A History Of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years
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- Author：Diarmaid MacCulloch
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Summary
Diarmaid MacCulloch's epic， acclaimed history A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years follows the story of Christianity around the globe， from ancient Palestine to contemporary China。
How did an obscure personality cult come to be the world's biggest religion， with a third of humanity its followers？ This book， now the most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in English， describes not only the main facts， ideas and personalities of Christian history， its organization and spirituality， but how it has changed politics， sex， and human society。
Taking in wars， empires， reformers， apostles， sects， churches and crusaders， Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishments。
'A stunning tour de force'
Simon Sebag Montefiore， Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year
'A landmark in its field， astonishing in its range， compulsively readable， full of insight 。。。 It will have few， if any， rivals in the English language'
Rowan Williams， Archbishop of Canterbury， Guardian
'A prodigious， thrilling， masterclass of a history book'
John Cornwell， Financial Times
'Essential reading for those enthralled by Christianity and for those enraged by it'
Melvyn Bragg， Observer， Books of the Year
'Magnificent 。。。 a sumptuous portrait， alive with detail and generous in judgement'
Richard Holloway， The Times
Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University。 His Thomas Cranmer won the Whitbread Biography Prize， the James Tait Black Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize。 He is the author most recently of Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490 - 1700， which won the Wolfson Prize for History and the British Academy Prize。
How did an obscure personality cult come to be the world's biggest religion， with a third of humanity its followers？ This book， now the most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in English， describes not only the main facts， ideas and personalities of Christian history， its organization and spirituality， but how it has changed politics， sex， and human society。
Taking in wars， empires， reformers， apostles， sects， churches and crusaders， Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishments。
'A stunning tour de force'
Simon Sebag Montefiore， Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year
'A landmark in its field， astonishing in its range， compulsively readable， full of insight 。。。 It will have few， if any， rivals in the English language'
Rowan Williams， Archbishop of Canterbury， Guardian
'A prodigious， thrilling， masterclass of a history book'
John Cornwell， Financial Times
'Essential reading for those enthralled by Christianity and for those enraged by it'
Melvyn Bragg， Observer， Books of the Year
'Magnificent 。。。 a sumptuous portrait， alive with detail and generous in judgement'
Richard Holloway， The Times
Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University。 His Thomas Cranmer won the Whitbread Biography Prize， the James Tait Black Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize。 He is the author most recently of Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490 - 1700， which won the Wolfson Prize for History and the British Academy Prize。
Reviews
David Torgerson
，
Very thorough for those of us readers w/o PHD's in theology or history。 It took me a long time to read this and it was belabored reading for much of it。 I am a slow reader。 However， I esteem the author， who clearly doesn't have a religious agenda， so he must not be evangelical。 One of the things I got from the history is the shameful and heart-rending evidence of human torture and death simply from disagreeing with "official" definitions of man-made creeds by the particular denomination in power Very thorough for those of us readers w/o PHD's in theology or history。 It took me a long time to read this and it was belabored reading for much of it。 I am a slow reader。 However， I esteem the author， who clearly doesn't have a religious agenda， so he must not be evangelical。 One of the things I got from the history is the shameful and heart-rending evidence of human torture and death simply from disagreeing with "official" definitions of man-made creeds by the particular denomination in power at the time。 Anyone reading this book would definitely be freed from the nonsensical fundamentalist/evangelical view of God and humanity。 The words attributed to Jesus， which I choose to believe are mostly accurate， reveal a very enlightened man， whose followers eventually pervert his message， starting with the writers of the gospels， which don't agree with each other despite all the editing by scribes， over the centuries， to edit them。 If nothing else， this book reveals the horror resulting from organized religion made up of unenlightened men， whose monstrous egos cause so much suffering and pain on the common folk。 I highly recommend this book to those who are more interested in truth and facts， rather than myths that bring false comfort。 。。。more
