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The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation
- Narrated by: Luke Timothy Johnson
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
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The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation
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Summary
How did a persecuted sect in 1st-century Palestine rise to command such a massive influence on human culture, imagination, and spirit? How did Christianity weather the first critical stages of its historical development and attain its fundamental and enduring cultural role?
Speaking incisively to all of this and more, these 36 enthralling lectures tell the phenomenal story of Christianity's first 1,500 years, in all its remarkable diversity and complex dimension. In the company of Professor Johnson of Emory University, you'll follow the dramatic trajectory of Christianity from its beginnings as a "cult of Jesus" to its rise as a fervent religious movement; from its emergence as an unstoppable force within the Roman Empire to its critical role as an imperial religion; from its remarkable growth, amid divisive disputes and rivalries, to the ultimate schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism; and from its spread throughout the Western world to its flowering as a culture that shaped Europe for 800 years.
Throughout this series, you'll look deeply into the nature and role of faith, the ethos of our civilization, and the core conceptions of identity and ethics that underlie the Western worldview. This is history in the most vivid and meaningful sense of the word: an inquiry into the past that opens a compelling awareness of our present-of our living origins, our ultimate horizons, our deeper selves.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- D O'Meara
- 09-09-16
Good overview, but biased
This is very enjoyable account but perhaps should be called "A History of Catholicism in Context" (the narrator admits this bias at the start). The writer/narrator presents, at times, a very personal account and is clearly a firm devotee of Christianity which will appeal to some listeners, but perhaps not to those looking for a clinical historical analysis. It is strongest on the first 500 years of Christianity and presents an excellent overview of the complexity of early Christianity, in particular it's Jewish and Greek influences. I would have liked some more detail on non-European Christianity, but all in all there was much well presented information to take away from this overview to give the reader a good introduction to this field.of study.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Captivating and inspiring
- 31-01-23
Fantastic
The lecture is very inspiring
I recommend it to anyone interested in how Christianity evolves.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
- Chrystyna
- 04-09-19
Thought provoking.
Enjoyed it. Very interesting and illuminating. It follows the history showing how Christianity went from a new life led by Jesus, to a religion an institution and another worldy religion
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr
- 22-03-15
Brilliant
Fabulous over view. V well done. It would be handy if the chapters had written headings. Highly recommended. Thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-05-18
A Compelling Tour d'Horizon
An authoritative and succinct account of these turbulent times, from a learned lecturer who's always in control of the grand narrative.
Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Graham & Rachel Hall
- 17-04-17
At least listen to it if you are going to review
Any additional comments?
To be clear, the narrator speaks of Constantinian 'sponsorship' and it is explicitly stated that Christianity was not made the official religion of the empire until Theodosius I. The person who said otherwise clearly was not listening intently enough.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- LilKajsa
- 07-09-17
An excellent overview
A great way of looking at the broad sweep of the development of the European church. So many themes that seem modern such as different forms of spiritual expression, the relationship between church and state and how much a faith can adapt to culture without losing its essence are shown to go way back. Obviously taking this broad brush approach means you're conscious of skating over the surface of some big topics.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Silenced by Amazon
- 20-07-15
Fails in the first lecture
Any additional comments?
In the first lecture, the lecturer claims that Constantine made Christianity the State Religion. Wrong. Constantine made it a legal religion. It was Theodosius I some 67+ years later who made it the State Religion.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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- Denis Rono
- 23-08-18
Hard to follow
I found the narrator hard to follow. It seemed like he would go off on tangents and I would forget the original topic by the time he was done. The chapters did not seem to be laid out in a logical manner. It’s more of a shotgun of information than a narrative
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