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stacthor's review against another edition
Over 1000 pages long, and I have it checked out from the library for four weeks - what are my chances, really??
nwhyte's review against another edition
5.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2021907.html[return][return]This magisterial and thorough book goes through Chrstianity's roots in Judaism and Greek philosophy, the life of Jesus and the immediate aftermath, and then the historical development of the movement that his followers became. I learned a lot; MacCullough's broad historical focus took us to places I had not really thought of before, like the early history of Christianity in Asia (including China), and explained to me stuff I thought I already knew about, like the Polish-Lithuania commonwealth (where MacCullough's account is much more lucid than Norman Davies'). He is lucid and non-judgmental, and usually manages to avoid taking sides (though this slip occasionally during the later discussions of Anglicanism). The triumph of the book is that he does avoid the Whiggishness of some approaches which take it for granted that two thousand years of history were somehow destined to bring us to the Anglican Communion (or Pope Benedict XVI, or whatever the author may support), and by putting the problems of the various churches today in the historical perspective of the viciousness of past debates, the entire situation becomes more comprehensible. It's very long but well worth it.
librarianonparade's review
5.0
I'm what you might call a slightly bewildered agnostic, but I've always had a particular interest in Christianity. So much of its own history - fragmented, argumentative and hypocritical - has always seemed to be at odds with much of Christ's core message, and I've never quit understood how so many Christians can fail to see that contradiction in their own faith's history. But this book, which is surely destined to become a classic in the field, goes a long way to explaining why Christianity has had so many schisms, so many sects and splinter groups, reformations and counter-reformations.
It is an immense book, and justifiably so - such a complicated history, ranging across the entire globe and spanning more than two thousand years, could scarcely be anything less, but it rarely flags or fails. It is a difficult history to tell, particularly when the major Churches begin to establish themselves - the early African churches, the Ethiopian Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church - and it becomes impossible to tell the full history in any meaningfully chronological way.
But it's well-worth the challenge, particularly in the areas not usually focused upon in the West - such as the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches. I personally found it particularly interesting to see the history of Christianity as a whole and how all the different Churches that seem so far apart relate and respond to one another; and particularly how the various trends in religious attitudes and behaviour have evolved and changed over the centuries.
It's hard to tell MacCulloch's own position from this book, and that's another mark in its favour. If I had to tell, I'd say the overall tone is one of fond and perhaps somewhat bemused affection, tempered with a healthy dose of enlightened scepticism. It makes for a lively and engaging read, although not one to be entered into lightly.
It is an immense book, and justifiably so - such a complicated history, ranging across the entire globe and spanning more than two thousand years, could scarcely be anything less, but it rarely flags or fails. It is a difficult history to tell, particularly when the major Churches begin to establish themselves - the early African churches, the Ethiopian Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church - and it becomes impossible to tell the full history in any meaningfully chronological way.
But it's well-worth the challenge, particularly in the areas not usually focused upon in the West - such as the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches. I personally found it particularly interesting to see the history of Christianity as a whole and how all the different Churches that seem so far apart relate and respond to one another; and particularly how the various trends in religious attitudes and behaviour have evolved and changed over the centuries.
It's hard to tell MacCulloch's own position from this book, and that's another mark in its favour. If I had to tell, I'd say the overall tone is one of fond and perhaps somewhat bemused affection, tempered with a healthy dose of enlightened scepticism. It makes for a lively and engaging read, although not one to be entered into lightly.
dejunker's review
4.0
Need the audible book to get through it but love the breadth of it. Dense but worth it. Nothing else has come close for this is global, most stay in the west.
poirotketchup's review against another edition
5.0
I had to a set a no-Wikipedia rule in order to actually get through the book - it was full of fascinating topics that set the stage for more reading. But some themes came through clearly -- the diversity of belief across time and geography and the universality of violence across the same.
mattlehrer's review against another edition
3.0
Dense, obviously. 3000 years of facts, people, events. It’s a lot in a good and overwhelming way. There’s not a lot of room for fun stories or depth of character beyond a few people. It is definitely the kind of book you could read multiple times and pick up a lot each time.
thombeckett's review against another edition
4.0
There's so much in this history of Christianity that there's no way to cover it all in one review, but it really does do what it promises in the title - provide a full and detailed history of Christianity from its Jewish and Greek roots all the way through to the present day, and in an easily comprehendible and often quite witty way.
mickymac's review
5.0
Comprehensive, charming and witty
Like Gibbon's decline and fall, .MacCulloch combines deep insight, a fascination with ideas and good humour to produce a profound exploration of his faith. The unravelling of doctrine and explanation of how religious belief has evolved gives Christianity a texture and richness often ignored by other commentators.
Like Gibbon's decline and fall, .MacCulloch combines deep insight, a fascination with ideas and good humour to produce a profound exploration of his faith. The unravelling of doctrine and explanation of how religious belief has evolved gives Christianity a texture and richness often ignored by other commentators.
coruscate68's review against another edition
5.0
This is quite an astonishing accomplishment! MacCulloch casts a wide net in his reading of Christian history, including in judicious fashion, the vast assortment of Christianities throughout its 2000 years existence...but only after setting it up with the previous 1000 years! If you are looking for a comprehensive and informed historical survey of Christianity with insightful and sensitive commentary, you will not likely be disappointed.