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Christianity: The Biography: 2000 Years of Global History
In Christianity: The Biography Ian Shaw charts the story of Christianity from its birth and infancy among a handful of followers of Jesus Christ, through its years of development into a global religious movement, spanning continents and cultures and transcending educational and social backgrounds.
This new, accessible overview of the global history of Christianity:
Narrates the story of the Christian tradition and its global heritage over two millennia
Introduces the major phases, developments, movements, and personalities
Explores interactions of Christianity with the wider society
Is written from within the evangelical tradition, but accessible to others
Presents nuanced, cogent analysis that draws on the latest scholarship
This new, accessible overview of the global history of Christianity:
Narrates the story of the Christian tradition and its global heritage over two millennia
Introduces the major phases, developments, movements, and personalities
Explores interactions of Christianity with the wider society
Is written from within the evangelical tradition, but accessible to others
Presents nuanced, cogent analysis that draws on the latest scholarship
279 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
29 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Ian J. Shaw
18 books1 followerDr Ian J. Shaw served as a pastor, before undertaking a PhD in Church History at the University of Manchester. He then lectured in Church History at International Christian College, Glasgow, and is currently Director of the Langham Scholarship Programme in the UK, which supports the training of Christian leaders from the Developing World.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 23, 2024
I liked reading this book but it has made me increasingly stressed about the future health of the local church with just how much bad theology there is.
October 7, 2018
(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})
I have taught a survey of church history online for Colorado Christian University 6 or 8 times and our text has been Justo Gonzales' The Story of Christianity. This is the best one or two volume survey of church history I have read. However it is almost 1100 pages long which is a lot for college students to read in 5 weeks. Thus it is probably better suited for seminarians. However when the Department decided to choose this volume by Ian Shaw I was skeptical that anyone could survey 2,000 years of church in less than 300 pages. But I was wrong. Shaw has to fly over a lot but he does an excellent job. Furthermore he seems to me at least unusally "objective." That is, his biases are not everywhere evident if noticeable at all. For anyone who knows next to nothing about church history this is a great place to start.
I found these perspectives significant:
On Baptism
The documents from between the first and early third centuries focus on the baptism of believers or converts to Christian faith. These were adults or children old enough to understand and respond to preparatory questions, and to fast and prepare themselves. The baptisteries found in early churches are of sufficient size for full immersion or pouring significant quantities of water on to adults. …
It is unclear when the practice of baptizing babies began. Tertullian, late in the second century, wrote strongly against this practice …
the middle of the third century the bishop Cyprian (c. 200-58), writing from Carthage in North Africa, connects the baptism of infants with Old Testament circumcision …(777-779)
Over time the baptism of the babies born to Christian parents appears to have become widespread. Augustine (354–430), writing as bishop of Hippo, argues strongly in favour of it, although his need to present a case suggests not all agreed. His theological writings on paedobaptism are the most extensive in the early church but appear nearly four centuries after the New Testament. By the eighth century, infant baptism as the means of initiation into the Christian church had become normative practice. (786)
On Church Leadership
The gradual emergence of a leading figure presiding over a local church is indicated by the pattern described by Ignatius from Antioch in 115. He describes a single leader who conducted baptisms, presided at the Eucharist and agape meal, and guided the church in maintaining true teaching. Ignatius asserted the role of the bishop strongly … (807)
This is quite different from the flexibility and openness to prophetic leading portrayed in the Didache, and other early second-century writings from Rome suggest a plurality of leaders running the churches at both Rome and Corinth. The Antioch model only became widespread in the middle of the second century. By the third century the monarchical view of leadership had prevailed and a hierarchical pattern was established, with bishops (episkopoi) holding the highest office, under whom a series of presbyters served in a group of churches – by 250 there were forty-six presbyters in Rome alone. … (810-813)