ParisianIrish
，
This is an absolute masterpiece， a real tour de force by MacCulloch。 This is book was quite frankly fascinating， the author has painstakingly researched the origins of the Christian faith， the expansion and the evolution。 For the early origins of Israel， through to Jesus's life， his works， the lives of the evangelists and disciples right up to the modern day。 This is the go to book for all insight into Christianity。 The author goes deep into the archeological sites of ancient Christianity， the v This is an absolute masterpiece， a real tour de force by MacCulloch。 This is book was quite frankly fascinating， the author has painstakingly researched the origins of the Christian faith， the expansion and the evolution。 For the early origins of Israel， through to Jesus's life， his works， the lives of the evangelists and disciples right up to the modern day。 This is the go to book for all insight into Christianity。 The author goes deep into the archeological sites of ancient Christianity， the various sects， the interpretations that information extracted out of those sites shows up。 The historical figures， that helped spread Christianity and turn it into the official religion of Roman empire。 The conflicts with Judaism and Islam， the Christian missions into Africa and Latin America， the saints and scholars that further defined Christianity。 I was blown away by the level of research carried out by Mr。 MacCulloch， a massive credit has to go to him for compelling this masterpiece， I consider this book to be one of the most important history books I've ever read。 Praise I don't give out lightly。It's a lengthy book， but then again it needs to be， the story of Christianity which has shaped so much of modern society and culture deserves this level of attention and focus。 This is definitely a book that should be studied and read by anyone interested in Christianity and especially the earlier origins of this faith。 。。。more
Adrian Sanchez-Reyes Febrian
，
Monumental work full of references。 One of the main pillars for my own book。
Arno Demeulemeester
，
Gelezen tot aan het gedeelte na de Franse Revolutie want daar heb ik nog maar net een volledig vak over gevolgd。Inclusieve en toegankelijke geschiedenis van het christendom; meeste was heropfrissing maar toch nieuwe dingen bijgeleerd zoals over de Armeense kerk， de Syrische Stylieten （Pillaarheiligen）， de Moravische broeders， de bizarre mystieke openbaringen van Agnes Blannbekin， enz。 Ligt vooral aan mezelf， maar de zeventiende tot negentiende eeuw boeit me iets minder， dus daar begon het lezen Gelezen tot aan het gedeelte na de Franse Revolutie want daar heb ik nog maar net een volledig vak over gevolgd。Inclusieve en toegankelijke geschiedenis van het christendom; meeste was heropfrissing maar toch nieuwe dingen bijgeleerd zoals over de Armeense kerk， de Syrische Stylieten （Pillaarheiligen）， de Moravische broeders， de bizarre mystieke openbaringen van Agnes Blannbekin， enz。 Ligt vooral aan mezelf， maar de zeventiende tot negentiende eeuw boeit me iets minder， dus daar begon het lezen wat moeilijker te gaan voor me。 。。。more
Wilson Porte Jr。
，
Sem dúvida， o livro mais bem pesquisado que li na vida。 O historiador inglês Diarmaid é minucioso， detalhista ao contar sobre a história do cristianismo， indo da igreja no ocidente para a igreja no oriente， sem esquecer a igreja africana。 São mais de 1200 páginas de pesquisa exaustiva sobre fatos pouco retratados em outros livros de história eclesiástica。 Para quem é estudante da história da igreja， uma obra recomendadíssima。
John Trivigno
，
Was a great survey of Christian history， really covers everything in its 1，016 pages。 It really puts into perspective the good and bad impact Christianity has had。 The reasons this book has negative reviews is because this book is fair to paint Christianity as what it is in all its aspects: good and bad。
Todd Hudnall
，
