The Story of Christianity: A History of 2,000 Years of the Christian Faith

by David Bentley Hart

In The Story of Christianity, acclaimed theologian David Bentley Hart provides a sweeping and informative portrait of a faith that has shaped the western world and beyond for over 2,000 years.

From the persecutions of the early church to the papal-imperial conflicts of the Middle Ages, from the religious wars of 16th- and 17th-century Europe to the challenges of science and secularism in the modern era, and from the ancient Christian communities of Africa and Asia to the ‘house churches’ of contemporary China, The Story of Christianity triumphantly captures the complexity and diversity of Christian history

Genres: History, Religion, Christianity, Theology, Nonfiction, Church History, Christian

356 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2007

About the author

David Bentley Hart, an Eastern Orthodox scholar of religion and a philosopher, writer, and cultural commentator, is a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. He lives in South Bend, IN.

Reviews

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I appreciate most about Hart’s history is his attention given to the non-western church. For example, I did not know the long history of the Ethiopian church. Also in my Christian education, the years 400 to 1000 AD were often often glanced over, as if the Byzantine empire and Constantinople weren’t important and Rome was the pinnacle city— not to mention the theme that Augustine and Aquinas were the only great thinkers in the church’s first 1300 years.

His corrective histories were informative as well—for example, his reorientation of the modern mythos surrounding Galileo’s trial.

Hart also ends with a hopeful tone for Christians, as the future of Christianity likely rests in the South and East.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my effort to read all of David Bentley Hart’s books, I came to this one, which was one of his first books. After finishing it, it is probably now my go-to recommendation for a general church history. Hart does not give all the focus to the west after the Great Schism. Instead, he keeps going back to the eastern churches. This gives his work a beautiful and wide scope. He also manages to burst a few myth bubbles about the rise of Christianity, the modern period and what it all means (which he hits more deeply in Atheist Delusions). Overall, this is the perfect book if you want to dip your toe into exploring the history of Christianity.

[David Withun · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and informative.

This history is broad in scope but still very readable. DBH is careful to cover developments in the Christian churches of the East, an area which is seemingly neglected in some books on Christian history, which tend to focus on the history of European Christianity.

He tempers his usual lexical pyrotechnics, and holds his acid tongue to tell this history straight. This makes it less entertaining or provocative than some of his other books, but I suppose the style better suits the purpose.

[cristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but comprehensive history of Christianity.

DBH tells a story of Christianity spanning from the first decades of our era to the 21st century, and from Israel-Palestine to the ends of the earth, extinguishing a few myths along the way and paying due attention to the East as well as the West. The book helps one appreciate, somewhat more fully, the relation between Christianity and the world around, its politics especially.

[J. Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome reading and amazing pictures. Great for the family as well.

[Jaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very brief overview of a huge history, but it's helpful in drawing the general outline. Hart is signifacantly more charitable toward basically everyone than I have come to expect, everyone from the Inquisition to the Anabaptists.

[Avery Amstutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE beginners book for church history. I wish this would have been my high school church history text. Also I’ve decided I like Hart. And if you don’t… FIGHT ME!!

[Jacob Aitken]

Professor Hart is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, but as in many of his works, he gives considerable (and fair) attention to the West. He doesn’t cover any new ground in this book that one wouldn’t also find in the standard church history book, but he does cover old ground from new angles. In discussing the different epochs of Church History, Hart asks the reader questions that only an Easterner would ask, causing the reader to pause for reflection and to come away with a richer understanding of his faith. In this review I will focus on several areas that Westerners do not either speak of or speak of in simplistic terms: Christology, Asian Christianities, and the struggle for faith in the 19th Century. So, I won’t be giving a point-by-point outline of the book. Most readers will be familiar enough with the material.



Christology

When we speak of Christ it’s usually in terms of “God sent him to die for our sins so that we could be saved.” That’s true, but there’s more to the story. As Hart notes of the Incarnation, “human beings were now able to become vessels of the divine presence, and Christians would look forward to a day when God’s glory would be revealed in those who had been joined to Christ, and would transfigure the whole of creation” (12). Hart is not changing the story but telling it on different grounds, allowing different (but very biblical) questions to be raised.



