A New History of Early Christianity

Charles Freeman

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English

Yale University
15 March 2011

Religion & beliefs; History of religion; Church history

This stimulating history of early Christianity revisits the extraordinary birth of a world religion and gives a new slant on a familiar story

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.

By: Charles Freeman
Imprint: Yale University
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780300170832
ISBN 10: 0300170831
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 15 March 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Charles Freeman is a popular historian and specialist on the ancient world and its legacy. He has wide interests in the history of European culture and thought. He has worked on archaeological digs on all three continents surrounding the Mediterranean, was appointed Head of History at St Clare's, Oxford and has served as Academic Director of summer schools on Renaissance Italy. He teaches occasionally at Colleges of Further Education in Cambridge and East Anglia, and has developed study tour programmes in Italy, Greece and Turkey. He is the author of numerous books including the best-selling The Closing of the Western Mind, Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean and The Horses of St Marks.

Reviews for A New History of Early Christianity

'This book will help us to new understandings and insights... It makes the events of this early period clear and accessible, and succeeds in showing how the Church developed its character and identity.' (John Binns, Church Times) 'Freeman writes very well and he always takes the trouble to read deeply in the scholarly literature. This book is a rattling good read and you'll encounter all sorts of fascinating facts and stories.' (Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald) 'This book brilliantly evokes the intellectual excitement and spiritual ferment when a sect of enthusiasts was turning itself into a church.' (Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman)