediterranean and develops study tour programs in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Freeman is Historical Consultant to the prestigious Blue Guides series and the author of numerous books, including the bestseller The Closing of the Western Mind and, most recently, Holy Bones, Holy Dust. He lives in the UK.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030012581X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300125818
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb new history of the first christian centuries, October 4, 2009

By 

César González Rouco (Madrid, Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A New History of Early Christianity (Hardcover)

It is difficult nowadays to get an objective, nuanced opinion on Christianity, neither flattering nor biased against it (if I were to recommend a way to try and achieve this, I would suggest reading several good books on the matter, including this one among them).

The synopsis of the book provided by the "Product Description" is fairly accurate. Therefore, I will only point out that, having read Freeman's "The Closing of the Western Mind", when I found this new book of his I decided it to give it a chance, in despite of not finding previous comments on it. I was surprised that no one else had made a comment before to this interesting work, which, in my opinion, is a scholarly work but accessible to the educated layman, an eminently readable history of the first six centuries of Christianity. This book explains the myriad opinions, personalities and politics that were part of the confusing theological climate which prevailed in the centuries after Jesus' death (Christians -then as now- agreed on little or nothing). The author offers a stance before Christianity that perhaps some will consider as critical, but I do not perceive as hostile (certainly not, if you compare his polite comments to E. Gibbon's classical and superb caustic prose; or to St. Jerome's very opinion, pursuant to whom the history of the church was one of decline "from the apostles down to the excrement of our time"). In any event, this a very difficult field to cover, data are usually scarce and fragmented. However, what Freeman says appears to be well researched and explained.

So I add my review, my rate being between 5 (content) and 5 (pleasure).

Other interesting books dealing with religion that I would recommend would be: a) "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach," by Moojan Momen (astonishingly encyclopedic); b) "Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: A Prehistory of Religion" by Brian Hayden (great overview of religion origins and development); c) "The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam" by Kenneth L. Woodward (very readable); d) "Prayer: A History" by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski (very readable too); and e); "Alternative Tradition: A Study of Unbelief in the Ancient World (Religion and Society)" by James A. Thrower (atheism and agnosticism of yore).

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Historian's Look at Early Christianity -- Very Good, December 10, 2009

By 

Gary Reiner (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A New History of Early Christianity (Hardcover)

I have read many accounts of the development of early Christianity, but have inevitably been disappointed due to various authors injecting their own spiritual biases. However, Early Christianity by Charles Freeman is a welcome exception to my experiences. Freeman does an admirable job of presenting the early years of Christianity from a straight-ahead historian's viewpoint, minus the bothersome religious views which have cluttered other books. The depictions of Jesus, Paul, the Christ, the Logos, gnosticism, the development of the the New Testament, the development of the trinity, the Imperial church, and more, are all fresh and full of historical insights. As an aside, due in large part to Freeman's unbiased reading of history, I found myself throughout the book constantly reassessing my own spiritual feelings and beliefs -- it was a progressive learning and self-examination process which I relished. I look forward to reading the book again down the road.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for a fresh, fluid, historically-centered presentation of what exactly happened during the first several centuries in the early Christian world. Also, the glossary, timeline, and index are all quite helpful tools. The book is a joy to read and I anticipate more great works from Charles Freeman.

30 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but interesting, April 18, 2010

By 

Charles Ford "scholar" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A New History of Early Christianity (Hardcover)

This is a flawed history. A few observations will make that clear. Freeman clearly and rightly states that Paul's seven undisputed letters are a primary source for what Paul did and thought and that the author of Acts is considered unreliable for Paul's life but then he goes on to base most of his views and history of Paul and his work on a few very debated facts. First, was Paul a Roman citizen or not, Freeman assumes he is, yet at no point in Paul's letters (undisputed or otherwise) does he state that fact (not even in the letter to the Romans where it would come in handy). There is historic reasons to reject the view he was a citizen but Freeman never mentions them (See Paul: The man and the Myth by Calvin J. Roetzel page 19 for an overview). Moreover, Freeman goes on to base much of his exegesis of Paul assuming not only that he was a citizen but also he was a citizen because his father was a former slave. There is no historical mention in any early source that Paul was the son of a former slave and to base so much of his interpretation of Paul on this fact is rather sloppy historic work.

Moreover, he marginalizes Paul's role in the early church by stating that Paul seemed to have little effect on the churches he founded or visited and that there were no evidence that Paul's letters were of any effect in those churches. This is an amusing interpretation, the fact that Paul's undisputed letters, sent to people in six different cities of the empire all survived and were recopied disproves that fact. Moreover, people (either Paul or others) continued to write letters in Paul's name, something odd if he was not held with regard or was marginal in early Christianity.

I could mention a few more major flaws with this work, but space doesn't allow. This is still worth the read but a balanced history it is not. Sadly we still lack a critical non-dogmatic history of the Early Church.