Asian and African Christianities

If any churches can claim continuity with antiquity, it would be Armenian and Indian churches. Like other Oriental churches, the Armenian church had problems with Chalcedonian formulations (one wonders how much of this was substance and how much was language?).



According to legend, the Church in India was founded by St Thomas the Apostle. Hart argues this might not be entirely fiction. There were ancient trade routes from the Middle East to India and there were Christian communities in western India as early as the second century (62).



The Anguish of Faith in the 19th Century

Many writers point out the depression and anguish of the 1800s. Non-Christian writers were in despair (read a secular novel from the 19th century and see the quiet desperation). Christian writers, supposedly, were in flux. And much of this narrative is true. Hart goes on to say that despite the acute attacks on Christianity (Nietzsche, Comte, etc), there was a flowering of fresh Christian activity. And perhaps these were related. The Slavophiles of Russia reacted to the Enlightenment and in that reaction produced arguably the most creative Christian response. Alexei Khomyakov and Vladimir Solovyov articulated the Sobornost: an integrated approach to reality that values brotherhood, harmony, and concordance all in the context of a connected and rooted Christianity. Even to this day it is my opinion that Sobornost is the best response to socialism and capitalism. And finally, the 19th century gave us one of the greatest thinkers of all time: Fyodor Dostoevsky.



Conclusion:

There is much more to the book. Hart debunks many mythical narratives told by the Enlightenment: Galileo actually had church protection and routinely failed to mathematically prove his conclusions. He gave the “correct” answers but his models could not allow for them. And Galileo could not allow for the fact that he was wrong. Hart notes that the Islamic empires didn’t actually give scientific and cultural breakthroughs. Rather, they inherited the cultural legacy of three different civilizations. Those are other examples in the book. And of course, obviously, the book contains some of the most beautiful art work in Western Civilization.

[Sherif Gerges · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful (literally, the graphics are stunning) and engrossing book that I couldn't put down. David Hart's "The Story of Christianity" is a deeply research and scholarly work which, quite candidly, surprised me in its richness. This is a must read for anyone interested in religious history.

Harts paints a picture of Christianity as being a universal creed. His historical analysis encompasses not merely the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions of Christianity (although he dives into them a fair amount) but also diving into the myriad ancient Christian communities—such as the Armenian, Ethiopian, and Coptic—which, despite their antiquity, never integrated into the domain commonly referred to as "Christendom." Common perceptions often classify Christianity as a predominantly Western faith, yet his historical scrutiny reveals a distinctive thread.

Originally, Christianity's epicenter was situated within the Mediterranean basin, namely nestled amongst the people of the Middle East and North African. Surprisingly, I learned that some of the earliest Christian communities have thrived in Ethiopia and India, and Nestorian Christians, in flight from the Byzantine Empire's jurisdiction, propagated the faith deep into Asia—a fact evidenced by Marco Polo's encounters with them during his expeditions.

In this work, he also dispels some myths, several of which I wasn't aware of. For instance, a fact that enjoys widespread circulation within scholarly circles posits that the demolition of the now-renowned Library of Alexandria was orchestrated by Coptic Christian Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria. According to Hart, this is a myth; and the person to blame is none other than Julius Caesar.

Other example include the discovery of the America's, which saw missionaries introducing Christianity to indigenous cultures. Here, they frequently standing in opposition to the imperialism that characterized the European colonization, rather than endorsing it. The Jesuits' missionary endeavors in Japan met with significant success until the government executed a severe crackdown on the faith in the seventeenth century.

At the time the book was written (and indeed, this remains the case hitherto), many believe that Christianity is on the decline. It is an incontestable fact that secularism has slowly eroded the Christian dogma that buttressed much of Western history. However, this does not reflect global trends. The reality starkly presented by Hart substantially contrasts this view: the religion is experiencing unprecedented growth, and Christianity is now marked by substantial expansion across Africa and Asia. Hart eloquently suggests that, even after two milleania, the narrative of Christianity is far from concluding; rather, it is on the cusp of a new, different chapter.

