A History of Christianity (Unknown Binding)

~ (Author) "At the middle of the fifteenth century the civilized world and with it Christianity were being ushered into a new age.]..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The most useful conspectus of Christian history for the average reader. -- Yale Divinity News --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

The most useful survey of Christian history for the student or general reader, fully updated by a team of respected scholars. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• ASIN: B00005W1L9
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,211,491 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Treatment of Christian History, February 2, 2000

By	John R. McCracken (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Christianity, Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500 (Revised) (Paperback)

This work is generally known as a modern classic of Church History. If you are looking for a basic, comprehensive survey of Christian Church history, this is it. If you want something easier and faster than LaTourette, I would recommend Bruce Shelley's "Church History in Plain Language". However, LaTourette is superior. If you want something more comprehensive than LaTourette, I would recommend the 5 volume set by Jarslov Pelikan.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb -- but readable -- scholarship, February 9, 2000

By	Ron Sellers (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Christianity, Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500 (Revised) (Paperback)

Latourette does a masterful job of presenting a comprehensive history of the Christian religion in a readable form. This is an overview of the subject from the time of Christ to just before the Reformation (Vol. 2 picks up after 1500). Latourette doesn't just focus on the Western world or on institutional religion, but on Christianity in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, some of the personalities behind the history, and on popular movements within Christianity (some of which - such as monasticism - became institutions in their own right). This is an excellent scholarly overview on an enormous topic that makes it interesting for the average reader.

46 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Badly Dated, November 7, 2003

By	Theophanu (Hattiesburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Christianity, Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500 (Revised) (Paperback)

Readers should be aware that this study was first published in 1953, and despite light revision reflects the state of scholarship half a century ago. We've learned a LOT about the history of Christianity since then, and many of the sweeping assumptions of this book (e.g., in the ghastly section entitled "The Darkest Hours: The Great Recession, A.D. 500-950") have been thoroughly discredited. The bibliographies for each section don't include works published in the past half century (despite the so-called revision). Even the very language is dated, with its grandiose, sweeping style, capitalization of popes, etc. This book perpetuates a great many old myths, making the job of historians of religion just that much harder. There are now much better books on the market.