BEWARE OF THIS BOOK！ It is how Biblical faith is poisoned。 It is a much-researched volume and I found MacCulloch an interesting writer but it also has enough "liberal poison" to damage someone's faith。 This is particularly true for someone struggling in their walk or new in their faith。 I've been a passionate follower of Jesus Christ for 40 years， have a seminary education， survived a few liberal religion classes， and I still felt this book was spiritually detrimental。 Proverbs 4:23 says， "Guard BEWARE OF THIS BOOK！ It is how Biblical faith is poisoned。 It is a much-researched volume and I found MacCulloch an interesting writer but it also has enough "liberal poison" to damage someone's faith。 This is particularly true for someone struggling in their walk or new in their faith。 I've been a passionate follower of Jesus Christ for 40 years， have a seminary education， survived a few liberal religion classes， and I still felt this book was spiritually detrimental。 Proverbs 4:23 says， "Guard your heart with all diligence。" Though I'm mature enough in the Scripture to "eat the fish and spit out the bones" - it wasn't worth it， especially for a book that was such a huge time investment。 In all transparency - I read less than 1/4th of this massive work。 Yet， I decided to abandon ship。 I desire to build my faith not undermine it。 MacCulloch calls himself "a friend of Christianity" but in the portion of the book I read， he is more of a critic and underminer of Biblical Christianity than a friend。 There are plenty of excellent， well-researched works on Christian history， that you do not have to resort to this book。 If you are looking for a critical view of Christian history that undermines the Scripture - this is the book for you。 Otherwise， run from it！ 。。。more
Matthew
，
It's hard to review this without overloading with superlatives。The sheer volume of information contained within it is staggering。 You could listen to it on repeat for years and still glean new insights into this remarkable history。 Because the history of Europe and the history of Christianity or effectively one and the same up until the last few centuries there is such a vast syllabus of material to cover。 Then once the religion expanded globally even more countries and their particular cultures It's hard to review this without overloading with superlatives。The sheer volume of information contained within it is staggering。 You could listen to it on repeat for years and still glean new insights into this remarkable history。 Because the history of Europe and the history of Christianity or effectively one and the same up until the last few centuries there is such a vast syllabus of material to cover。 Then once the religion expanded globally even more countries and their particular cultures， histories and politics get caught up in the mix。It has been on my shortlist of big （> 1000 page） "project" books I wanted to read， along with the Bible and A New History of Western Philosophy， and there is a sense of accomplishment having finished it， though I have by no means exhausted it。 I would recommend it to anyone who is ready for it - I put it that way because there can be a tension between a blossoming spiritual life and a realisation of the depth of corruption， conflict and politicking that has been ever-present in the life of the Christian church that can stifle a fledgling faith。 I probably wouldn't have been ready to read this a few years ago。 Having spent a few years around theologically-minded， very smart people， I felt like I had a robust enough foundation to dive into this wasp's nest。 Even still， the excoriating reasonableness of the academic historian presents a challenge and forces a pious reader to confront their beliefs with a new appreciation for their various origins， a process which can be unsettling。But if the God we worship as Christians is the perfection of truth， then assimilating the （at times） ugly earthiness of our faith is ultimately only going to bring us closer to Him。 。。。more
Eric
，
This was quite the tome to get through。 Long dense paragraphs didn't help。 But if you can slog through it， you'll get a great overview of the history of what once was called Christendom， from ancient Greece to the mid-2000s。 Other reviews have pointed some out of the author's blind spots when it comes to the Bible， so I won't cover those here。 They stem not so much from malice on the author's part， but more with the author choosing to accept conventional wisdom in too many cases。 Other time， tho This was quite the tome to get through。 Long dense paragraphs didn't help。 But if you can slog through it， you'll get a great overview of the history of what once was called Christendom， from ancient Greece to the mid-2000s。 Other reviews have pointed some out of the author's blind spots when it comes to the Bible， so I won't cover those here。 They stem not so much from malice on the author's part， but more with the author choosing to accept conventional wisdom in too many cases。 Other time， though， he bucks conventional wisdom and appears more sympathetic to his topic。 Overall， it's a balanced approach。One thing that struck me is that the history of Christianity was intertwined with the fortunes of various nation-states that supported it。 The result all too often was division and bloodshed。 This makes me appreciate the American founders even more， in refusing a state religion and protecting the natural right to worship as you please。Another plus: the author delves deeply into theological discussions so you understand why different factions arose and formed such clear divisions。 。。。more