Masterful.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. An irenic and thorough, if necessarily selective, overview of the history of the Christian faith.
One thing that I was again struck by was how willing Hart is to admit to the failings of the church and the ways in which the life of the faithful has always been entangled in less than spiritual concerns, as if a faith like Christianity can be relegated to only the "spiritual". Much like in, the unfortunately titled, Atheist Delusions Hart insists on historical accuracy in describing the failings of Christianity and also what it accomplished. Over all this is a great survey of Christianity, written with a certain style and humor that was appealing to me.
One minor quibble. I get tired of reading that cruxifixction was anything less than an Imperial Roman method of social control that was more or less reserved for those who rebelled against the empire. Hart says that cruxifixction was reserved for the "lowest of criminals" which unfortunately masked the political overtones on the whole narrative. Albeit in the preceding two paragraphs on pgs. 18-19 he does mention the seditions nature of the charge against Jesus of being "king of the Jews", but it would have helped later discussions of the relationship of the Christianity with the empire if the revolutionary character of the Cross had been foregrounded more. That aside I really enjoyed this book.

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve read so far from David Bentley Hart. Great prose and scholarship. Hart gives a concise history of Christianity and is very charitable to those outside his tradition: Eastern Orthodoxy. As a Protestant, I appreciated Hart covering more than just the Western church and topics less emphasized in Protestant histories such as monasticism, iconography, the crusades, and Islam’s impact on the world.

[Corey Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Will read again.

[Mel Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHICH HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY TO USE?
I read this book as a possible text to use in teaching a one unit History of Christianity to a classroom of high school students.
I have also considered Justo Gonzalez's two volume set The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Reformation The Story of Christianity: Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day, which I used in my college classes. My concern is that these will be TOO long for a one unit, 30 week class. I have ordered the 2nd edition to see what changes were made.
Lastly, I've also read and considered Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. This is an excellent book and is now on its 4th edition. The focus on 14 major events is great, because it will help students not to get lost in the forest of a thousand facts. It doesn't has as much visual appeal for high school students as does Gonzalez or especially D.B. Hart's book, however.

Now, to the nitty gritty of the book in question.
I kept my eyes wide open for every passage that might be problematic in a class of mixed Baptists, Pentecostals, Catholics, and others. There were a few!
It's strangely true that where and how to start a history of Christianity is challenging, and the early parts of this book were the ones I liked the least. This book starts with the story of Israel. I was surprised by the dating of Abraham at 1800-1700 B.C. (p10), a couple hundred years later than what many conservatives would say, but there is some debate about dating Abraham. I was very surprised by offhanded statement by Hart which seemed to dismiss the reliability of the gospel account of the resurrection in 'The Easter Proclamation.' He writes: 'Allowing for literary embellishment, and for the tendency of tales to grow in the telling, there is clearly a single tradition here.' (p21). On the next page he makes an allusion to the fact that there are differing atonement theories, but assumes the ransom or Christus Victor is the true one without really clarifying the varieties of ideas which would arise (p22).
In 'The Church of the Apostles,' Hart asserts that 'The Church. . . was distinguished by its disdain of riches' (24) The evidence that he offers is that people share possessions and sell property assist the poor. This is hardly disdain and one wonders if this is a flag of perhaps Hart's own sentiments being read into the Acts passage?
In the box story on 'The Death of Polycarp' Hart expresses strong skepticism of the account, calling it "embellished" and a 'colorful tale' (p39) for its supernatural elements. But then just over the page, he states very definitively things about Simon the Sorcerer and his beliefs that are very thinly attested in the clear historical record, presenting Bible and various sources all muddled together, and at any rate, Simon may not be the most important person to spend two large paragraphs on in a book of 50 chapters on the whole history of Christianity.
I find his 'Problems of Translation' box (p77) very simplistic, attributing Augustine's view of predestination to a misunderstanding of a couple passages or the verb praedestinare because he read them in Latin rather than Greek. There are many other clearer examples of how translation has caused theology differences--caritas versus agape in 1 Corinthians for example--and it seems impossible to me to attribute the different views on election to merely 'translation.' Apparently Millard Erickson in his Christian Theology made a similar argument about Augustine's understanding of ἐφ ᾧ of Romans 5:12 leading to a stronger view of depravity. The problem is, plenty of total depravity election folks in the English and other-speaking worlds still believe such a doctrine without the Latin. But rest assured, Dr. Hart, you have stirred my curiosity regarding original sin and I hope to investigate the doctrine among eastern churches and especially those of the Syriac traditions.
Hart says in 'Colonies and Missions' that "The nations that established colonies in the New World, needless to say, were interested primarily in the acquisition of territory and the gathering of spoils, not in the advance of Christianity. . .' (p206). I'm not convinced it was needless to say, nor as simple as stated.

