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A review by jramm
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch
2.0
This History of Christianity is like walking through a swamp. A disorientingly slow slog.
MacCoulloch does not provide an overarching narrative. The book is a series of fiveish-page essays on (in my opinion) a schizophrenic variety of subjects, tied rather loosely by chronology. One essay covers Russian Orthodoxy and the next jumps over to missionary efforts in Micronesia. The essays provide very little background on each subject. McCoulloch jumps right into discussing ideas, trends, names, and places with very little context. Read individually, the essays are interesting. Read back-to-back, the reader feels mired in mud.
MacCulloch writes from a secular point of view. He does not presuppose that the biblical narrative is historical accurate or unimpeachable. The religious-minded are likely to scoff.
MacCoulloch does not provide an overarching narrative. The book is a series of fiveish-page essays on (in my opinion) a schizophrenic variety of subjects, tied rather loosely by chronology. One essay covers Russian Orthodoxy and the next jumps over to missionary efforts in Micronesia. The essays provide very little background on each subject. McCoulloch jumps right into discussing ideas, trends, names, and places with very little context. Read individually, the essays are interesting. Read back-to-back, the reader feels mired in mud.
MacCulloch writes from a secular point of view. He does not presuppose that the biblical narrative is historical accurate or unimpeachable. The religious-minded are likely to scoff.