Faced by growing divisions and heresies in North Africa in the first part of the third century, Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, argued that the bishop of Rome should have primacy of honour among the other bishops, although this did not stop him disagreeing with Bishop Stephen of Rome over some of his teachings. … (835)
Although a shrine was built on the supposed place of his burial in the 160s, it is uncertain whether Peter ever held the office of bishop of Rome. (837)
On Persecution
Nero probably killed several hundred Christians, which, while not a vast number, was still immensely shocking to the small Christian community. The total, after then, is hard to calculate – seemingly several thousand during the first three centuries … (1061)
In the third century persecution of Christians became official policy. Then matters reached a head in the years 303 to 311. With Christianity approaching 10% of the population of the Roman Empire, the emperor Diocletian sought to restore Rome to its former glory, and this involved honouring the Roman gods. Diocletian sanctioned an attempt to eliminate Christianity from the empire … (1074)
The persecution was empire-wide, although enforced with different degrees of severity. Churches were razed to the ground, Christian writings burned. Christians were tortured and horribly mutilated. Around half the martyrdoms known of in the early church took place in those eight years. (1080)
In 311 the official policy of persecution was abandoned. (1096)
On Entertainment
Tertulian taught that – it is wrong to watch what it is wrong to do: ‘We should have not connections with the things which we abjure, whether in deed or word, whether by looking on them or looking forward to them. (1206/p. 66)
On Christianity’s Spread
Within 500 years of the death of Christ there were Christians living across much of Asia, including Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. (1606)
By the late fourth century the Christian population of Antioch was reckoned to be 100,000. It was one of the five great patriarchates, along with Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Rome. (1617)
Armenia preceded Rome in becoming the first officially Christian state when King Tiridates III converted to Christianity. (1685)
On Augustine
Augustine’s significance cannot be overplayed. Not only did his theological ideas lie at the heart of many of the debates of medieval theologians, but also in some ways the Reformation was a debate between Augustine’s teaching on grace and the institutional legacy of his teaching on the church. He was brilliant, controversial and complex. (1814-15)
On the Crusades
Crusades had some initial successes, but in the long term crusading failed to liberate the Holy Land and failed to secure Christians in the Middle East from military threat. It also drastically reduced the possibility of a sympathetic hearing for Christian missionaries in the Middle East. It was waged at a huge cost in lives, suffering and finance. (2295)
The indelible impression of Christianity as an imperialistic religion promoting itself by the sword was left among Muslims, while the image of Muslims persecuting Christians was also perpetuated. (2298)
Yet the Crusades revalidated many Western European identities, such as aristocratic status, family values, service and reward. The theology of the Crusades presented salvation as more widely accessible to the laity and more certain. The expansion of Islam into Europe was halted, and the self-respect of Christianity restored, reflected in the soaring triumphalism of the Gothic cathedrals. The papacy consolidated its leadership role in Western Christianity. (2301)
On the Papacy
In 1309 the papacy moved to Avignon in France, where it remained for nearly seventy years through the reigns of seven popes, owing to the volatile political situation in Rome. This was coupled with extravagant papal lifestyles, nepotism and exacting levels of taxes. The death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378, the year after the papacy returned to Rome, provoked prolonged political infighting and the election of two popes by rival cardinals. When the Council of Pisa was called in 1409 to find a solution, a third pope was elected. It took the Council of Constance (1414–18) to resolve the unseemly wrangle, which severely damaged the credibility of the papacy as a unifying force. Matters were little improved by the notorious behaviour of some fifteenth- and sixteenth-century popes. Paul II (1464–71) spent vast sums as a patron of the arts, rather than supporting the needs of the poor and needy. Alexander VI (1492–1503) came from the infamous Borgia family and, ignoring the requirement of celibacy to hold such office, had many mistresses and fathered at least eight children, including the notorious Lucrezia Borgia. Alexander’s successor, Julius II (1503–13), led the papal armies into battle dressed in armour, using military force to further his political power in Italy. Leo X (1513–21) famously declared, ‘Now that God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.’ At a local level, the behaviour of some bishops and priests mirrored that of the hierarchies. Many parish clergy also did not know the basics of the faith and could not recite the Ten Commandments. The sense of a need for renewal and change was growing. (2698f/)
On Catholic Theology
Roman Catholic teaching emphasized two sources of authority: Scripture and tradition. The latter allowed elements of innovation in doctrine. One such was the teaching of transubstantiation, an early version of which was promoted from 831 onwards by the French-born monk and abbot Radbertus … (2709)
This teaching was officially sanctioned in 1215 by the Fourth Lateran Council. Priestly celibacy was also extensively promoted after 1139, although many clergy struggled to live up to the ideal. In 1439 purgatory became official Roman Catholic doctrine … (2714)
From the sixth century onwards the teaching also developed that it was possible, through the performance of certain religious activities, to secure an ‘indulgence’, a remission of the temporal punishment due for sin, as a result of which the superabundant merits of Christ and the saints could be applied. (2719)
Two major schools of theological thought dominated Western Europe. The via moderna, the modern way of the nominalist school, grew from the teaching of William of Ockham (c. 1285–c. 1349). This school was optimistic about human nature and took the view that people could contribute in some way to their salvation: put simply, ‘Do your best and God will do the rest.’ In contrast to this, the schola Augustiniana moderna followed the line of Augustine that, because of the reality of sin, human capacity in contributing to salvation should be downplayed. Humans should look instead to the grace of God for saving power, which came through the church. (2719)
On John Calvin
Of the Reformers, Calvin has become one of the most controversial. He taught predestination, but so did Luther, Zwingli, Augustine and Paul. It was perhaps the clear focus that he gave to the teaching that has attracted attention, although his successor Theodore Beza (1519–1605) rendered it more systematic and rigid. (2798)
Calvin encouraged and promoted an extensive network, training over 200 pastors for the Reformed churches of France and writing many treatises and letters in French. Despite severe persecution, by 1562 the French Protestant (Huguenot) church numbered perhaps 10% of the French population, with a further 20% in sympathy. A period of severe repression culminated in the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre of August 1572 when at least 5,000 (some estimates say 30,000) Protestants were killed by Catholics. (2988)
On Slavery
The Civil War has been called a conflict over biblical interpretation. Many in the South declared that an attack on slavery was an attack on the Bible. Campaigners in the North argued that the Old Testament merely regulated and ameliorated an ancient custom, and that the New Testament contained the principles that would inevitably lead to slavery’s eradication. They pointed out the deep differences between Old Testament regulations and the barbaric practice in the slave plantations. (4042)
On Evangelicalism
The term ‘evangelical’ became the preferred self-designation of post-war theological conservatives such as Carl Henry (1913-2003), in careful differentiation from fundamentalism, the neo-orthodoxy of Barth, and liberalism. The global figurehead for evangelicalism became Billy Graham. (4790)
I have taught a survey of church history online for Colorado Christian University 6 or 8 times and our text has been Justo Gonzales' The Story of Christianity. This is the best one or two volume survey of church history I have read. However it is almost 1100 pages long which is a lot for college students to read in 5 weeks. Thus it is probably better suited for seminarians. However when the Department decided to choose this volume by Ian Shaw I was skeptical that anyone could survey 2,000 years of church in less than 300 pages. But I was wrong. Shaw has to fly over a lot but he does an excellent job. Furthermore he seems to me at least unusally "objective." That is, his biases are not everywhere evident if noticeable at all. For anyone who knows next to nothing about church history this is a great place to start.
