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The relevance of Christianity is as hotly contested today as it has ever been. A New History of Early Christianity shows how our current debates are rooted in the many controversies surrounding the birth of the religion and the earliest attempts to resolve them. Charles Freeman's meticulous historical account of Christianity from its birth in Judaea in the first century A.D. to the emergence of Western and Eastern churches by A.D. 600 reveals that it was a distinctive, vibrant, and incredibly diverse movement brought into order at the cost of intellectual and spiritual vitality. Against the conventional narrative of the inevitable "triumph" of a single distinct Christianity, Freeman shows that there was a host of competing Christianities, many of which had as much claim to authenticity as those that eventually dominated. Looking with fresh eyes at the historical record, Freeman explores the ambiguities and contradictions that underlay Christian theology and the unavoidable compromises enforced in the name of doctrine.
Tracing the astonishing transformation that the early Christian church underwent—from sporadic niches of Christian communities surviving in the wake of a horrific crucifixion to sanctioned alliance with the state—Charles Freeman shows how freedom of thought was curtailed by the development of the concept of faith. The imposition of "correct belief," religious uniformity, and an institutional framework that enforced orthodoxy were both consolidating and stifling. Uncovering the difficulties in establishing the Christian church, he examines its relationship with Judaism, Gnosticism, Greek philosophy and Greco-Roman society, and he offers dramatic new accounts of Paul, the resurrection, and the church fathers and emperors.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Leonard Hoffman
reviewed A New History of Early Christianity on December 18, 2009
A New History of Early Christianity
I picked up this "new history" of early Christianity with moderate expectations. I've long been interested in both historical studies of the life of Jesus and the development of Christian thought, even though I am no longer a believer in any sense. When I flipped through Freeman's book at Books Inc., it had the look of a decent synthesis of recent scholarship - which (in contrast to Christian theology) is always changing and often fascinating. I didn't expect to do much more than dip into it here and there.
In fact I ended up reading it cover to cover, with increasing appreciation. Anyone interested in Jewish/Christian history (Christianity originally being but one of the many varieties of Judaism) will find this book rewarding. Freeman summarizes a vast amount of scholarship with deceptive ease, without sacrificing the juicy detail that gives history its force, all while building a coherent, convincing picture of faith that began with the revolutionary teachings of Jesus and all too soon traded insight for power. Yes, this is a vast simplification - but Freeman builds his case with finesse.
A couple choice generalizations. On the astonishing impact of Saul/Paul: "Paul shifted the focus from Jesus' teachings, of which he said virtually nothing, to the drama of his crucifixion and resurrection." An elementary deduction, but the consequence of this shift from the apocalyptic ethics of Jesus to the cosmic drama of redemption is impossible to overstate.
Freeman concludes with the modest observation that "While it makes sense to accept that we are naturally religious, imaginative about the spiritual possibilities of a life beyond materialism, anxious to find deeper ethical truths which will enable us to live in harmony with each other and the over-exploited planet we live on, we appear to be without the means to define the supernatural in any coherent way." This is as far from acerbic atheism as it is from the incredible certainty of Christian believers - and to my mind, the model of what scholarship should be.
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