Customer Reviews

The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day

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As a novice seminary student, I was assigned Volumes 1 & 2 of Gonzalez' "The Story of Christianity" for two introductory courses in church history. I was thrilled to find this bargain edition for a two-volume hardback, rather than the much more expensive and separate paperback versions. Nonetheless, I began to read this text anticipating that I would have to relive the insufferable experience of reading high school history textbooks. How wrong I was!!

I quickly found that I was engrossed in "The Story of Christianity," which truly reads like a story, rather than a laborious list of meaningless names and dates. To be sure, Gonzalez appears to be fully comfortable with the information concerning two thousand years of church history, starting with the early church fathers immediately following the biblical accounts and proceeding through the ages to the modern-day church. Yet, despite the vastness of this task, I was completely engaged with the text.

Gonzalez treads the fine line between inserting unnecessary editorial comments and refusing to add any appropriate critique. He managed to include significant critical analyses of various points in the history of the church without coming down with a particular ax to grind or agenda to push.

My only disappointment with the book was his almost careless dismissal of anyone who might still adhere to any creationist ideas or traditional gender roles within the church, almost assuming that evolution and feminism have rightly won the day. Given his pervasive choices elsewhere to avoid a natural tendency to prioritize whatever his preferred streams of Christian thought or practice might be, I was disappointed with his description of relatively recent movements in origin of life and gender issues.

I was surprised to read some reviewers who criticize the book as being too elementary. This was not promoted as an in-depth, graduate-level scholarly work. It claims to be (and lives up to its billing as) an accessible, introductory work that profiles the entire history of the church.

I would recommend Gonzalez' work as an outstanding textbook for survey seminary courses on church history. However, it would be equally worthwhile for any layperson interested in the origins of the Christian faith, as well as an outstanding resource for pastors and teachers. Church history is my newfound passion, and I attribute that fact in large part to "The Story of Christianity!!"

Having been through 2 semesters of Church History I highly recommend this hardback reference that combines Gonzalez's 2 volumes into one. If you buy the 2 separately, you will pay about $50.00. This hardback is half that price and is at least twice as durable as the flimsy soft covers published by Harper Collins. A higher quality book at half the price is a bargain. Gonzalez's histories are highly accessible to non-College or Seminary trained people. The Story of Christianity is the standard Church History text in most seminaries. It is concise without being simplistic. Great resource for both laity and ordained alike.

In another text ('The Changing Shape of Church History'), Justo Gonzalez writes about the shift away from a Eurocentric focus on the history of Christianity to a recognition that Christianity is a global phenomenon, not just due to Western missionary activity, but rather has been since its earliest day. Gonzalez keeps this global perspective in mind in his two volume narrative history, 'The Story of Christianity'.

This first volume looks at the history of Christianity from the first century to the dawn of the Reformation period. In his section on the early church, Gonzalez explores the Jewish and Roman worlds of the time, and how the early churches, from Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the Second Temple and the missions of Paul to the early teachers and leaders of the church as it grew in various ways. The persecutions of the early centuries and the martyrs, as well as many of the controversies and heresies, are presented with an interesting analysis. Gonzalez does not take the position that just because something has been labeled a heresy historically that it is necessarily bad or wrong doctrine.

The second section begins with Constantine and continues through most of late antiquity - this is the period of the church becoming an official arm of the state, many of the great creedal councils, and some of the leading lights in Christian theological development. Persons such as the Cappadocians (Gonzalez includes Macrina as a person in her own right here, and so avoids the general term 'Cappadocian Fathers'), Ambrose, John Chrystostom, and Augustine are highlighted. Gonzalez also looks at the major heresies of the time - Donatism and Arianism.

The third section looks at the high and late medieval periods, including the sometimes termed 'dark ages' in Western Europe. However, in Eastern Christianity, there were no such dark ages, and the Carolingian Renaissance led to developments that continued in various ways toward the 'Golden Age' of medieval Christianity, a period of increasing development in theology, architecture, music and devotion. Gonzalez also highlights some pre-Reformation figures such as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Savonarola and others whose influence will be felt in succeeding generations more forcefully.