I found these perspectives significant:
On Baptism
The documents from between the first and early third centuries focus on the baptism of believers or converts to Christian faith. These were adults or children old enough to understand and respond to preparatory questions, and to fast and prepare themselves. The baptisteries found in early churches are of sufficient size for full immersion or pouring significant quantities of water on to adults. …
It is unclear when the practice of baptizing babies began. Tertullian, late in the second century, wrote strongly against this practice …
the middle of the third century the bishop Cyprian (c. 200-58), writing from Carthage in North Africa, connects the baptism of infants with Old Testament circumcision …(777-779)
Over time the baptism of the babies born to Christian parents appears to have become widespread. Augustine (354–430), writing as bishop of Hippo, argues strongly in favour of it, although his need to present a case suggests not all agreed. His theological writings on paedobaptism are the most extensive in the early church but appear nearly four centuries after the New Testament. By the eighth century, infant baptism as the means of initiation into the Christian church had become normative practice. (786)
On Church Leadership
The gradual emergence of a leading figure presiding over a local church is indicated by the pattern described by Ignatius from Antioch in 115. He describes a single leader who conducted baptisms, presided at the Eucharist and agape meal, and guided the church in maintaining true teaching. Ignatius asserted the role of the bishop strongly … (807)
This is quite different from the flexibility and openness to prophetic leading portrayed in the Didache, and other early second-century writings from Rome suggest a plurality of leaders running the churches at both Rome and Corinth. The Antioch model only became widespread in the middle of the second century. By the third century the monarchical view of leadership had prevailed and a hierarchical pattern was established, with bishops (episkopoi) holding the highest office, under whom a series of presbyters served in a group of churches – by 250 there were forty-six presbyters in Rome alone. … (810-813)
Faced by growing divisions and heresies in North Africa in the first part of the third century, Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, argued that the bishop of Rome should have primacy of honour among the other bishops, although this did not stop him disagreeing with Bishop Stephen of Rome over some of his teachings. … (835)
Although a shrine was built on the supposed place of his burial in the 160s, it is uncertain whether Peter ever held the office of bishop of Rome. (837)
On Persecution
Nero probably killed several hundred Christians, which, while not a vast number, was still immensely shocking to the small Christian community. The total, after then, is hard to calculate – seemingly several thousand during the first three centuries … (1061)
In the third century persecution of Christians became official policy. Then matters reached a head in the years 303 to 311. With Christianity approaching 10% of the population of the Roman Empire, the emperor Diocletian sought to restore Rome to its former glory, and this involved honouring the Roman gods. Diocletian sanctioned an attempt to eliminate Christianity from the empire … (1074)
The persecution was empire-wide, although enforced with different degrees of severity. Churches were razed to the ground, Christian writings burned. Christians were tortured and horribly mutilated. Around half the martyrdoms known of in the early church took place in those eight years. (1080)
In 311 the official policy of persecution was abandoned. (1096)
On Entertainment
Tertulian taught that – it is wrong to watch what it is wrong to do: ‘We should have not connections with the things which we abjure, whether in deed or word, whether by looking on them or looking forward to them. (1206/p. 66)
On Christianity’s Spread
Within 500 years of the death of Christ there were Christians living across much of Asia, including Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. (1606)
By the late fourth century the Christian population of Antioch was reckoned to be 100,000. It was one of the five great patriarchates, along with Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Rome. (1617)
Armenia preceded Rome in becoming the first officially Christian state when King Tiridates III converted to Christianity. (1685)
On Augustine
Augustine’s significance cannot be overplayed. Not only did his theological ideas lie at the heart of many of the debates of medieval theologians, but also in some ways the Reformation was a debate between Augustine’s teaching on grace and the institutional legacy of his teaching on the church. He was brilliant, controversial and complex. (1814-15)
On the Crusades
Crusades had some initial successes, but in the long term crusading failed to liberate the Holy Land and failed to secure Christians in the Middle East from military threat. It also drastically reduced the possibility of a sympathetic hearing for Christian missionaries in the Middle East. It was waged at a huge cost in lives, suffering and finance. (2295)
The indelible impression of Christianity as an imperialistic religion promoting itself by the sword was left among Muslims, while the image of Muslims persecuting Christians was also perpetuated. (2298)
