A review by skitch41
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

4.0

It is easy for Christians, sheltered by their denominations' views on doctrine, to forget the history of our faith that has preceded and succeeded the life of Christ. This book fills a much-needed niche in the any Christian's library by examining the Church's history from its very beginnings. It's scope is truly universal, though admittedly focused on the Latin West. Yet, at the same time, Mr. MacCulloch reveals aspects of Christianity that have been lost to time, like the split-off Christians that found early success in Asia and India, but had practically died off by the time Catholic missionaries arrived in the 15th century. Or how the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine empire shifted Orthodoxy's center of gravity from there to Russia. I also found his chapters on the Reformation a great condensed version of his longer history of that period, [bc:The Reformation|53946|The Reformation|Diarmaid MacCulloch|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388206528s/53946.jpg|52597]. Still, there are few problems with this book. First, he some terms, like dyophysite and miaphysite, are used so frequently and so early that you may forget the explanations the author gave for them previously. Also, while Mr. MacCulloch does devote an entire section to the evolution of Orthodox Christianity, he doesn't explain its structure very well, leaving one who is not apart of that church to wonder what the difference s between a patriarch and a metropole is. Also, while it is not overriding, Mr. MacCulloch's skepticism and occasional sarcasm may be off-putting for some Christians, but I don't think it is too much of a detriment. So don't be intimidated by the size of this book. For those who have never studied Church history beyond their own denomination's, or even outside the 20th century, this is an invaluable guide.