Alexander Craig
，
A history of Christianity from a friendly， if occasionally uncharitable， secular perspective。 I found a few places where MacCulloch seems to have overgeneralized or even just been in outright error， which cast an unfortunate pall over the rest of the work。 However， considering the sheer breadth of coverage， such slippages are forgivable。 I leave to other historians to decide what sort of reception this work should have as a contribution to historical scholarship。 As a broad outline of the global A history of Christianity from a friendly， if occasionally uncharitable， secular perspective。 I found a few places where MacCulloch seems to have overgeneralized or even just been in outright error， which cast an unfortunate pall over the rest of the work。 However， considering the sheer breadth of coverage， such slippages are forgivable。 I leave to other historians to decide what sort of reception this work should have as a contribution to historical scholarship。 As a broad outline of the global history of Christianity and as an introduction to many parts of Christian history which are often de-emphasized， forgotten， or overlooked， I found it valuable。 The reader should just remember that Christians often have answers or a different perspective from that offered here。 。。。more
Benjamin Harbuck
，
Amazingly comprehensive history of Christianity throughout the world。 Given the breadth of the subject matter， it does a great job of providing a meaningful discussion of important events， movements， and trends in the religion， in a way that creates coherent through-lines， connections， and narratives and without becoming tedious。 Especially useful for seeing connections between Christianity and world events， and for getting a pretty comprehensive view of European history in general。 Gives a good Amazingly comprehensive history of Christianity throughout the world。 Given the breadth of the subject matter， it does a great job of providing a meaningful discussion of important events， movements， and trends in the religion， in a way that creates coherent through-lines， connections， and narratives and without becoming tedious。 Especially useful for seeing connections between Christianity and world events， and for getting a pretty comprehensive view of European history in general。 Gives a good amount of information about specific thinkers and writers in a way that makes it easy to know whose work you might want to read more of。 Really makes you see the sheer weight of Christianity throughout the world， in all its variations and with all its potential。 Definitely not meant to be a faith-inducing book， but that’s not its job （and it’s not faith-destroying either）—good book for seeing the history of Christianity through a reasonably skeptical historian’s eyes。 Also not meant to be a history of Christ’s life either—it really is a history of Christianity。 。。。more
Rafael Toledo Plata
，
Dicen que la tercera es la vencida。 Compré este libro en abril de 2015 y lo inicié con entusiasmo。 No logré avanzar más allá de la mitad。 Lo volví a comenzar en agosto de 2019 previo a un viaje por tierra santa y no logré pasar más allá de la mitad que había dejado con el intento número uno。 Lo volí a iniciar en abril de este año y en menos de dos meses lo terminé。 Sin duda， un reto histórico muy interesante， que requirió de mucha atención y entusiasmo para poder entrar en los terrenos más insos Dicen que la tercera es la vencida。 Compré este libro en abril de 2015 y lo inicié con entusiasmo。 No logré avanzar más allá de la mitad。 Lo volví a comenzar en agosto de 2019 previo a un viaje por tierra santa y no logré pasar más allá de la mitad que había dejado con el intento número uno。 Lo volí a iniciar en abril de este año y en menos de dos meses lo terminé。 Sin duda， un reto histórico muy interesante， que requirió de mucha atención y entusiasmo para poder entrar en los terrenos más insospechados que dieron forma a la Cristiandad。Concluyo que la historia， las guerras， la transformaciones culturales y sociales y todo lo que hoy entendemos como "occidente"， medio oriente y parte del lejano oriente， ha tomado de las fuentes de la Cristiandad para ser lo que es y somos hoy como sociedad。 Esto no es ni bueno， ni malo。 Es un hecho。Un libro que sin entrar en cuestiones o dogmas de fe， explica las diferentes vertientes， enseñanzas， evangelizaciones， transformaciones y fracturas al interior de la iglesia como un todo que con el pasar de los años se ha alejado de las fuentes primigenias del cristianismo （Edesa） y se ha preocupado por señalar quién entre todas las diferentes corrientes tiene una verdad más absoluta sobre la naturaleza de Cristo y el contenido tanto del nuevo como del antiguo testamento。