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A New History of Early Christianity Paperback – April 26, 2011

by Charles Freeman (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 127 ratings
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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.

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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  4. Publication date
    April 26, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 1.13 x 7.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0300170831
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0300170832
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Freeman has a gift for crafting a compelling story out of the messy details of history, painting nuanced portraits of key figures through compelling quotations and precise historical observation."―Steve Young, Library Journal

"[Freeman] surveys a surprisingly diverse range of early Christian communities, differing from one another in doctrine, devotional observances, and attitudes toward pagan philosophy. But in the narrative that he presses most insistently, Freeman recounts how small and politically marginal bands of Christians―subject to savage persecution―transformed into an imperially powerful church serving Roman emperors (notably, Constantine and Theodosius) and persecuting heretics unwilling to embrace the creeds those emperors helped to hammer out."―Bryce Christensen, Booklist




"[Freeman] surveys a surprisingly diverse range of early Christian communities, . . . [and] recounts how small and politically marginal bands of Christians. . . transformed into an imperially powerful church serving Roman emperors (notably, Constantine and Theodosius) and persecuting heretics unwilling to embrace the creeds those emperors helped to hammer out."―Bryce Christensen, Booklist


"It's a mighty undertaking in such a modestly sized volume, but if you want to understand the reasons for present day schisms, you'll find the answers in this well-reasoned book."—Dave Wood, the Red Wing Republican Eagle

". . . a masterful work that adds to the knowledge of Christian history."—Kevin Winter, sacramentobookreview.com

"A fresh and provocative book: insightful, adventurous and controversial."—Laurie Guy, Colloquium

"Freeman rigorously maintains a nonjudgmental approach to the breadth of Christian diversity . . . A nuanced and sophisticated presentation of the dialogues (both within and outside of the tradition) that shaped the Christian experience through the fifth century. . . . This book will likely become the standard text for introductory courses."—David M. Reis, Religious Studies Review



"This book combines clear descriptions with a large amount of detail, presenting them in manageable bits, so that even the interested lay reader will find this book accessible with a little study. . . . Much to Freeman's credit and to the benefit of readers, he leads them through the years in which Christianity was shaped by these imperial forces, considering to what extent these were internal and external changes. This book is a great edition to the bookshelf of both educators and pastors who are interested in the origins of Christianity."—Andrea Janelle Dickens, Interpretations

"This book combines clear descriptions with a large amount of detail, presenting them in manageable bits, so that even the interested lay reader will find this book accessible with a little study. . . . Much to Freeman's credit and to the benefit of readers, he leads them through the years in which Christianity was shaped by these imperial forces, considering to what extent these were internal and external changes. This book is a great addition to the bookshelf of both educators and pastors who are interested in the origins of Christianity."—Andrea Janelle Dickens, Interpretations

"As usual, Freeman writes clearly and avoids the tediousness that can afflict scholarly texts."—Randal Hunhoff, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

"A History of Early Christianity is a masterful book, and a pleasure to read. Freeman narrates the development, diversity, and spread of Christianity with originality and verve. It is a story that brims over with fascinating accounts, intriguing quotations from figures in the ancient Mediterranean, and illuminating historical analysis. It is also a crucial resource for our understanding of ongoing cultural negotiations of religious and political spheres, all those theologico-political paradoxes that face us now more than ever. I do not think there exists a more engaging and illuminating history of early Christianity than this one."—Ward Blanton, University of Glasgow


"Even those who are adherents to Christianity may be puzzled by the tensions which exist in its primary sources, and this meticulous attempt to probe its origins and development is to be welcomed. Charles Freeman embraces the different kinds of approaches and positions which are found in the ancient texts, Christian and otherwise, painting a vivid picture of the nature of Christianity in all its diversity in the earliest centuries of its existence."—Christopher Rowland, author of Christian Origins


"This is a bold and imaginative historical synthesis which fills an important need. For the first time, Freeman makes the complex story of Christianity's birth and early development available in concise, lively, eminently readable form. A tragic story in many ways, but a great pleasure to read."—Richard Rubenstein, author of When Jesus Became God

About the Author

Charles Freeman is a specialist on the ancient world and its legacy. He has worked on archaeological digs on the continents surrounding the Mediterranean and develops study tour programs in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Freeman is Historical Consultant to the prestigious Blue Guides series and the author of numerous books, including the bestseller The Closing of the Western Mind and, most recently, Holy Bones, Holy Dust. He lives in the UK.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Reprint edition (April 26, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300170831
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300170832
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.13 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 127 ratings

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Charles Freeman

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
127 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gary Reiner
5.0 out of 5 stars An Historian's Look at Early Christianity -- Very Good
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2009
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I have read many accounts of the development of early Christianity, but have inevitably been disappointed due to various authors injecting their own spiritual biases. However, Early Christianity by Charles Freeman is a welcome exception to my experiences. Freeman does an admirable job of presenting the early years of Christianity from a straight-ahead historian's viewpoint, minus the bothersome religious views which have cluttered other books. The depictions of Jesus, Paul, the Christ, the Logos, gnosticism, the development of the the New Testament, the development of the trinity, the Imperial church, and more, are all fresh and full of historical insights. As an aside, due in large part to Freeman's unbiased reading of history, I found myself throughout the book constantly reassessing my own spiritual feelings and beliefs -- it was a progressive learning and self-examination process which I relished. I look forward to reading the book again down the road.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for a fresh, fluid, historically-centered presentation of what exactly happened during the first several centuries in the early Christian world. Also, the glossary, timeline, and index are all quite helpful tools. The book is a joy to read and I anticipate more great works from Charles Freeman.
55 people found this helpful
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David M. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars The truth of how the church and its theology developed.
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
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This book gave me accurate historical information about the establishment and development of Christianity from the beginning. It was very in depth and I will be referring to it for many years to be able to tell people how the written words of Jesus were determined and how various people distorted the message he taught. This has completed my course of study of Christianity not as some persons religious ideas but gave the in depth history of how and why Christianity developed as it did. I now know why I can never find a Christian church which is acceptable to me. Thank you.
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Sceptique500
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, albeit incomplete
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2011
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History, it is said, is a chaotic mix of contingence and necessity. With one exception, I may add: the history of revealed religion. There it is all necessity: God's will through men. History then degenerates into mere chronicle of God's will as it unfolds - a "just so story" writ in capital letters.

It is the great and enduring merit of Charles FREEMAN to have eschewed writing such an implicitly hagiographic history, and to have taken Christianity to be a historical phenomenon as any other. How did Christianity emerge? The book portrays a tradition in the making: from many humble, disparate and often contradictory sources and rivulets the main stream of orthodoxy eventually materializes - decisively helped, from a crucial point on, by the secular power of the Roman emperors, who settled theological issues as they saw fit, and enforced their choice for their own purposes. The picture that emerges of Christianity is less one of the irreversible spread of an inerrant "revealed truth" as one of contingent but convergent "political compromise".

Core elements of religion are its theology, its personal ethics, its view of afterlife, and its rituals. Their contingent interplay results in the religion successfully implanting in the social tissue of the time, growing, and eventually displacing other religions.

On the theology FREEMAN's dosage of detail is just right. We can understand and appreciate the successive discussions on the essence of the Trinity. The interplay with pagan philosophy is essential, and he sorts out the crucial concepts with great clarity. In attempting to explain themselves to Pagans the early Christians had to deepen their view of the Trinity - using philosophical categories and concepts. The early optimism that revelation would suffice to understand God's nature soon yielded to pessimism - part Zeitgeist, part the unseemly wrangle of clerical ambitions. In the end the stamp "dogma" - undisputed doctrine that needs no rational justification - was placed on the now "sealed" topic. In many cases that stamp is that of the Emperor's hand, and the Emperor then secured compliance. Though certainly not novel, the central role of secular power is worth expliciting and underlining.

At the time of Constantine's edict of toleration, and 300 years after Jesus, Christianity was less than 10% of the empire's population. 200 years later, it was the dominant religion. Imitative positive feedbacks may have played a role, but the role of civil authority in first defining, then spreading by means fair and foul the faith remains undisputed. If the advantage of Christianity in consorting with power is clear, the need of the Roman Emperor for a religion like Christianity is less clearly fleshed out in the text. It was not occasional. As KULIKOWSKI has pointed out recently: "Over the centuries, even the most backward parts of the empire had come to be integrated into Greco-Roman culture and Roman citizenship, while imperial government grew to resemble an administered state rather than a parasitic superstructure delegating the actual tasks of government to local authorities." The bishops provided a ready-made administrative structure with a relatively homogeneous ethic. In addition, a personality like Constantine would no longer satisfy himself with being revered as a god; he wanted to act as God (or at least in His place). The Christian religion gave him here far more scope than Paganism.

A central point in the book is the "unintended" outcome of the quest for canon. When Constantine and then Theodosius started down that path, they could not have fully understood the consequences of centrally imposed conformism. Or they may have thought that they could be "just a bit pregnant" with it. In hindsight, the "closing of the Western mind" was a "path-dependent outcome" - and a cautionary lesson to all those clamoring for orthodoxy.

In the area of personal ethics, Dr. FREEMAN is somewhat less than complete. He points out the different strands - from Pauline and Augustinian pessimism to the emerging obsession with sexual matters. On the positive side, we have the novel and deep concern for the poor, and the commandment of love for each other. The positive attitude of Jesus toward women is noted, but the theme gets somehow lost. The subject of slavery is hardly mentioned.

If Christianity spread it was also because it offered a profoundly different ethics from that of the day. Just an example: slaves, who had been considered chattel, were now recognized as moral agents - and slaves probably made up more than half the population. Here, one may begin with Jennifer A. GLANCY  Slavery in Early Christianity . Morals, furthermore, had been a private matter - in Christianity they became also a matter of the community. A better contrasting between everyday Christian and Pagan ethics would have been useful in understanding the attractiveness of the religion - but also its strangeness. Just imagine: a proud Roman knight is told that he may burn in hell, while his slave may have eternal bliss. What would have been his reaction?

One great novelty of Christianity with respect to Paganism was its emphasis on afterlife. Life was but a short trial period, followed by everlasting bliss or punishment. Notions of afterlife existed in Paganism, but were inchoate, or elitist, and certainly not universal or egalitarian. Even Judaism was unclear here, and on one point so was early Christianity - Jesus never mentioned Purgatory, and this concept emerged slowly, and was only fully affirmed by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (Protestantism recused it). Again, a bitter contrasting of the Christian and Pagan views on afterlife might have given us a better view.

Rituals get shortchanged. Priests and then bishops and monks are mentioned, and somehow surface. But there is no clear focus on the inner structures of the Church as such, or on the changing role of women in them. Also sacraments only get incidental treatment.

By making these comments I'm not saying that Dr. FREEMAN would have been able to supply all answers: but simply addressing them explicitly would have helped me better to visualize the scope of the implanting process that Christianity went through in the society of its day, and on the extent of the change it eventually wrought to the pre-existing worldviews.

Other topics that would be addressed could be e.g. "portability". Pagan gods were all "local". With increasing movement of population, it would have been useful to be assured of a spiritual home anywhere in the empire. As economic conditions declined, the emergence of "praeter-natural insurance policies" against the vagaries of fate might have looked attractive.

To conclude, Dr. FREEMAN is very good on the inner development of the Christian faith. But a non-dogmatic history of early Christianity also needs to address the question: what were the popular bases of its appeal and eventual success (but for the heavy fist of the Emperor)? What changes did it bring to the people, and why did they embrace Christianity? A mapping of the subject would already have been a step in the right direction.
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Richard B. Rosecky
5.0 out of 5 stars really interesting teaching about evolution of christianity
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
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I learned how Christianity evolved after the death of Jesus. Well written. Easy to understand!
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Carol S. Silva
5.0 out of 5 stars History of Christianity
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2018
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This book is required reading for any person truly interested in understanding how Christianity came to be & how it’s affiliation with the governing elites was indispensable to its success. All atheists should have this in their library along with other books by this superb author.
5 people found this helpful
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Nicola Morini Bianzino
5.0 out of 5 stars Great summary...however
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2020
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Do not agree with the conclusion in the final chapter about the positive impacts on western society. The stifling of free thought is never a positive thing
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DBok
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent ouvrage
Reviewed in France on December 28, 2015
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C'est exactement l'ouvrage que je cherchais sur l'histoire des premiers chrétiens, elle fait suite à ce que j'avais déjà lu sur l'histoire de la Thora (Ancien Testament) et l'histoire de Jésus.
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J. Hardy
5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed history
Reviewed in Canada on June 15, 2011
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A very thorough and informative book. Sticks to historical details and doesn't attempt to "preach"; in fact Freeman describes Paul/Saul as his own worst enemy. The book includes comments on Apollos, Philo, Marcion, Valentinus and many others who are outside the "chosen" bunch. And this helps me understand the diversity and greater environment of those years.
The last 50 pages at the end of the book includes - Notes, Glossary, Further Reading, Timeline, and Index - all very helpful.
My only negative comment relates to my less than perfect eyesight. I purchased the paperback version which uses a rather small type font. And the printing runs very close to the center spine so I had to keep rolling the book side to side to see the end of each line. If I were to order the book again I would consider the hardcover version which hopefully would improve on this.
7 people found this helpful
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C. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2012
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This is another great book by Charles Freemen and a perfect compliment to his fantastic book 'The Closing of the Western Mind'. It explores the development of christianity as a political and social force through the roman period, and onwards, which played such a key role in shaping the medieval world of Europe and parts of Africa and subsequently a large part of the the modern world. It also shows the way in which christianity was changed and reshaped when it was adopted by Constantine and the later emperors, and that many of the elements that underpin so much of christian thinking (such as the Nicene creed), the nature of Jesus as divine being and human being etc, are the products of political compromise and infighting, that forced later theologians to go through a absurd theoretical hoops to explain. Freeman also discusses the origins of the very odd attitude that christianity has towards sex, largely the product of a group of deeply misogynistic men (St Paul, Ambrose and Augustine and a good few others). The book is not unsympathetic to christianity, it recognises its progressive elements as well as the truly reprehensible stuff. It would be good if believers read this, it would give them a good understanding of the origins of their own belief system I think.
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Steve in Victoria
5.0 out of 5 stars This is neither pro nor anti Christian - just good historical analysis of what we know
Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2017
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This is an historians view of Christianity. This is neither pro nor anti Christian - just good historical analysis of what we know. At the same time he is able to always be respectful.
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Dr. M. S. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thorough readable account
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2009
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I had tried to read the Penguin version with a similar title by Chadwick but it was written in 1966 by an academic whose style I found inaccessible. So I tried this. It is so much easier to read.

What I wanted was a historians treatment of the subject. One that was logical and thorough that could lead me to further study if I chose. Charles Freeman writes well and it ticked all the boxes for me. Very enlightening and engaging. There are good diagrams, a glossary and guide to further reading. It may not be to the liking of Christians (perhaps hence the previous review) but it seemed measured and rational to this ex Christian.

Highly recommended.
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