History of Christianity Book

Paul Johnson's "A History of Christianity" is a sincere and fascinating (and I do mean fascinating*) effort to tell the multifaceted and incredibly complex story of the development of the followers of Jesus Christ. Such competitors as he has'at least those with which I am familiar'tend to veer to either of the two opposite sides of evangelization or vilification. Whether their purposes for writing are conversion, abrogation, shock or tedium aren't always clear; they could in truth be unaware of their own motives and/or just poor writers. But the fact remains: there are few (if any) good Church histories. There are innumerable controversies and obstacles.

Much of this Mr. Johnson himself addresses in his book and attributes to: the mystery of the person of Jesus and his methods; the personalities and lack of education of his followers; the controversial belief system of the Jewish people into which Jesus was born; their almost constant condition of occupation; the confusing nature of the message Jesus preached; the time gap from when it was initially heard to the first extant writings; the lack of understanding of or acceptance for anything remotely like 'the historical-critical method' during the early years of the church'not to mention since; the inability to preserve, store, duplicate or transport written materials for any duration of time; never mind any of the human-on-human persecutions, and the list could continue.

My thoughts as I listened to the problems besetting the accurate recording of early Christianity, enumerated and then described by Mr. Johnson, was not one of skepticism but just the opposite'the fact that we have anything, much less all that that we do'almost 2000 years later'and that there is still so much interest, devotion and controversy, despite all those who have fought and died believing they were doing so in the Name of Jesus'that there are still millions at least attempting to live by his tenants as well die for what he preached, did and who he says he was, would seem to be the Church's own Testament. Okay, so the story of the Woman caught in Adultery was a late addition to the Gospel. We do not know why the men of the time thought it right to add in the story at this time. Was it a late discovery? From some unexpected find of that era? Nevertheless, it was included.

Are we going to miss the amazing fact that the 4th century Church'a supposedly male dominated organization'chose to include a story in the sacred canon which shows its Divine leader shaming the all-male leadership of his age by mercy towards the most despised of all creatures, a fallen woman, while we quibble because we aren't privy to its origin and veracity? If we do, we miss the deeper truth, which is what the Holy Spirit has been using the human institution of 'the Church' for these past two millennia. Truth uses stories and even sometimes facts for a higher purpose. Factual reporting is not at liberty to manipulate Truth'something our own modern age has forgotten and would do well to remember. Even so, the Gospels are not strictly speaking historical documents and all but the most fundamentalist Christian sects today acknowledge the underlying Truth (the name Jesus applies to Himself) inherent in the Gospels while accepting we cannot verify the factual accuracy of most of what it claims. And yet I return to what I said above: what has been the outcome? Or as Jesus said himself, a tree will be known by its fruits. (cf. Matthew 7:16 and Luke 6:44) A case in point'my rendering of Christ's words may be argued all day and yet who doesn't understand the point? Or as grandma would say, the proof is in the pudding. Truth undergirds, supports and gives meaning to factual information'not the other way round.

But this review isn't meant to be polemical. I'm not interested in convincing readers of said review of my beliefs'and yet how can I write from any other perspective'as much as the consistency, erudition and broadmindedness of the author of this book. Mr. Johnson knows his subject and presents it fairly, ironically, even humorously at points'an extremely dangerous thing where religion is concerned. To counter, the greatest drawback/criticism I can attribute is the datedness of Mr. Johnson's tome. Originally written in 1976, many will ignore this history given the amount of water which has flowed under the bridge since then. This is indeed unfortunate, for in spite of the numerous modern debates/controversies which have sprung up (many falling as quickly into obscurity as they arose) Mr. Johnson's presentation of the story has a timeless quality about it. I would like to see him undertake an update before it's too late. As he was born November 2, 1928, I may be wishing on a star, but barring that, I would like to have one of his closest and most trusted colleagues/students undertake the task.

So without going into more detail, let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed this quick trip through Christian history. Although not a small book or 'a quick read' it felt like one of those guided tours through a house you've long wanted to visit where you are rushed from room to room and leave feeling short-changed. I wanted more. I want to go back ... but I want the same tour guide.

Thank you Mr. Johnson. Having said that, I would have to note that I did observe periods where he glossed over - or broad-brushed - huge areas of history and I took issue with some of his points, usually in areas where I have done some study. However, I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt, to let things go. I like to think he was standing back from the overall picture and not describing the detail in these instances, so I will do the same and save the detail for other books.

In his own Epilogue he says: "Christianity has not made man secure or happy or even dignified. But it supplies a hope. It is a civilizing agent. It helps to cage the beast. It offers glimpses of real freedom, intimations of a calm and reasonable existence. Even as we see it, distorted by the ravages of humanity, it is not without beauty. In the last generation, with public Christianity in headlong retreat, we have caught our first, distant view of a de-Christianized world, and it is not encouraging. We know that Christian insistence on man's potentiality for good is often disappointed; but we are also learning that man's capacity for evil is almost limitless - is limited, indeed, only by his own expanding reach. Man is imperfect with God. Without God, what is he? As Francis Bacon put it: 'They that deny God destroy man's nobility: for certainly man is of kin to the beasts by his body; and, if he be not kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature.' We are less base and ignoble by virtue of divine example and by the desire for the form of apotheosis which Christianity offers. In the dual personality of Christ we are offered a perfected image of ourselves, an eternal pace-setter for our striving. By such means our history over the last two millennia has reflected the effort to rise above our human frailties. And to that extent, the chronicle of Christianity is an edifying one.'

*The things I have learned'right down to the little details such as passion of the Church Father Origen in pursuing a life of scriptural understanding and how it has irritated and been remarked on by his successors such as St. Jerome'were worth the reading alone.




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PRELIMINARY/EARLIER THOUGHTS: Johnson focuses on the areas of the Church which the Church herself tends not write/talk about and yet as a believer/member himself he still presents the 'sins' of the family without discounting the good which is still inherent therein. There has never been a time in the Church's history when there haven't been problems and sinners, when evil hasn't tried to undermine the good, and yet the Church slogs on... And so do I reading this history which can be depressing at times. One wants to read/think/hear only good about one's family and yet one needs to know the truth.


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On Oct 27, 2008 I wrote this, 'Thought it was interesting when I listened to it years ago. Not sure how accurate it was, but it gave me a lot to think about and many points of departure for further studies. What I liked best about it was its seeming honesty: 'here is our Christian story, the good, the bad and the ugly'. Some histories like to dress things up; others only seek to tear apart. This seemed to skirt both extremes. But I was reading this to learn my Christian history at the time so I was in no position to determine the book's accuracy. For that, I would need to re-read the book again now and do some comparative analysis. However, as a non-expert, I liked it.' Since then I've read quite a bit more church history and taken a few courses. While still far from an expert, I'm curious to see if I'm still impressed by Mr. Johnson.