También resulta muy interesante ver la génesis de conceptos que se usan a diario y que como todo， responde a un hecho o acontencer histórico （Iglesia， Parroquia， Cura， entre otros）。Quedo absolutamente convencido （y sin duda reafirmé） que la iglesia como institución está llena de errores， pecados y situaciones que con el pasar de los siglos han dejado de ser foco de interés y que sin duda son fundamentales si uno quiere tratar no sólo de entenderla un poco más sino para poder criticarla con argumentos y evidencia histórica y no con argumentos pasionales que no nutren en modo alguno una discusión que debe estar a la altura de una tradición religiosa que abarca hoy casi de un tercio de la población mundial。Recomiendo el documental que el autor hizo junto a la BBC， pues nutre mucho la lectura y permite quedarse con lo más relevante， pues por más que uno quiera， no es posible conservar toda la información de un tan libro voluminoso y plagado de información， referencias， fechas， lugares， personajes， etc， etc， etc。Por último quiero decir que se trata de un libro muy agradable de leer， que tiene dos problemas:1。 No se puede llevar a todas pares por ser tan grande （+ de 1200 paginas）。2。 Toca buscar lugares cómodos para leerlo。 。。。more
Barbara
，
I read this 1200-page TOME for my Education for Ministry group at church， and it feels like such an accomplishment！ While I learned a lot from it， it wouldn't be my first choice for a Christian History text。 The breadth of scholarship is impressive， and I really appreciated his inclusion of the Eastern branches of the Christian church。 However， I found MacCulloch's overall tone off-putting。 Far too often， he's condescending and dismissive of the very religion he's chronicling， which was frustrat I read this 1200-page TOME for my Education for Ministry group at church， and it feels like such an accomplishment！ While I learned a lot from it， it wouldn't be my first choice for a Christian History text。 The breadth of scholarship is impressive， and I really appreciated his inclusion of the Eastern branches of the Christian church。 However， I found MacCulloch's overall tone off-putting。 Far too often， he's condescending and dismissive of the very religion he's chronicling， which was frustrating and disappointing。 I mean， there's a lot of ugly stuff in the history of Christianity， and there's nothing wrong with examining the political machinations and abuses of Christianity that have unfortunately been a part of its history。 But I had a hard time with his frequent sarcasm about sincerely felt religious experiences。 For example， his discussion of Marian apparitions （a phenomenon I have a measure of skepticism about myself） was mocking and felt borderline sexist。 I don't expect a historian to necessarily subscribe to the religion he's writing about， but I do expect a greater level of balance in the overall tone， as well as a greater level of respect for adherents of that faith。 To be fair， his tone wasn't always so acerbic， and the book does end with a positive view of the future of Christianity。。。 I was just frustrated at too many other points along the way！ 。。。more
James Uscroft
，
Although the author deserves applause for even 'ATTEMPTING' to write something as monumental as a history of Christianity from its origins in Judaism and Classical Greek culture to the "Culture Wars" of today， the very nature of such a Herculean feat means that the result was always doomed to be both somehow ridiculously long， 'AND' ludicrously short。 By which I mean that in seeking to at least mention every major， significant and/or pivotal event in the history of the development of Christianit Although the author deserves applause for even 'ATTEMPTING' to write something as monumental as a history of Christianity from its origins in Judaism and Classical Greek culture to the "Culture Wars" of today， the very nature of such a Herculean feat means that the result was always doomed to be both somehow ridiculously long， 'AND' ludicrously short。 By which I mean that in seeking to at least mention every major， significant and/or pivotal event in the history of the development of Christianity， Diarmaid MacCulloch had no choice but to reduce key events and eras of history which could be （and almost always are） the subjects of entire books unto themselves to little more than bullet point summaries。 Meaning that invariably， when he raised a subject in which I was genuinely interested， before I even knew it， he'd moved on to the next， leaving me to Google the subject for myself before once again returning to wade through the seemingly endless sea of "And then this happened， then this happened， and then that happened as well" while groaning with despair as I realised that I was nowhere near close to being done。 Indeed， the seemingly endless string of one event after another and one biography after another made any kind of engagement with or retention of the information presented impossible as the very nature of the project forced to the author to compose a narrative that was as wide as an ocean but as shallow as a teaspoon。 So in summary then， in spite of the magnificent efforts by the author to create a 'Comprehensive' history of Christianity， this book is caught in the paradoxical limbo of being 'FAR' too long to be an introductory summary， but composed of entries that are so short and superficial that it can't possibly be anything else。 。。。more
