See 1 question about The First Thousand Years…, New African American Histories and Biographies to Read Now. Wilken starts with the life of Jesus and follows an approach encyclopedically organized around topics and geography to close with the Christianization of the Slavs in the 10th Century. Pp. In fact, it's probably the most objective historical survey I've read. MacCulloch's very detailed Christianity starts a thousand years before Christ with the Greek and Jewish foundations that formed the world's biggest religion. Yale University Press, 416pp, £25.00. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Wilken tends to focus on the moving cultural perimeter of the growing Christian communities, from its initial boundary with Judaism to that with Paganism to its own internal divisions to that with Islam. I. Author: Full title: The early years of Christianity : a comprehensive history of the first three centuries of the Christian church : Vol. I found ten major errors in that short section that promoted an interpretation that was clearly against Catholic teaching. A couple of the later chapters seemed to be written just to fill out his consideration of the "global" aspects of early Christianity. A very clear, concise, and captivating review of the early history of the Church. He shows how the church starts as a group of outsiders committed to proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus and creating communities wherever they went. And if you’re looking for a factual overview of the first thousand years of Christianity, you’ll certainly get it here. This book was required reading for a graduate studies class on History of the Church at a renowned Catholic university. He approaches the history of the church as a history of cultures and societies as much as it is a history of ideas and beliefs. As a teacher, I was pleased to see that most chapters could stand on their own as short reading assignments for stu. "Compelling. It was easy to lose track of where the book was in time when parts were organized around different geographical locations. . I. Wilken's overview of the First Thousand Years of Christian history is exceptionally well-written. I wish that the author had given greater attention to the substance of Western arguments against the veneration of icons and the Filioque question, but of course there are more specialized works where these can be found. I am less enthusiastic. Contra most surveys, it includes the development of Christianity in regions beyond the Roman and Byzantine Empires (like Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Armenia, and the other early Sees). Wilken's book is a shining exemplar of solid, elegantly written historical narrative, accessible to non-scholars. His account of the interactions of Islam and Christianity was fascinating as well. Haters of history often ask the point of knowing names and dates, pointing out correctly that all of that information can now be found online. However, this book is not polemic. His short chapters are engaging and full of details and anecdotes that bring the story he is telling to life. According to MacCulloch, Christian history is a story which was told and believed by Jesus’ disciples. Please try again. This is a great primer, especially for understanding the global reach of early Christianity- highly recommended especially for western Christians! Gives great context for the Eastern churches, and doesn't shy away from the rise of Islam in formerly Catholic areas. One of the most pleasant history texts I've read in a long time. Wilken starts with the life of Jesus and follows an approach encyclopedically organized around topics and geography to close with the Christianization of the Slavs in the 10th Century. "—Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo. Fascinating and important information but sometimes clunky in execution. [that] brings new freshness and clarity. But as it grew, even through persecution, it gained acceptability through the conversion of prominent people. "—Philip Jenkins, "Elegantly written [and] highly readable."—. The work is accessible to those who know very little about the history of Christianity but useful even to experts in the field. I think this helps combat our dominating Western ideologies and helps de-center Europe as assumed "hub" of Christian history. Shareable Link. It begins with a very brief overview of the life of Jesus. However, I found it somewhat choppy and difficult to follow as he handled this time via subject matter rather than time frames. Given my interest in early Christian history, I've enjoyed other books by Robert L. Wilken (especially "The Christians As The Romans Saw Them"). $35.00 (cloth). I've taken a class in seminary which required this text, and I would recommend it to Christians in general for its non-scholarly tone, and its openness to the neglected areas of history like the rise of Islam and the Church of the East. He covers not only the rise of Latin Christianity but of all the movements including, Byzantine, African, Eastern, Slavic and Greek. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012; pp. It's not like a textbook like it was meant to be. This is the best survey of 1st-millennium Christian history I've read, and arguably one of the better texts on the market. Yale University Press; Illustrated edition (November 12, 2013), The 10 Best History of Christianity Books. Wilken tends to focus on the moving cultural perimeter of the growing Christian communities, from its initial boundary with Judaism to that with Paganism to its own internal divisions to that with Islam. This book is a pretty remarkable achievement - a highly read-able, comprehensive, truly global in perspective (ie. This is not a story limited to the West; rather, Christian communities in Ethiopia, Nubia, Armenia, Georgia, Persia, Central Asia, India, and China shaped the course of Christian history. . Truly deserves to be on THE MUST READ list. Christianity, one of the world’s great religions, has had an incalculable impact on human history. Wilken does an excellent job hitting all the main points and connecting the issues of different regions to provide the reader with a beautiful, broad stroke overview of Christian history that encapsulates all its different ethnicities and locations. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Beginning with the life of Jesus, Robert Louis Wilken narrates the dramatic spread and development of Christianity over the first thousand years of its history. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. I was shocked actually because this author has reviews that are oozing with honor. As the title points out, it covers the first thousand years of Christianity and its rise. His inclusion of Asia, North African and Byzantium provide a fuller view of the first thousand years of Christianity. Would use seller again. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Verified Purchase Robert Louis Wilken's "The First Thousand" years is an exemplary survey of Christianity's first millenium. A very clear, concise, and captivating review of the early history of the Church. Of all the history books I've had to read, I probably enjoyed this one the most of all. I think Robert Louis Wilken is fantastic, but this is the weakest book of his that I have read. Excellent overview of the first thousand years of Christian history. 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