But for all that, there is a lot to appreciate about this book, especially once the early chapters are past. Every short chapter has at least two pictures, usually color. Every chapter has a biography box highlighting someone from the period, as well as a timeline of events in the chapter. In terms of eye appeal and organization, these layout choices are great! There is plenty of great art here should you want to have an occasional discussion on that. In fact initially, with so much art, and only 250 pages of text, I was skeptical how completely he could tell the whole story. But there is good basic coverage here. And he does a good job at presenting at least at taste of a variety of Christian traditions, not only in the West but around the world. My opinion of the book kept rising through the second half. In short, it's a great basic book that with some attention to correcting sloppy or cynical language would make this a REALLY great book.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Ultimately even pagan critics of the new faith--however much they may have deplored the unpatriotic and irrational refusal of Christians to venerate the gods, and however they may have detested the 'rabble' that thronged to the church--had to acknowledge that Christians were characterized in great part by their sobriety, their gentleness, their fidelity to their spouses, their care for the poor, their willingness to nurse the gravely ill even in times of plague and for their ability to exhibit virtues (like courage and self-restraint0 that were generally thought impossible for persons of low estate. . .And it was this special character of the Christians that, in a very profound way, constituted the chief appeal of the gospel they preached." (33)

If one thinks of salvation in the rather trivial sense of being allowed to go to heaven, then one will not be able to understand the prevailing mindset of the fourth-century Church. For the theologians of that time, salvation meant an intimate and immediate union with God, by which the human being would literally be 'divinized': that is, made to become (in the language of II Peter 1:4) a partaker of the divine nature--not of course to become God (ho Theos) but to become divine (theios or theos). They believed that Christ had assumed human form so as to free humanity from bondage to death and make it capable of a direct indwelling of the divine presence. This has always remained the explicit teaching of the Eastern Churches, and has never ceased to be the theological position of the Roman Catholic tradition (though it has often been forgotten). (72)

On missions: As a rule, Catholic missionaries to the East were better able consistently to exhibit Christ-like gentleness in lands where their missionaries could not become implicated in the politics of empire." (208)

[Kaleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple but informative history of the Christian religion up to the present day. This is by far the most restrained writing I've seen from DBH, no caustic wit or fancy vocabulary. He does his best to be neutral and straightforward, though his opinions occasionally seep through: his love of Eastern Orthodox theology, his distaste for New Atheism, and his hatred of Calvin. The book generally takes on an apologetic tone, lots of "you might think Christianity is bad, but it's actually good." Makes sense, lots DBH’s early work was spent attacking the New Atheists, who were quite popular in the mid 2000s.

Overall it's fairly neutral. It touches on almost every aspect of Christianity, especially theology and politics. DBH consistently emphasizes the diversity of thought and practice among Christians, which is evident throughout the book. For example, in the early Middle Ages, the Nestorian Church was the most widespread Christian communion in the world, stretching from Syria to India, China, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia. The book also explores the complex relationship between the Eastern and Latin Churches over time, which was cool.