The final section of the first part of the text explores the very beginnings of European expansion into the world, with Spain and Portugal's division of the world and early colonial movements. This sets the stage for the next broad section: Reformation to the Present Day.

Gonzalez' presentation of the Reformation period concentrates on significant people, primarily Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin, bringing in other people as appropriate (Tetzel, various popes, etc.). However, Gonzalez does not confine himself to a 'story of great men' approach, combine the history of ideas, events, and institutions together with the biographical narratives of the people involved. Gonzalez is also the author of a three-volume history of Christian thought, and draws material from that series into this more general church history text.

Gonzalez' approach to the Reformation includes the standard Luther/Zwingli/Calvin triad, with information about the reformations in Britain, the Benelux (Low) countries, France, Anabaptists, and influences in the Catholic church. Gonzalez uses the term `Catholic Reformation' rather than Counter-Reformation, for as he states, `the Catholic Reformation was well under way when Luther was still a young boy.' Gonzalez highlights some earlier controversies that influenced Luther (Hus and others), as well as so-called `minor' actors in the unfolding historical events. This is standard for Gonzalez - he addresses the major events and people while incorporating a good deal of information about the influences and people that normally do not get `topping billing' in historical narratives. His task at recovering these neglected voices puts new perspectives to the overall flow of the history.

The second part of the text deals with the various events leading past the Reformations into the Enlightenment. Denominations began to solidify established patterns of belief and practice into orthodox structures, and the general Reformation continued to diversify into Spiritualist, Pietist, and other Movements, which Gonzalez describes as options. Sometimes these had direct political motivations, and other times they were more theological in tone. Gonzalez concludes this section with the Great Awakening and Jonathan Edwards, in the thirteen colonies.

In the third section, the political dimensions of religious institutions and their attendant belief and practice structures is readily apparent as the rise of nation-states, the independence movements away from colonial powers, and the increasing independence of church institutions from state control (and vice versa) takes centre stage. Christianity becomes a truly global phenomenon during this period (the late 1700s through the 1800s), but not always in the best ways. Gonzalez highlights good and bad points of the expansion of church power and missionary activity, as well as the way church justifications have been used in aid of colonial authority.

In the final section, Gonzalez describes the twentieth century as an era of 'drastic change'. This includes not just the Western traditions of Catholic and Protestant, but also the Orthodox traditions, on the one hand emerging from centuries of Muslim domination in Middle Eastern and North African lands, but then submerging for a time under Communist rule in Russia and East Europe, the centre of Orthodoxy after the fall of Constantinople. In a century that included world wars, expansion of trade, ecumenical and openness movements (such as Vatican II), Gonzalez sees the century ending whereby the former missionary lands of the global South are becoming themselves the evangelizers to the historically Christian North - `Thus, the lands that a century before were considered the "ends of the earth" will have an opportunity to witness to the descendents of those who had earlier witnessed to them.

Each major section is introduced by a chronology; while generally acceptable, more detail here would be helpful, particularly as it relates to the history of ideas. Incorporation of authors, artists, philosophers and others apart from the specifically political and church-related figures would be helpful for the overall context. Each major section also includes a list of suggested readings, but these lists do not include many recent works of merit - Gonzalez himself admits that this text is due for a revised edition.

Gonzalez has a broadly ecumenical and open approach, striving to cover a massive amount of material with fair attention both to major topics and oft-neglected voices. He does a very good job at this, and despite some minor shortcomings, this remains one of the better general church history texts available.

The other reviews cover the content of the book extensively, especially Fr. Messick's. Some other useful information about this volume is below.