Meghavarshini Krishnaswamy
，
A good introduction to the history of Christianity。 I enjoyed the generally approachable tone， the discussion on diversity of philosophies， and notes on the historical context for words like "heretic"， "atheist" and such。 I think the book made a good faith attempt to describe the trajectory of institutional vs grassroots religious movements and social justice when discussing Europe and ancient kingdoms of the middle East。 However， the chapters post 16th century on other parts of the world read l A good introduction to the history of Christianity。 I enjoyed the generally approachable tone， the discussion on diversity of philosophies， and notes on the historical context for words like "heretic"， "atheist" and such。 I think the book made a good faith attempt to describe the trajectory of institutional vs grassroots religious movements and social justice when discussing Europe and ancient kingdoms of the middle East。 However， the chapters post 16th century on other parts of the world read like they were written by someone who did not know enough。 I think it was a bit too generous its recounting of land theft across the globe， and missed the mark when it came to explaining why Christianity did not replace local traditions in places where it didn't。 It took me a while to finish and I am happy I have interesting citations and noted for later。 。。。more
Joanie
，
Imagine running into a world-famous historian at a pub。 He's had a few drinks， and when you ask him to tell you about the history of Christianity， he gives you his unvarnished version， full of name -dropping， opinions， and diatribes。 He occasionally losing you in sidenotes of historical trivia， while dropping more names， dates， and geography on you like only a world-traveling scholar can do。 That's what it's like to read Diamaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity， and it is not for the faint Imagine running into a world-famous historian at a pub。 He's had a few drinks， and when you ask him to tell you about the history of Christianity， he gives you his unvarnished version， full of name -dropping， opinions， and diatribes。 He occasionally losing you in sidenotes of historical trivia， while dropping more names， dates， and geography on you like only a world-traveling scholar can do。 That's what it's like to read Diamaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity， and it is not for the faint of heart。Yes， I read the book cover to cover and I am so proud of myself。 It was often a challenge， but also captivatingly interesting。 After learning the effects of politics， geography， and personalities on the religious nature of humans， I have a better understanding of world history。 I also have a great skepticism for the Church with a capital C。 Reading this book made it clear to me that faith is about God， but religion is about humans。 Our beliefs and affiliations are so strongly shaped by a male-dominated， power-hungry heritage that leaves little of the gospel message intact。 I feel stronger in my faith and also more grown-up in my religious tradition with this knowledge。 BTW， it took me nine months to read this hefty tome， at roughly a chapter a week。 I occasionally drifted over to the audio book or videos to supplement。 Overall， it was not easy， but time well-spent。 。。。more
Graham Cammock
，
The most extraordinary book I have ever read！I think if you write 1000 pages on anything， it’s going to do the job， therefore， being 1016 pages long， this book is an amazing and staggering odyssey of the history of who we are， particularly for us Western Asians， Europeans and westerners etc， however， a lot of the book also deals with Eastern Christianity， mainly centred around Asia Minor and Constantinople （the Eastern Roman Empire）。 The book is about the spread of Christianity from humble begin The most extraordinary book I have ever read！I think if you write 1000 pages on anything， it’s going to do the job， therefore， being 1016 pages long， this book is an amazing and staggering odyssey of the history of who we are， particularly for us Western Asians， Europeans and westerners etc， however， a lot of the book also deals with Eastern Christianity， mainly centred around Asia Minor and Constantinople （the Eastern Roman Empire）。 The book is about the spread of Christianity from humble beginnings to world domination， to that end absolutely every country and continent that has been touched by Christianity is mentioned in this book。 From small beginnings in ancient Israel to Asia Minor （Turkey）， Greece， Rome， Egypt， Ethiopia， Spain， the British Isles， Germany， Poland-Lithuania （a country of religious tolerance and pluralism） Russia （from Greek Orthodox I think）， China， India， Japan， Korea， America， Mexico， Latin America， Australia etc （the list goes on and on）， practically the whole of planet Earth is covered。 The eastern and western churches are a major theme throughout the book， namely Orthodox and Catholic Christianity and how they became separated， also obviously the Reformation and Protestantism are major themes。 All the myriad different schisms of the eastern and western churches， such as miaphysite and dyophysite， which basically mean the belief in either the oneness or dual （human and divine） aspects of Jesus Christ respectively。 Also the chalcedonian and non-chalcedonian confessions are a major theme。 Also obviously， the myriad of sub-confessions of Protestantism and the Reformation are also a major theme throughout much of the book， too many to recount here。 It’s crazy because most of the chapters of this book， excepting the last two are a successful and all together pleasing， forward， happy and ‘good news’ kind of a story of Christianity。 The only negative or slightly depressing bits in all but the last two chapters are the Islamic surges in and conquests of Christendom， mostly depressingly of all Byzantium （the eastern Roman Empire）， parts of south Eastern Europe and Spain。 The Muslims even reached into France and were defeated at Battle of Tours， also called Battle of Poitiers in October 732 AD。 So that is the only depressing bit in 90% of the book。 Then come the last two chapters which deal with the twentieth and twenty first centuries， and GHEEZE what a sad and weird story the ‘history of Christianity’ is！ I don’t mean this book， the book is absolutely amazing， but the actual and inescapable ‘history of Christianity’ is a sad and lunatic story。 Obviously， after the world wars， the Holocaust and the scourges of both Nazism and Communism， Christianity （or is it just Europe？） completely just bottoms out。 After the Holocaust， the westerners （mostly Protestants） can’t control a thing， I mean such as the 1960s cultural revolution and its sexual liberations etc。 They can’t even control， contraceptives， abortions， same-sex marriages and women ordinations etc。 The last two chapters send shivers down your spine and make you gulp！ Out of the doom and gloom of the twentieth century you cannot help but think ‘GHEEZE this is not going to end good！’ Definitely nobody， post-Holocaust is listening to the Pope or the Catholic Church regarding such matters。 It’s such a sad and depressing story。 However， thankfully， Diarmaid MacCulloch kindly picks up and ends with a warm， friendly and positive note in the last few pages。 This book is by far the largest and longest book that I have ever read， save the Bible， however， it is different to the Bible in that it’s so fascinating that I couldn’t read it fast， （I averaged 14。3 pages a day）， and it has you hanging on every word， especially （and ironically） the last two demoralising chapters。 If you take on this massive and amazing book， stick with it， it is an odyssey， it is an achievement and you will get rewarded。 。。。more
Bethany Smith
，
A helpful， intriguing， and often witty overview of the history of the Church around the world。 I highly recommend this text to any and all who need or want a 30，000 ft view/understanding of the Church's history。 A helpful， intriguing， and often witty overview of the history of the Church around the world。 I highly recommend this text to any and all who need or want a 30，000 ft view/understanding of the Church's history。 。。。more
Matt Lehrer
，
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。
Simón Dueñas
，
El mejor libro de historia que he tenido la oportunidad de leer。 Increíble。
Lucio Mellace
，