Yet the Crusades revalidated many Western European identities, such as aristocratic status, family values, service and reward. The theology of the Crusades presented salvation as more widely accessible to the laity and more certain. The expansion of Islam into Europe was halted, and the self-respect of Christianity restored, reflected in the soaring triumphalism of the Gothic cathedrals. The papacy consolidated its leadership role in Western Christianity. (2301)
On the Papacy
In 1309 the papacy moved to Avignon in France, where it remained for nearly seventy years through the reigns of seven popes, owing to the volatile political situation in Rome. This was coupled with extravagant papal lifestyles, nepotism and exacting levels of taxes. The death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378, the year after the papacy returned to Rome, provoked prolonged political infighting and the election of two popes by rival cardinals. When the Council of Pisa was called in 1409 to find a solution, a third pope was elected. It took the Council of Constance (1414–18) to resolve the unseemly wrangle, which severely damaged the credibility of the papacy as a unifying force. Matters were little improved by the notorious behaviour of some fifteenth- and sixteenth-century popes. Paul II (1464–71) spent vast sums as a patron of the arts, rather than supporting the needs of the poor and needy. Alexander VI (1492–1503) came from the infamous Borgia family and, ignoring the requirement of celibacy to hold such office, had many mistresses and fathered at least eight children, including the notorious Lucrezia Borgia. Alexander’s successor, Julius II (1503–13), led the papal armies into battle dressed in armour, using military force to further his political power in Italy. Leo X (1513–21) famously declared, ‘Now that God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.’ At a local level, the behaviour of some bishops and priests mirrored that of the hierarchies. Many parish clergy also did not know the basics of the faith and could not recite the Ten Commandments. The sense of a need for renewal and change was growing. (2698f/)
On Catholic Theology
Roman Catholic teaching emphasized two sources of authority: Scripture and tradition. The latter allowed elements of innovation in doctrine. One such was the teaching of transubstantiation, an early version of which was promoted from 831 onwards by the French-born monk and abbot Radbertus … (2709)
This teaching was officially sanctioned in 1215 by the Fourth Lateran Council. Priestly celibacy was also extensively promoted after 1139, although many clergy struggled to live up to the ideal. In 1439 purgatory became official Roman Catholic doctrine … (2714)
From the sixth century onwards the teaching also developed that it was possible, through the performance of certain religious activities, to secure an ‘indulgence’, a remission of the temporal punishment due for sin, as a result of which the superabundant merits of Christ and the saints could be applied. (2719)
Two major schools of theological thought dominated Western Europe. The via moderna, the modern way of the nominalist school, grew from the teaching of William of Ockham (c. 1285–c. 1349). This school was optimistic about human nature and took the view that people could contribute in some way to their salvation: put simply, ‘Do your best and God will do the rest.’ In contrast to this, the schola Augustiniana moderna followed the line of Augustine that, because of the reality of sin, human capacity in contributing to salvation should be downplayed. Humans should look instead to the grace of God for saving power, which came through the church. (2719)
On John Calvin
Of the Reformers, Calvin has become one of the most controversial. He taught predestination, but so did Luther, Zwingli, Augustine and Paul. It was perhaps the clear focus that he gave to the teaching that has attracted attention, although his successor Theodore Beza (1519–1605) rendered it more systematic and rigid. (2798)
Calvin encouraged and promoted an extensive network, training over 200 pastors for the Reformed churches of France and writing many treatises and letters in French. Despite severe persecution, by 1562 the French Protestant (Huguenot) church numbered perhaps 10% of the French population, with a further 20% in sympathy. A period of severe repression culminated in the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre of August 1572 when at least 5,000 (some estimates say 30,000) Protestants were killed by Catholics. (2988)
On Slavery
The Civil War has been called a conflict over biblical interpretation. Many in the South declared that an attack on slavery was an attack on the Bible. Campaigners in the North argued that the Old Testament merely regulated and ameliorated an ancient custom, and that the New Testament contained the principles that would inevitably lead to slavery’s eradication. They pointed out the deep differences between Old Testament regulations and the barbaric practice in the slave plantations. (4042)
On Evangelicalism
The term ‘evangelical’ became the preferred self-designation of post-war theological conservatives such as Carl Henry (1913-2003), in careful differentiation from fundamentalism, the neo-orthodoxy of Barth, and liberalism. The global figurehead for evangelicalism became Billy Graham. (4790)
April 19, 2024
A good concise global history of Christianity.
