276°
Posted 20 hours ago

A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years

£9.495£18.99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

Let’s go on to Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and how that fits in with the history of Christianity. Historian Raymond Van Dam says conversion produced "a fundamental reorganization in the ways people thought about themselves and others". [182] Women were able to negotiate an expanded role in society that was not available in Judaism or Romanism. [183]

While there is no accurate count of the persons martyred in Africa, Christians were persecuted intermittently from 180 until 305. [125] [note 10] In the first three centuries, the most serious threats occurred under Emperors Decius and Valerian when the requirement to sacrifice to the gods was universally enforced and documented. [127] Some Christians tried to acquire the necessary documents through proxies or bribery, while some went into exile, and others were executed. Many simply complied. [127] These were condemned by rigorists in the church as lapsi in contrast to the stantes who stood firm. Problems were created when the lapsi later tried to rejoin the church. [127] Trevett writes that "There was not just Christian diversity but a proud distinctiveness in Asia Minor. Its catholic leaders stood their ground, despite the claims and differing practices of Rome". [83] By the end of the second century, catholic leaders gathered formally to form 'official' statements of ‘orthodox’ Christian belief using apostolic teaching. [84] Egypt [ edit ] 1865 Spruner Map of the Roman Empire under Diocletian - Geographicus - ImperiumRomanumDiocletian-spruner-1865During these two millennia Christianity has, perhaps, proved more influential in shaping human destiny than any other institutional philosophy, but there are now signs that its period of predominance is drawing to a close, thereby inviting a retrospect and a balance sheet.... Christianity is essentially a historical religion. It bases its claims on the historical facts it asserts. If these are demolished it is nothing.... A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts." [2] While there is evidence supporting the presence of Gentiles even in the earliest Christian communities (Acts 10), most early Christians, such as the Ebionites, remained actively Jewish. [158] Part 5. The Third Force (1500 AD to 1648 AD) – Reformation and Counter reformation, with an emphasis on Erasmus.

Diarmaid MacCulloch's epic, acclaimed history A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years follows the story of Christianity around the globe, from ancient Palestine to contemporary China. The earliest followers of Jesus were apocalyptic Jewish Christians. [1] Christianity remained a Jewish sect for centuries, diverging gradually from Judaism over doctrinal, social and historical differences. [2] Christianity spread as a grassroots movement that became established by the third century. [3] [4] [5] [6] The Roman Emperor Constantine I became the first Christian emperor and in 313, he issued the Edict of Milan expressing tolerance for all religions thereby legalizing Christian worship. [7] Various Christological debates about the human and divine nature of Jesus occupied the Christian Church for three centuries, and seven ecumenical councils were called to resolve them. [8] Paul’s conversion to Christianity after he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus is described in Acts of the Apostles. Paul preached the gospel and established churches throughout the Roman Empire, Europe and Africa. In Alexandria, Clement was a teacher and presbyter who wrote against gnosticism by distinguishing between ‘false’ knowledge and the 'true' knowledge that had come from the apostles. [97] Seen as the greatest scholar and theologian of the ancient church, Origen was one of the most prolific writers of antiquity. [98]Irenaeus, who became bishop of Lyons after the martyrdom of Pothinus, is the most likely author of the letter, but his primary work, written between 174 and 189 is "Detection and refutation of gnosis falsely so-called", (usually known by its Latin title Adversus haereses). [117] In the second and third centuries, conflicts over the degree and type of Christ's divinity and humanity emerged. [80] The belief in Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the pre-existent and creative 'logos' (word of god), held by many Christians of the east, fueled the later Arian controversy. [81] In the Christian ‘mainstream’, the apostles, those who had known them, and the apostolic tradition were the basis of response. [82]

In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther published 95 Theses—a text that criticized certain acts of the Pope and protested some of the practices and priorities of the Roman Catholic church. During this time, there were several groups of Christians with different ideas about how to interpret scripture and the role of the church. Averil Cameron, in the Cambridge History of Christianity, writes that, "The reign of Constantine ... was momentous for Christianity". [193] The Roman Emperor Constantine I became the first Christian emperor in 313, (though he did not become sole emperor until after defeating Licinius the emperor in the East in 324). [194] In 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, (which had been the policy of Licinius), expressing tolerance for all religions, thereby legalizing Christian worship. [194] Christianity did not become the official religion of the empire under Constantine, but the steps he took to support and protect it were vitally important in the history of Christianity. [195]Taking in wars, empires, reformers, apostles, sects, churches and crusaders, Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishments. From the late seventh to the middle of the eighth century, eleven of the thirteen men who held the position of Roman Pope were the sons of families from the East. Before they could be installed, these Popes had to be approved by the head of State, the Byzantine emperor. [211] A powerful, united, Roman church capable of forcing its will on others did not exist in this early period. [131] [132] Before the eighth century, the Pope as the 'Bishop of Rome,' did not have special influence over other bishops outside Rome and had not yet manifested as the central ecclesiastical power. [133] Community development [ edit ] Church hierarchy [ edit ] So first of all I’ve chosen a book by a modern American scholar, Margo Todd. She is writing about the Scottish Reformation, which produced the Presbyterian Church of Scotland (still the Scottish national church). Traditionally a lot of writing about the Scottish Reformation presents a picture of an enormously gloomy, repressive society – and there’s something in that. But what Margo does is present this wonderfully rich, detailed picture of the lives that people led. Jon Meacham in his New York Times review writes that it "is difficult to imagine a more comprehensive and surprisingly accessible volume on the subject than MacCulloch's." He characterizes as mutually-corrupting the "accommodations with the princes of the world [that] drove the rise of the faith," which the book relates. Thus, for "'most of its existence, Christianity has been the most intolerant of world faiths,' MacCulloch says, 'doing its best to eliminate all competitors, with Judaism a qualified exception.'" MacCulloch describes the Christian faith as "a perpetual argument about meaning and reality." Meacham makes the related point that "questions of meaning– who are we, how shall we live, where are we going?– tend to be framed in theological and philosophical terms." Still, "history matters, too, and historians, MacCulloch says, have a moral task: 'They should seek to promote sanity and to curb the rhetoric which breeds fanaticism'." [5]

Further information: Christianity and paganism, Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire, Theodosius I, and Religious policies of Constantius II Christianity in its first 300 years was also highly exclusive. [180] Believing was the crucial and defining characteristic that set a "high boundary" that strongly excluded the " unbeliever". [180] In Daniel Praet's view, the exclusivity of Christian monotheism formed an important part of its success, enabling it to maintain its independence in a society that syncretized religion. [181]Episkopoi were overseers – bishops – and presbyters were generally elders or priests. Deacons served. However, the terms were sometimes used interchangeably. [135] Prior to Christianity, the wealthy elite of Rome mostly donated to civic programs designed to elevate their status. [184] [185] [186] Christians, on the other hand, offered last rites to the dying, buried them, distributed bread to the hungry, and showed the poor great generosity. [187] [188] [note 14]

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment