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Historia de las Civilizaciones (#1-12) #4

The Crucible of Christianity: Judaism, Hellenism and the Historical Background to the Christian Faith

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‘The subject of this book,’ writes Arnold Toynbee in his preface, ‘is the place and time in which Christianity made its appearance in the world. The place is the Western end of the Old World; within this, the Mediterranean basin; and, within that, the eastern part of it, known in the Romance languages as the Levant. The time is a span of approximately four centuries in all, i.e. the last two centuries before the beginning of the Christian Era and the first two after it.’

This is the basic framework of a richly illustrated view of the Classical world – of its culture, its history, its people, and its numerous religions, among which Christianity seemed, at the time of its first appearance, to be a very minor manifestation. Yet by a combination of fortuitous circumstances, and despite periodic persecutions, Christianity came to overshadow the Jewish faith from which it had sprung to become the dominant and finally exclusive religion of the Roman Empire. It is these circumstances that are so brilliantly presented here: the agonized story of the Jews, vainly attempting to withstand or at least survive the Roman onslaught, an effort that ended with the destruction of their nation; the broad spectrum of philosophies and religions in which Christianity grew up; the changing role of Christianity itself, metamorphosing from a small, primarily Jewish sect to a universal, gentile religion.

A team of fourteen leading authorities from Europe and the United States explore all the aspects of this complex and crucially significant world. A wealth of illustrations is also used to clarify and illuminate every corner of the vast panorama. Many of these were especially commissioned for this work, and many display such recent findings of archaeology as the Dead Sea scrolls and the remains of the Zealot fort at Masada. They include both acknowledged masterpieces and obscure artifacts, and range from the proud marble reliefs of conquering Rome to the pathetic relics of the Jewish revolt, from the enigmatic frescos of mystery religions to Gnostic papyri recently recovered from the sands of Egypt. Preparation of this whole great volume, text and pictures alike, has been personally supervised at every stage by Professor Toynbee, who in the opening chapter gives his own considered analysis of what was without question the most significant epoch in the whole story of mankind.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

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About the author

Arnold J. Toynbee

691 books520 followers
Not the same as Arnold Toynbee, economist and nephew of Arnold Joseph Toynbee

British educator Arnold Joseph Toynbee noted cyclical patterns in the growth and decline of civilizations for his 12-volume Study of History (1934-1961).

He went to Winchester college and Balliol college, Oxford.

During both world wars, he worked for the foreign office. He additionally published Nationality and the War (1915), The Armenian Atrocities: The Murder of a Nation (1915), The German Terror in France: An Historical Record (1917), and Turkey, a Past and a Future (1917). He attended the peace conference of Paris in 1919 as a delegate.

From 1919 to 1924, Arnold J. Toynbee served as professor of modern Greek and Byzantine at King's college, London. From 1925, Oxford University Press published The Survey of International Affairs under the auspices of the royal institute of international affairs, and Toynbee, professor, oversaw the publication. From 1925, Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs. He published The Conduct of British Empire Foreign Relations since the Peace Settlement (1928).

His first marriage to Rosalind Murray produced three sons and ended in divorce in 1946. Toynbee, professor, then married Veronica M. Boulter, his research assistant. He published Civilization on Trial (1948).

Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs until 1955.
People published best known lectures of Toynbee, professor, in memory of Adam Gifford as An Historian's Approach to Religion (1956). His massive work examined development and decay. He presented the rise and fall rather than nation-states or ethnic groups. According to his analysis, the welfare depends on ability to deal successfully with challenges.

He also published Democracy in the Atomic Age (1957), Christianity among the Religions of the World (1958), and Between Niger and Nile (1965).

He died in York, North Yorkshire, England.

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Andrés Astudillo.
403 reviews6 followers
October 31, 2018
Por aportación cultural, 5;
Por gozo y disfrute personal, 3,9.

La verdad es que es un libro, al menos este cuarto tomo de la colección, es sumamente denso; muy complicado, muy extenso en cuanto a la cobertura de los temas, asociaciones, agrupaciones, etc.
Existen los fariseos, los esenios, los sadúceos, los cristianos, los sirio-cristianos, los romanos-cristianos, los paganos, etc. Es un libro sumamente interesante, debido a que expone todos los medios (crisol) bajo los cuales el cristianismo logró influencias en civilizaciones "paganas". Se menciona a Cristo, un poco de su actividad, de su condena por crimen político (sedición), de la praxis política romana. Existe un momento dentro de la redacción, en la que toma lugar el debate filosófico, que montó las bases para la estructura del cristianismo como una doctrina, en relación a las escuelas filosóficas, tales como la peripatética, la platónica, la neoplatónica, la estoica, la epicúrea, entre otras.
La ubicación temporal del libro es sumamente importante, debido a que finaliza con la consolidación del cristianismo en tiempos de Constantino el Grande, y con San Agustín, siendo el padre de las cruzadas, ya que se promulgó bajo su pluma intolerancia a la herejía.
Es un libro que básicamente, si deseas ser un erudito en el tema, debes de tenerlo en la biblioteca.
Profile Image for Julio Astudillo .
128 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2025
Por aportación cultural, 5;
Por gozo y disfrute personal, 3,9.

La verdad es que es un libro, al menos este cuarto tomo de la colección, es sumamente denso; muy complicado, muy extenso en cuanto a la cobertura de los temas, asociaciones, agrupaciones, etc.
Existen los fariseos, los esenios, los sadúceos, los cristianos, los sirio-cristianos, los romanos-cristianos, los paganos, etc. Es un libro sumamente interesante, debido a que expone todos los medios (crisol) bajo los cuales el cristianismo logró influencias en civilizaciones "paganas". Se menciona a Cristo, un poco de su actividad, de su condena por crimen político (sedición), de la praxis política romana. Existe un momento dentro de la redacción, en la que toma lugar el debate filosófico, que montó las bases para la estructura del cristianismo como una doctrina, en relación a las escuelas filosóficas, tales como la peripatética, la platónica, la neoplatónica, la estoica, la epicúrea, entre otras.
La ubicación temporal del libro es sumamente importante, debido a que finaliza con la consolidación del cristianismo en tiempos de Constantino el Grande, y con San Agustín, siendo el padre de las cruzadas, ya que se promulgó bajo su pluma intolerancia a la herejía.
Es un libro que básicamente, si deseas ser un erudito en el tema, debes de tenerlo en la biblioteca.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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