A History Of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I have no background in the subject matter and found the book incredibly difficult to follow since he's constantly throwing out terms that are new to me. Soon as I understood one theological school of thought he'd throw another one at the listener, and by that time I would be completely confused and wonder what the point he was trying to make in the first place.I think the book is probably a fairly good history, but a listener must have some kind of religious background to fully appreciate the discussion points brought up by this thorough history on a topic for which I still know almost nothing about. Diarmaid MacCulloch is a skilled historian in that he not only gets his facts right, but he has the rare and powerful gift of being able to take history and turn it into narrative. MacCulloch makes an interesting stylistic choice in this work, choosing to begin his history 1,000 years before the time of Jesus (hence the title). He examines Ancient Greek culture, and then paints a portrait of the Hebrew people becoming a nation. With this foundation, MacCulloch proceeds to examine the Christian tradition in all its myriad facets, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox through the time of Jesus all the way to the present day.Equally significant is that MacCulloch pays attention to important Christian movements that are often overlooked by many historians, such as the Oriental Orthodox communion, the Anabaptists and the various confraternities of Medieval Europe. All in all, I would recommend this book as a fascinating account of a religion that has shaped human history, and I feel that both atheists and people of faith will enjoy MacCulloch's scholarship
What do You think about A History Of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (2009)?
Simply the best way to read Church History. Lively, humourous, nuanced. I love MacCulloch.
—tammy
Great overview, if a bit long. This book is the shortened version of a 1,000 page book.
—Robin_Hood
A thousand pages of isms and arguments - fascinating.
—nicoletta