‘A History of Christianity: The First 3，000 years’ is a book written by Diarmaid MacCulloch detailing the history of Christianity from Ancient Greece to Today。 There were， in a very pleasurable read， two flaws: one is the introduction to Nietzsche， the other is when heading towards an overview of Who found America， it would of been nice to have alternative theories about who found this great land first。 However， I enjoyed every moment of the book despite having taking me so long to finish。 What ‘A History of Christianity: The First 3，000 years’ is a book written by Diarmaid MacCulloch detailing the history of Christianity from Ancient Greece to Today。 There were， in a very pleasurable read， two flaws: one is the introduction to Nietzsche， the other is when heading towards an overview of Who found America， it would of been nice to have alternative theories about who found this great land first。 However， I enjoyed every moment of the book despite having taking me so long to finish。 What I found most interesting was the Reformation， 1800’s， and the two world wars which comes with a discussion about whether the dictators and evil men were religious or not。If you are a philosophy or a heology student this is a must read。 If you are a lover of wisdom this would be up your alley， and for the layman this is a nice thing to consider reading。 。。。more
Anna Hovhannisyan
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Christianity is surely a complex topic， but the whole thing was very hard to read。 First of all I didn’t like the author’s style。 Other than that it clearly feels that this “history” is rather an antagonizing one。 It mostly lacks neutrality: the author failed it big time。
Emily W
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I have officially abandoned this book。 It is too long and dense。
Dwight
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Sweeping history of Christianity starting back before Jesus’ birth。 Gets into quite a bit of detail on many things I’ve only faintly heard of。 Would be nice to get a similarly scoped history from a believer， but perhaps the outsider’s view takes us to places that wouldn’t be investigated。
Jonathan
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MacCulloch presents his history of the Christian religion with incredible scope， but this predictably arrives at the expense of analysis and explanation。 The first few chapters are a noteworthy exception， and are the standout material in this book。
Steve
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Well Researched But DenseThere is a lot of information covered in this book。 Some topics seem off based。 The writer often gives more attention to the history and politics of Christianity rather than the theological aspects， and this is a drawback。
Aldon Hynes
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I read this for two courses in Christian History。 It is an impressive tome chock full of information; a valuable resource。 One warning， MacCulloch's biases sometimes get in the way of providing full information and there are plenty of times that an editor could have made the book much better by removing unnecessary snarkiness。 I read this for two courses in Christian History。 It is an impressive tome chock full of information; a valuable resource。 One warning， MacCulloch's biases sometimes get in the way of providing full information and there are plenty of times that an editor could have made the book much better by removing unnecessary snarkiness。 。。。more
Jonathon
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Enjoyed this book immensely。 The author is not a believer， but refers to himself as a “candid friend of Christianity。” As someone with a complex relationship with the Christian religion （in sundry forms）， I was intrigued and challenged by the author’s approach to the worldwide faith。 I am well versed in church history， but learned quite a bit of new and fascinating things while reading。
Eric Brown
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MacCulloch gives sardonic and playful commentary， emerging from his status as a self-professed "friend of Christianity"， as an aid to his herculean task of writing a popular history and prognosis for established Christianity in an era of doubt， while also trying to address modern outbreaks of fervour， from Latter-Day Saints to Pentecostals。 Weaknesses and glosses seem to multiply the closer he gets to the modern era， but that is partially the danger of moving from popular historian to commentato MacCulloch gives sardonic and playful commentary， emerging from his status as a self-professed "friend of Christianity"， as an aid to his herculean task of writing a popular history and prognosis for established Christianity in an era of doubt， while also trying to address modern outbreaks of fervour， from Latter-Day Saints to Pentecostals。 Weaknesses and glosses seem to multiply the closer he gets to the modern era， but that is partially the danger of moving from popular historian to commentator on those contemporary struggles， among Christians of various creeds， to define and reconcile identity in a pluralistic and increasingly secular world。 Notwithstanding a number of factual errors on modern non-anglophone history， an enjoyable and surprisingly easy read given the ambitious scope of MacCulloch's work。 。。。more
mylogicisfuzzy
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