3.5

Quotes

“Certainly, during the early centuries of the Church, pagan critics of the gospel never failed to point out how peculiar it was for God to have chosen so obscure and humble a form for his final revelation to humanity – an itinerant preacher born among a subject people, neither noble of birth nor great amid the councils of the mighty, who lived his brief life far from the centre of the empire, and who numbered no philosophers among his friends and associates. But Christians positively rejoiced in God’s desire to confound the expectations of the powerful, and to reveal himself among the poor, the nameless, the despised and the forgotten.”

“Origen, in fact, required his students to regard no path of wisdom as forbidden to them, and to apply themselves to the study not only of subjects such as geometry and astronomy, but of all the religious and philosophical texts of pagan culture.”

“Of these, scriptural inerrancy was the only wholly novel principle. It went far beyond the traditional Christian belief in the divine inspiration and truthfulness in scripture; it meant that every single event reported in the Bible was historically factual, every word recorded therein literally true and every apparent contradiction unreal. Such a view of scripture might have been tacitly held by many Christians down the centuries; but, as an explicit dogma, it was contrary to almost all of Christian tradition, Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox.”

[G L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This survey of the history of Christianity is valuable for its scope: it truly covers, if necessarily briefly and superficially, the whole of Christianity through time and across geography and culture. Every other book I have encountered in the field is rather parochial--and often downright imperial--in treating one strand as if all the other strands are either unimportant, nonexistent, or heretical and too corrupted a form of the faith to merit attention.

This work is also important for acknowledging some of the egregious sins of the church and overtly Christian political regimes--another trait that has been lacking in the other works I have read in this field.

However, the book is riddled with poor editing and factual errors. There were a number of clunky sentences and awkward neologisms that interrupted the otherwise very readable style. The factual errors I spotted were fairly minor; however, when a scholar is careless in small matters such as conflicting dates that a careful reader can readily spot, it does not inspire confidence in the scholar's larger argument. I don't say that Hart's overview is wrong, but it is disappointing that a scholar of his stature either made so many errors on his own, or had such a poor publisher that allowed them to creep in during the publication process. (I saw both types of errors.)

[Nathan Suire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief account of church history from an Eastern Orthodox perspective. Hart gives a lot of attention to the church fathers especially the cappadocians and neglects sustained attention to Augustine. His brief account of Thomas Aquinas is telling of his dislike of Thomism. Also his critical account of the crusades leaves out important aspects that someone more charitable to the catholic tradition would include. Instead of dismissing the crusades as religious violence, one could at least explain why the Catholic Church viewed them as acts of self defense, even though they were not carried out following the principles of just war doctrine. Furthermore, one gets the sense that theological events after the 16th century have little importance given the scant treatment hart affords them in comparison to the early church. Little to no attention is paid the 1st and 2nd Vatican councils and their effects on the Church. Nevertheless, it is still a interesting account of church history. It’s main strengths and unique contributions are its account of the early and medieval controversies and the role that eastern churches of the empire had in shaping Christianity.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covering 2,000 years of history, Hart's book is necessarily brief. In spite of it's brevity, it is thorough in covering Christian history beginning with the eternal glory of God and ending with the explosive growth of the Church in the contemporary Global South. Nearly everything in between is mentioned.

I appreciated that Hart begins his history of the Church with the content of the gospel. All that happens after the preaching of the Good News by Jesus and the apostles are echoes of God's declaration that He is for us, that Christ is with us. Of course, Hart doesn't gloss over the times the Church has fallen short of faithfulness to this Good News. He takes an honest and candid look at the various schisms in the Church, the Crusades, and the syncretistic tendencies throughout history.

Each chapter begins with a summary paragraph, which in itself provides a quick and complete history of Christianity. The chapters are short, and though they don't go into much depth, they provide the reader with an initial awareness of the Christian trajectory throughout history and throughout the world.

This is an excellent first book for anyone who has never read a history of Christianity. Highly recommended.

