Customer Reviews

The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (Story of Christianity)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gonzalez's book here is perhaps the best survey of church history available. His book is concise and scholarly. He rarely goes off on unnecessary tangents, and he always presents the material clearly. This is why I would recommend this book for anybody who wants a non-threatening and enjoyable introduction to church history. He covers many important figures, such as Ignatius of Antioch, John Chrysostom, and Athanasius. All of the major players are there. He also gives his readers insights into important church events, such as the council of Nicaea. The book is filled with charts and timelines of popes, emperors, etc. This book was very helpful in a church history class I took recently. It was not the main textbook, but it helped me put the theology I was learning into historical context.

Gonzalez, as another reviewer mentioned, is Protestant. From what I have read he does not have an anti-Catholic bias, but he does cover the materials in a more Protestant way. One example is his lack of coverage of Pseudo-Dionysus. However, this book is only an introduction, and does not claim to be the end all guide to every figure in church history.

Overall, Gonzalez has written a fine work that is now a standard textbook in many Catholic and Protestant Seminaries and Universities. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on "Eastern Christianity." You don't have to be a scholar to get into church history. I think Gonzalez will get you interested if you read his book.

In THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, divided into two volumes, Justo Gonzales does a fantastic job of bringing the history of the church alive. His writing style is engaging and the text tends to read more like a novel at times than a typical textbook. And for me that is what this was: a textbook for a Church History class. But by the end of the semester I found myself reading more for pleasure than class requirements.

Gonzales focuses on the high points for the most part because these books are surveys. In particular, there is a greater focus on men like Constantine, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. He is fair in his research and opinions, and no matter what background you come from you'll find that he presents the facts in an honest and unbiased (as possible) fashion. Coming from an evangelical background I learned much about the roots of that movement and was also very pleased to find a wealth of information on the eastern churches, liberal protestantism, scholasticism, etc. The development of the church in early Latin America, Africa, and Asia is also given attention. Gonzales covers all of the bases.

THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY is a fine resource for those who wish to gain a firm understanding of the history of the Christian church or for anyone who desires to have a quality resource on the subject available to them. For student, layperson, or teacher, this is an excellent buy. Five Stars.

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 this 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 volume.

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.

An excellent overview for any believer searching for a deeper understanding of their faith. This book (and the companion Vol.2), brings the reader through a detailed but fascinating journey of the trials and tribulations of humanity's search for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Many questions are answered that have long been confusing,such as: How and why did celebacy of priests begin? Why do some believe in purgatory when it is not in the Bible? Why do some churches recite The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed and why do these creeds exist? My husband and I are now on our third time reading the two volumes and will probably read them again. I encourage all believers and all who are searching but stumble because of unanswered questions about man-made religion to read both volumes.

A readable book, the Story of Christianity Volume 1 will be a simple, but informative read especially for those who never have studied the historical roots and development of Christianity. Dr. Gonzalez takes you back to eras of the first Christians to the beginning of the Renaissance and the Spanish and Portuguese colonization. The first chapters present the first centuries of the church and the frequent persecutions and martyrdoms. Dr. Gonzalez captures the passion of the martyrs as they suffered under the Roman authorities. Later, he leads the reader through various events that shaped the Church, and its followers such as the legalization of the Christian faith under the Emperor Constantine, the various ecumenical councils to address heresies, and formalization of the Church as a legal institute. An interesting chapter was the development of monasticism as a reaction to the decrease in persecution of the Roman Empire and the austerity of monks. This follows growth of the Papacy and its continual tension between the Eastern Roman Empire and the conflicts between the two parties, which were political as much as theological. As the rift grew between the two empires, Western Christianity spread to the various European tribes and their conversion. Especially interesting were the chapters regarding the height of papal power and its political influence through Innocent II, and the Unum Sanctum following under Boniface VIII. The volume ends with the rise of Renaissance humanism and the colonial Altogether, the work provides tremendous insight into the origin of beliefs and practices that are held today by the church's contribution, and its followers through the ages. Dr. Gonzalez narrative is written well and seeks to capture the drama and the conundrums that Christians often found themselves. The one detraction of the book that is it focuses more upon the Western Roman Church and provides a much briefer account of the Eastern orthodox Churches in the latter half of the book and its institutional development and its various mission efforts to spread the gospel to other parts of the world.

This is a very readable and detailed history (in two volumes) of the Christian religion from the time of the Apostles until 1984, when the book was published. I read this book out of general interest, although I understand that it is widely used for college courses on church history and doctrine. The history of the church is a huge topic, and Gonzalez has a real talent for summarizing complex developments and making them very accessible for a general reader. No special background in theology or history is required to appreciate this wonderful account. Gonzalez is apparently Protestant, but he gives a fair and balanced account of all denominations, including Catholic and Orthodox. He also includes mysticism and the radical sects. He is aware of the current scholarship, but he doesn't get bogged down in the numerous scholarly controversies of historians. He doesn't succumb to revisionism and p.c.; he's not afraid to call a spade a spade. But if there is genuine ambiguity and grounds for debate, he does mention that. The two volumes of this book also work well as a concise history of western civilization from year one until 1984. Gonzalez is able to identify the most important events and issues and describe them clearly and concisely. The major theological movements are described very briefly. This is not primarily a history of doctrine, but rather a history of the various Christian churches.