July 25, 2022
This book traces "Christianity" from its roots to the present. It's an interesting introduction to church history. This isn't the book to read if you're hoping to explore Christian thought over the ages.
My one concern is that the author assumes that every movement that has labelled itself as Christian is authentically Christian. Are the Liberal churches who deny the authority of scripture, even the words of Jesus, Christian? Or Unitarians who deny the divinity and equality of Jesus as the 2nd person of the trinity? I think the title of this book needs some revision. 3.5 stars.
My one concern is that the author assumes that every movement that has labelled itself as Christian is authentically Christian. Are the Liberal churches who deny the authority of scripture, even the words of Jesus, Christian? Or Unitarians who deny the divinity and equality of Jesus as the 2nd person of the trinity? I think the title of this book needs some revision. 3.5 stars.
March 11, 2018
Dr. Ian J. Shaw does a remarkable job of providing a balanced and multi-faceted overview of the history of Christianity all across the globe since the time of Jesus' earthly ministry.
In only 266 pages of text, Shaw takes the reader along for the ride, tracing the spread of Christianity from its Jewish and middle eastern roots into Europe, Africa, Asia, and, later, the Americans. While I had been fairly versed in the place of Christianity in the history of Europe and the United States, based on formal academic study, I was very much impressed by his taking this story into the four corners of the world.
Dr. Shaw also provides a terrific introduction into how Christian theology had developed different tracts in the various churches that developed in various areas of the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeastern Asia, Russia and the Soviet Union, and South and Central America. He also traces out well the disputes in beliefs in Europe and the Americas.
In such a broad book, in terms of time and locations, I will say that he left me wanting to read and to learn more. As such, readers will be glad to know that Dr. Shaw provides a suggested reading list. that covers in more depth area of concern. There is even a suggestion for a book that will help the student who wants to explore the field of church history. I am pretty sure that a number of these suggestions will find their way onto my own reading list.
In only 266 pages of text, Shaw takes the reader along for the ride, tracing the spread of Christianity from its Jewish and middle eastern roots into Europe, Africa, Asia, and, later, the Americans. While I had been fairly versed in the place of Christianity in the history of Europe and the United States, based on formal academic study, I was very much impressed by his taking this story into the four corners of the world.
Dr. Shaw also provides a terrific introduction into how Christian theology had developed different tracts in the various churches that developed in various areas of the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeastern Asia, Russia and the Soviet Union, and South and Central America. He also traces out well the disputes in beliefs in Europe and the Americas.
In such a broad book, in terms of time and locations, I will say that he left me wanting to read and to learn more. As such, readers will be glad to know that Dr. Shaw provides a suggested reading list. that covers in more depth area of concern. There is even a suggestion for a book that will help the student who wants to explore the field of church history. I am pretty sure that a number of these suggestions will find their way onto my own reading list.
August 23, 2022
I read Shaw's work for a college course and did enjoy it; for a textbook option at a Christian university, this book is easy to read and contains a plethora of information. My only qualm was the fact that it is extremely date heavy and isn't quite chronological with them. There were many chapters in which it spanned 100 years or more and jumped around within that time period for different topics. Overall, it was a very interesting read and easy to understand if you are familiar with the jargon it uses.
March 23, 2024
This was a great overall history of Christianity that I read for a class. I do wish that the author included more women of the church because they had just as much of an impact on the church, probably more so because they were the first ones to convert then brought in the men. So that kinda let me down but also this covered 2000 years of history in a 270 page book so it kinda makes sense that you can focus on everyone. But good history overall. 4/5 ⭐️
December 18, 2017
Highly recommended. Up to date and readable. The most balanced attempt at incorporating the history of the entire global church that I've read so far.
March 11, 2021
If you want to know more about the history of Christianity, then this is the book for you!
April 6, 2021
A helpful introductory guide to Christianity's development into a world religion.
April 14, 2022
Refreshingly Global in outlook. Incredibly insightful. Most importantly God preserves His Church!
April 4, 2024
Interesting but slow and dry.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews