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Introduction to the History of Christianity Paperback – September 1, 2006

by George Herring (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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Christianity is the world’s largest religion, and has had a profound impact on the course of civilization. Introduction to the History of Christianity is a beautifully crafted and clearly written introduction to Christianity over its 2000 year history.
The broad underlying theme of the book is the interaction between Christianity and the secular world, exploring how one has shaped and been shaped by the other. The volume does not attempt to cover the whole of Christian history in detail. It focuses on three key chronological periods pivotal in the development of Christianity: Christ and Caesar, Christianity circa 300–500; Expansion and Order, Latin Christendom, circa 1050–1250; and Grace and Authority, Western Christianity, circa 1450–1650, as well as a concluding section on Christianity in the modern world, providing illustrative snapshots of the tradition over the course of its long development. In addition, the volume includes maps, timelines, quotations from primary source material, a glossary, and a further reading section.
No staid, laborious introduction to its subject, Introduction to the History of Christianity offers an inviting and informative overview of this rich religious tradition.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    350 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    NYU Press
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0814737005
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0814737002
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Packed with historical knowledge, arranged with an impressive capacity for theological explication, and written in a flowing manner that belies its textbook quality, G. Herring has produced a volume that will be useful to a large audience with various degrees of exposure to its topic." ― Religious Studies Review

"Written with passion and commitment." ― Catholic Historical Review

"Church historian Herring's newest book can be seen as a textbook and probably will be used as such. But to view it only as that would be a mistake because it is also an accessible account of the high-points of Christianity divided into three 200-year periods& Christ and Caesar, Christianity Circa 300-500, & Expansion and Order, Latin Christendom, Circa 1050-1250, and & Grace and Authority, Western Christianity, Circa 1450-1650. The lives of such important Christians as St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and Eramus are also touched upon. Most interesting perhaps is the authors admitting to writing about the parts of Christian history that are of & particular interest to him. His excitement, curiosity, and attention to these areas are readily apparent. With the help of maps, illustrations, and skilled writing, his pet subjects soon become the readers. This well-researched and enjoyable labor of love is highly recommended for all libraries." ― Library Journal

Book Description

A beautifully crafted and clearly written introduction to Christianity over its 2000 year history.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press (September 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0814737005
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0814737002
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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George Herring

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rozzy
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022
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Awesome
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Danielle
3.0 out of 5 stars Dry
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2012
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Herring presents the history of the church in an overview of sorts. The information is good, but the reading is very dry. It took me a long time to wade through.
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J Kragt
2.0 out of 5 stars Irritating failure to embrace Protestantism as Valid Criticism of Roman Catholicism
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2014
There is much to learn from this collection of disparate periods of Christianity but beware of a very narrow self-serving Roman Catholicism that puts Herring's whole work under a shadow -- a failure to fully own without distortion his chosen material. For example, in the chapter "Reformations," Mr. Herring cannot stomach the idea of The Protestant Reformation, hence the chapter title "Reformations" (plural) and a continual whining that the Catholic Reformations is not treated as more important than it is !

Herring wishes to dilute the meaning and value of The Protestant Reformation and goes to such extreme lengths to do so that the reader can only wish he would write about things he's passionate about instead of what he dislikes.

Go ahead and write about the Catholic Reformations (many Protestants claim those early reform movements as their own also). Write about them with great passion and excitement, but don't try so hard to change history. Too many people know about the Protestant Reformation for you to get very far with that, except in a closed circle.

If you have not read scrupulously honest church history you will not see how much of great relevance Mr. Herring covers up -- namely the sins of the Catholic Church. If you cannot admit the Church -- Catholic, Protestant, Eastern, or otherwise, has committed many a sin, you simply should not pretend to be writing history of any kind, let alone church history.

Herring argues over and over again that there is nothing about the RC church that "caused" the Protestant Reformation: "The advent of the Reformation, then, had little to do with the condition of the late medieval Church, which was certainly no more in a state of 'decline' or 'decay' than in any other period of ecclesiastical history." p. 233

Perhaps there is something to that, but that just begs the questions. As if Israel were to say, 'we did nothing to cause the Babylonian Captivity. We always were just as bad as all that all along!'

What is "the Church"? This is never defined by Herring. Hence the Church (Roman Catholic of course) is whatever he wants her to be -- better to write a hagiography about HER. Herring claims for Catholicism all the movements that sought spiritual reform. In other words, the bad stuff if not mentioned does not exist, and the good stuff, even though it was regarded with great doubt and distance by the official Church at the time, is presented as the true and Ever-Reforming Catholic Church.

He excludes all reform efforts that stepped outside the magic circle of Roman Catholicism such as Wycliffe and Jan Hus -- they are simply called heretics without an explanation. But Herring does not want the Protestant Reformation to claim a connection to these two either, because that goes against his belief that essentially NOTHING caused the Protestant Reformation -- well ok, some national politics perhaps.

The Black Death comes the closest for Herring to the "cause" of the P Reformation. That and a vague change being in the works everywhere for so long:

"The optimistic rationalism of the 13th century was to experience a profound challenge in the fourteenth century especially when such catastrophes as the Black Death seemed to question both the order of nature and the human capacity to understand and regulate its environment."

It's a sad irony that an institution that places confession of sin absolutely central is not allowed to confess any sins Herself! -- certainly not in relation to the Protestants. That makes perfect sense somehow -- humanly.

Therefore, unless you're very familiar with this history already, this is not a reliable book to read for either Protestants or Catholics or anyone else who seeks unbiased truth. There are much better books out there -- such as Diarmaid MacCulloch's. He seems to write with an Anglican sensibility which makes for a much better bridge between Catholicism and Protestantism.
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Angeline Ruredzo
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2016
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Fascinating reading.
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