Footnotes are kept to an absolute minimum here, in order to avoid unnecessary distractions. Suggestions for further reading are given at the end of each section, but these are very incomplete. For example, the only suggestion for further reading on English Puritanism was published in 1912.

Gonzalez's area of special interest is Latin American Christianity, and so he devotes some space to the history of Christianity there from the time of the Spanish Conquistadores to the Liberation theology of the late 20th century. Since this book was written before the demise of the Soviet Union, I think a revised edition is in order.

Gonzalez writes, in his two volume series the story of Christianity from inception to more modern contexts. This book is a great overview and survey of how the church evolved and where it is today. This book is great for people of any denomination, and can give everyone a better view of where the diverse views in doctrine we see today, came from. This book is a must have if you want to know the foundation of the Christian church. I recommend this book to lay leaders and pastors alike. It is also great because it will point you in different directions if you want to go deeper, with where to go to find the information.

Gonzalez delivers a fine work, and he is to be commended for it. I recommend this book without reservation.

Recently I was asked to recommend some books for a burgeoning scholar of early Christianity and this was the first book I chose. It offers a very good introduction to the history of Western Christianity, treating most subjects well despite limited space. Still this book is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead to provide the basics of the Christian story in the West, and it does a fine job of this.

Referring to both volumes 1 & 2 which can be bought in a single volume The Story of Christianity... Gonzalez offers a incredible amount of historical detail in only 800 pages. His presentation is non-threatening and lacking in significant bias so Protestant and Catholic alike should be able to appreciate his scholarly work. It is extremely well written with more of the flavor and feel of a historical novel than a text book. However, this is a mark of the author's talent because these two volumes offer one of the very best historical surveys of Christianity ever written.

The reader can expect to take away a bit of information on almost every significant issue, personage, and event impacting Christianity over the past 2000 years. The exposure is not labored down with excessive words, it sticks to the facts, and does so with a "story like" feel. If one then wishes to dig deeper into a particular event or figure, the surrounding skeletal details on which to hang further exploration will be in place once one has read Gonzalez.

Even for the secular historian, I would recommend these two volumes on world history. The reason being that religion has played a significant role in the decisions not only of the church, but also in the politics of nations and empires past.

This ends the main thoughts of my review, however, for those readers of Gonzales who find themselves appreciating his style of historical presentation and wishing to explore further -- perhaps for the home school educator, I would recommend two books specifically pertaining to American history, namely The Story of Liberty: So You Will Comprehend What Liberty Has Cost, ...and What It Is Worth and Sweet Land of Liberty by Charles Coffin. Both books are available here on Amazon.com

Pertaining now to both Gonzales and Coffin, history is very often in a state of flux, being written and re-written to fit the viewpoints of the prevailing social mindset. As a result facts can become distorted and lessons learned in past failures are, sadly, teed up to be revisited and relearned the hard way in the laboratory of social re-experimentation. To those readers of this review who can hear what I'm saying, then here in the work of Gonzalez is an opportunity to learn from the past and to know true Christian History as the pendulum of thought within the church has continued to swing to and fro with iron sharpening iron and the fires of purification refining and protecting the Way of the Church over time. As "new" thoughts spark new scholarly debate, the Truth has prevailed while aborted attempts at "new revelation" and "mysteries" that have been "hidden" from all others are, as the reader of Gonzalez will see, held in check over time so that when we see those same "secrets" being presented as something "new" today, we can learn from the efforts of our predecessors.

I've mentioned the work of Coffin because the revisionism taking place today to re-write world history and Christian history very often dovetails with the same efforts underway to re-write America's Judeo-Christian heritage -- a heritage that for many years protected the freedom of all peoples regardless of their religious beliefs, including the strong faith necessary to be an Atheist. In many other cultures upheld today as models of where America should go, this freedom from religious tyranny is not experienced by the populous. We still cling to the remnants of this freedom in America and are able to share diverse beliefs from our neighbors while respecting them and living peacefully with them as "fellow Americans" because of the efforts of America's wise founders -- women and men who were willing to die for freedom if necessary and gave this gift to their children because they first turned to the pages of Jewish and Christian history and politics upon which to model our great nation. For these very reasons, I would suggest that it helps to read of history from the pens of those who were eye-witnesses to the events in question.

Coffin's books which were written in the 1800's offer just such a viewpoint of what really happened in Colonial America from the perspective of someone (Coffin) living at the time and as such they are devoid of later revisionism as presented to the malleable minds of children and college students in North America today.

All that (and admittedly too verbosely) said, amazingly, Gonzales has managed to quite masterfully present the facts to his reader as though they were eye-witness accounts. Gonzalez has managed to avoid bias in his relatively modern account of "The Story of Christianity" as his readers will agree and other reviewers here will testify.

After reading both Latourette's and Frend's huge and boring histories of Christianity, this book was a breath of fresh air! I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written and enjoyable the first volume was to read and will definitely use this book for teaching religion and non-religion majors at the undergraduate level. Not only is the scholarship behind this book solid and rigorous, but it is easy and entertaining to read. Though the author is clearly both personally devotional and Protestant (and many of my students are neither), I felt all the topics were addressed with academic rigor, professional discipline and a personal familiarity.