[Zachary Mays · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest strength of this book is its breadth. Hart gives just as much attention to the history of Eastern Christianity and as he does to the Western Church (both Catholic and Protestant), and he highlights little know and often forgotten Christian communities around the world. Hart occasionally goes after popular distortions and simplifications of Christian history, which I imagine is a theme greatly expanded upon in his book Atheist Delusions (a title, I am told, he did not choose). The book is not an in-depth analysis, and it often touches upon everything while not going into great detail about anything, but a 2000 year history in 250 pages could suffer no other fate. Overall I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Christian history. It comes especially recommended as an anecdote to a parochial Western view of Christian history and theology.

[Logan Vlandis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A survey of Christendom from the Apostles to the underground church in China. It was enlightening to learn more about Christianity’s narrative apart from Augustine and Luther; hearing about the myriad of Christian philosophers, theologians, and humanists from the Byzantine empire was particularly revelatory.

Not an academic history, but still written in Hart’s signature prose, meaning that I had to Google a lot of words.

[Courtney Naka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah. This was a fascinating read (and I feel like I need to re-read it at least once or twice to really absorb it). I’m mostly thankful for the way this book reminded me that I stand where I stand in denominational history because of a million different philosophers and theologians along the way that believed one thing or another…it helps lessen any superiority one could be tempted to feel in one’s own views and helps elevate the views of others as also the downstream effect of other philosophers and theologians who believed a slightly different variation. Also, this book took me on a deep dive of so many things. Highly recommend reading it, but be prepared to open 5million Wikipedia tabs to deep dive on basically every name mentioned in the book.

[Jonah Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise and captivating summary of Church history. The focus Hart gives to the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox traditions was especially interesting. Summarizing 2000 years of Church history and politics in 350 pages is no easy task, but Hart has done exactly that. Although the chapters on the middle ages dragged on a bit, overall it was great introduction to Church history and a hopeful vision for the future of the Church.

[Karl El-Koura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive (though necessarily shallow) overview of the history of Christianity, covering both East and West. My only minor complaint is that, in the hardcover edition at least, the font is very small (or maybe I'm just getting old).

[matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does it count as reading if it’s an audio book? I’m ambivalent on that, but this was a thought-provoking work on a long drive. I was embarrassingly ignorant of Eastern Orthodoxy and the world church for a long time. I wish I had read a book like this 20 years ago.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice brief history of Christianity from the perspective of an Eastern Orthodox scholar.

[Derek Kreider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise and accessible

[Jared Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great intro to a synoptic Christian history as well as a good refresher. I really enjoyed it.

[Makaylah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Had to read it for class, super informative and incredibly dense. I think I would’ve liked it more if I didn’t have to read 100 pages a week.

[JennanneJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought cheap on Kindle, but the set-up was a bit confusing, as the author bounced around to a number of topics. I think this would be better to read hard-copy.

While the author threw around a number of names of people and people groups that I was unfamiliar with, he also covered quite a spectrum of beliefs. Not comprehensive by any means - but something easy to dip into here and there.

[Michael Philliber · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever read the articles and works of David Bentley Hart and come to "The Story of Christianity" looking for the same pithy, punchy, poignant prose, you will be mildly disappointed. In Hart's defense, this is a drive-by reading of 2,000 years of church history. The depth and development are not there. Nevertheless this is a good read, with helpful observations and corrections. One must remember that Hart is telling the story standing within Eastern Orthodoxy, which makes the re-telling a slightly different experience than other readings of Church history.

The benefits of the book are these:
1. Easy, familiarizing reading of Church history. Especially valuable for those who have never jumped into the story before.

2. Each chapter is usually five to six pages in length. It makes each segment easily digestible.

3. Hart makes sure to tell a little larger story as he traipses off to Ethiopia, Syria, Persia, India and into China. Most English retellings of our history focus primarily on the West. This one gives a larger grounding to our story.

4. There's a greater fairness to Hart's work than might be found in other works.

5. In 343 pages a reader will obtain a general, bird's-eye view of Christian history.

To conclude, one will be left with the feeling that Hart's last sentence is right: "It may very well be the case that now, after 2000 years, the story of Christianity is still beginning" (343). I recommend this book.