- ISBN13: 9780140231991
- Condition: New
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Examines the beginning of the Christian movement during the first centureis AD, and the explosive force of its expansion throughout the Roman world.
Desk Lamp 5 out of 5
Lamp arrived with the lamp shade broken in delivery. Vendor quickly responded. Lamp is everything I expected. Vendor is highly recommended.
An excellent introduction 5 out of 5
I had originally been looking for a single-volume history of the Christian church as background reading for a study of Renaissance art. Unfortunately, all of the single-volume histories I looked at were disappointing, primarily because of the extent to which the confused they history of church doctrine with the history of the church. Chadwick's volume is a refreshing change: he devotes significant attention not only to the doctrinal history but also to the substantial quasi-secular dimensions of Church history. Though his language and conclusions are at times a bit over-cautiously vague, this is an excellent place to start for someone looking for a short history of the church. I can only hope that the other volumes in the Penguin series are as good.
Succinct 4 out of 5
I have recently developed an interest in understanding more about the history of Christianity. I came to realize how little I know about my professed faith. I have now read several general historical books about the faith and about specific periods of the faith. This book serves as a good introduction to its subject matter. I have started to read some books that provide a more detailed analysis on subjects of particular interest to me.
uhhhhhhhhh 5 out of 5
bought this book cause my professor recommended it. never read it. I played guitar instead.
An Informative Description for the Early Scholar 5 out of 5
`The Early Church' by Henry Chadwick is, at two hundred and ninety pages, clearly not the most comprehensive guide to the expansion of Christianity from its humble background, but it is certainly one of the most easily accessible, informative and, indeed, enjoyable for one being introduced to the subject.
Beginning with the suspicious resentment of the Jewish community towards this strange Messianic sect, Chadwick traces the gradual flourishing of this new religion into an institution of immense significance, and the problems that it quickly faced as its numbers grew, not only from outside violent persecution, but, more significantly, from dissent and debate within its own numbers on matters relating to the fundamental identity of Christianity.
Rather than attempt to cover a wide variety of issues in a chronological order, Chadwick has opted to base his chapters thematically, although each still within a relatively appropriate time-line. Thus, the reader is granted the privilege of being informed of what Chadwick considers to be the major issues within the rise of the Christian Church, and study the gradual progression of each topic individually. This method is particularly strong for biographical chapters on specific Church Fathers, as well as allowing the demonstration of the lengthy development of various Church traditions, without forcing the reader to wait in expectation for the years to pass in the pages.
`The Early Church' represents a fine example of scholarly literature within an area unfortunately all too commonly dominated by pseudo-academic tracts and evangelical proof-pamphlets.