Gonzalez provides an excellent, broad view of the whole of Christian history. His approach provides wide enough strokes to give context, yet he does not fail to provide sufficient details to grasp some of the flavor of the individual moments in history. If you want to delve into Christian history deeply and experience more of the "moment", find another book that covers just the part you seek; this book will give you the basic information only. For example, all the gorey details, say of the Council of Nicea, are not discussed, as they would be beyond the scope of an overall history.

Gonzalez's style is very easy to read; he does not rely on theological jargon when common words suffice. This makes it an excellent book to recommend to laity who are not interested in the complexities of Ecclesiastical history. It also is a good basic text for seminary use, as it covers Catholic and Protestant developments (not as good on the Eastern Church).

If you don't already have a book on Church history, this is the one to get.

...has this book brand new for $12.99, so get it there, otherwise, yes, this is an excellent book. If you're taking a Church History class, this is most likely a required text. It's wonderful to have BOTH volumes 1 and 2 together in hardcover, especially when it is cheaper than buying even one of the softcover volumes.

This is one of the most comprehensive histories of the church I have ever encountered. I had a hard time putting it down!

Excellent text, well-written, the language is straightforward, easy to understand, yet engaging, maintaining a high-level of interest for the reader--in and of itself five stars. The binding, however, is making me nervous, as the spine creaks every time I open it, leading me to believe it's not going to last very long. I was very happy to see the two-volume work offered inexpensively in a single volume, but perhaps the proverb that you get what you pay for applies here. But from the high ratings of others, perhaps it just happens to be my volume.

Are you looking for one book that encapsulates the most important moments and people in Christian history? Look no farther than The Story of Christianity (2007 Hendrickson Publishers, 1984-85) by Justo L. Gonzalez. You can purchase this book in either one volume or two.

The Story of Christianity is just that - a story. Gonzales has written an engaging textbook that traces Christianity's history from the early church to the present day. Yes, this book is long. It's historical. Like all textbooks, it drags in certain places.

But Gonzales rarely delves into unnecessary details. His restraint keeps the book moving, but he wisely includes certain short stories or events that keep the narrative fresh.

The Story of Christianity is a seminary textbook that I have truly enjoyed. Gonzales does an admirable job of making church history interesting and accessible for seminary students. He is also fair. It must be difficult for a historian to keep his prejudices from influencing his work too much. But Gonzales does well, despite a few places where his theological outlook comes to the forefront. (Example? Gonzales seems to see the World Council of Churches of the 20th century as the pinnacle of Christian success.)

Gonzales succeeds in hitting all the highlights of Christian history - an impressive feat considering the outward geographical expansion of Christianity. Sometimes he tries to fit too much history into one chapter. The narrative becomes confusing at times, but this confusion is sometimes brought about by the confusion of the times (The story of the Reformation in the Low Countries, for example.)

Overall, The Story of Christianity is a fine piece of work. I suspect that like other good church history books, this one will be in print for many decades to come.

www.trevinwax.com

This is a one volume version and very comprehensive. I found it very useful in my class. The book was in excellent condition at a reasonable price also.

"The Story of Christianity" covers the history of Christianity from the Apostles to John Wycliffe in Vol. 1 and from the Protestant Reformation to the mid-1900's in Vol. 2 of this two-volumes-in-one book. The author traced the controversies in Christian thought and developments in Christian action in roughly chronological order. (He'd talk about developments in one area or county and then sometimes jump back in time a bit to cover a parallel development in another country.) He explained how the different social, political, and economic forces shaped Christian thought and action. He covered the people who most influenced Christianity though few were studied in-depth. He also filled in political events that connected major points in Christian history.

The book was very readable despite it's huge size. Though the author didn't bash Catholics, he did point out things that Catholics might not like to hear, like just how late certain Catholic doctrines were developed and how not all popes were exactly saintly people. The author also seemed to have a slight bias against any Christian group who held or holds any doctrine too fervently. Also, despite it's size, the book didn't cover any subject as in-depth as some people will like, but it's an excellent overview of the subject.

I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting an easy-to-read overview of the developments in Christian thought and action.