Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity

by Jonathan Hill

Christianity began with a handful of disciples following an itinerant preacher as he proclaimed the kingdom of God throughout the region of Palestine. Today, Christianity is the world’s predominant faith―a faith that has swept continents, crossed oceans, transformed cultures, and shaped the course of world events. What is the history of Christianity? How did it spread from its grassroots beginnings to become a worldwide faith? Who are its luminaries―its leaders, theologians, thinkers, preachers, artists, and influencers―from its inception to today? What forms and expressions has it taken through the centuries? How has it influenced and been influenced by different times and cultures? Full of lavish full-color photographs and illustrations, the Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity offers you a sweeping history of the Christian faith from the time of Jesus and the apostles till now. The early and later church fathers; Africa, the Middle East, and the Missions East; the Byzantine Empire; the High Middle Ages; the Reformation; Reason and Revival; Modern America and Oceania … seventeen sections cover all these and many more aspects of Christian history in vivid and engaging detail. Features • Comprehensive, highly readable coverage of the history of Christianity by expert contributor • 42 feature articles on relevant and fascinating topics such as Origen, the Inquisition, Darwinism, African church music, the great Russian novelists, and witch hunts • 200 full-color photos and illustrations • Maps, charts, and timelines

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

560 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

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Reviews

[Maya Senen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this textbook we get a purely "dates and names" approach without much frill. Since there are thousands of years to cover, across continents, there are more than enough important events and ideas to web up in one textbook, and Hill does a marvelous job.

[Rachel Grepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, for as big of an undertaking as this book is, they did a great job. I especially like the pictures and little side notes to give perspective along the way. While it got a tad boring in a few parts, it was worth sticking with. We can always learn something new.

[Jim King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on Christian world history from Christ to today.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condensing two millennia of Christian history into just over 500 pages is no mean feat. Author Jonathan Hill succeeds in giving both an expansive and balanced treatment of Christianity's beginnings right up to our modern era, covering all the ground you'd expect (e.g. heresies, monasticism, the Reformation, missions etc) and then some.

The first chapter is a bit of a dud and I encourage prospective readers not to be put off by it. Unfortunately Hill is at his weakest discussing the New Testament period and makes many ignorant statements that may vex the faithful. For example, he writes of the "discrepancies" between the Gospels as if they were irreconcilable, and suggests that Paul may not have known about the empty tomb of Christ's Resurrection because he does not mention it in his epistles - which is, of course, a foolish assumption to make!


Otherwise, this book gave me a great overview of my religion's history and was a very interesting read. Nicely illustrated too.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife laughed at me for reading a textbook for fun, but seriously, this was fascinating. I learned a lot and found every part of the book very engrossing. It does a great job of presenting topics objectively, concisely and tying everything into a larger picture. One of its strengths is the amazing amount of material on non-European Christianity: not only in modern times (missions movements and the subsequent, or even concurrent, indigenous Christian movements) but also in early Christianity and throughout the Middle Ages. It's a part of the history of Christianity that doesn't get talked about enough.

[Fem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The writing is simple and clear. There are many pictures (seriously not unimportant when talking about history) and the lay-out of the book is logical and helpful for studying.

The book doesn't get into details very much. It is really meant as an overview of the history of christianity and resulted in me spending equally as much time on wikipedia as actually reading the book.

[Kristen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those wanting to be introduced to church history. Beginner level.

[Lisa "RawEssence" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heresy, orthodoxy, and the birth of Theology..
This is an interesting, slow read, that must be digested and retained in order to be helpful in future studies of western Christianity