Rise of Christianity (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: fifth general council, new prophecy, imperial crisis, New York, North Africa, Oxford University Press (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 1022 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (April 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800619315
• ISBN-13: 978-0800619312
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Place to Start, August 13, 2003

By	Philip Stephen Wood (Flower Mound, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not an easy book to read, because it is not a shallow treatment of its subject; it's densely written and highly detailed.

But it is the book that you should start with, because, given the degree of religious partisanship that attends this subject, it's crucial that your first exposure come from a trustworthy source. To all appearances, Frend is such a source; he writes without apparent bias, with abundant humanity, and he ends each chapter with a staggering bibliography of the primary and secondary sources on which he's relied. In fact, the bibliography itself is worth the price of the book.

I predict that if you purchase this book, it will become the standard by which you judge other Church histories.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good historical look at early Christianity., December 14, 1999

By	L. Troy Beals (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although long and somewhat daunting the book is well written, and flows easily making the huge book manageable. It's arguments are persuasive and logical, but as with almost any work, it is certainly not the last word on the topic. I hope a person thinking about getting the book is not scared away by the lenght of the book, it really is a good book, and you may find yourself not wanting to put it down.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You Have to Really "Want It", June 20, 2002

By	Mark Sharp (Maple Grove, MN United States) - See all my reviews

When I was on the high school football team, breaking my back in the summer drills, my coaches would yell encouragement at us to work hard, for the victories in the fall. "Come on guys, you've gotta' really want it!" The same could be said for the Rise of Christianity. It is a bit of a grind, but when you are done, it will seem worthwhile.

Frend is certainly a master historian. His prose flows smoothly from one topic to the next, and he has a great grasp of primary sources. This book, however is not for the beginner. There are numerous instances where Frend will try to clarify a point by some reference to another event, which, to a beginner, may or may not shed light.

He also uses the John Wayne philosophy of "listen and listen tight, `cause I'm only gonna' say this once" when he describes a new theological idea. Because it took me several months to get through the book, I found my index worn out by having to refresh my memory on Apollinarianism, or Pelagianism, or any of the other myriad -isms in Christian history. This slowed me down quite a bit.

Like those summer two-a-day training camps in high school, getting through it did prove to be rewarding. The bibliography is great, the time line is very nice, and the book will be a well-used reference in the future.