Look no farther than Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years to understand the popularity of ereaders. The printed book is too massive to conveniently carry on public transportation or to a doctor's office waiting room, but it is hardly a book to read in one sitting. It is almost 1200 pages long and it is written by an Oxford professor, so it is the kind of book that a reader can sink into and explore.
Otherworldly Greek Culture Transformed the Answers to Questions about God
The beautiful fluidity of Christianity recognizes that the events and ideas of the past retain relevancy over time. Orthodox and Catholic churches may broadcast podcasts from air-conditioned churches, but the services have remained extraordinarily similar to the very early days of formal churching. MacCulloch examines the the oldest ideas of Christianity, and he traces a questions about God to pre-Christian ideas.
When Jewish culture met Greek philosophy, a strange weave was threaded into a fabric of common culture. One culture believed that, "God knows who God is." The other culture brought Platonic reasoning to explain God's, and that led to a society where there were "two irreconcilable visions of God." MacCulloch suggests that effect of the conflicting definitions of God is, "there never can be a stable answer to an unending question."
MacCullough does not attempt to settle religious debates. He simply illustrates how different Christian cultures have attempted to answer theological questions, from the perspective of "a candid friend of Christianity." He offers a Christianity timeline, explains the origin of Christianity, and follows the Jewish roots of Christianity to Christianity today.
A Humanist Philosopher Opened Discussions of Who Can Talk to God
Christianity highlights contradictions and difficulties within Christianity, and he points to Desiderius Erasmus's humanist salons as a fulcrum in the expansion of Christian philosophy. Erasmus, he says, should be known as "the patron saint of networkers." It was through Erasmus's questions, conversations, and writings that reformers such as Martin Luther were emboldened to demand changes that altered the history of Christianity.
Before Erasmus, approaching God was once a privilege controlled and guided by priests and monks; after Erasmus, the procedure was simplified. Private prayer and small meetings changed and augmented traditional worship. Even unexceptional minds could read the Bible, and even non-believers could appeal to God for mercy and guidance. The role of churches underwent a dramatic metamorphosis, even as the churches themselves stayed consistent with their ideals of what Christianity is and Christian ethics.
Special Notes for Reading Christianity in eBook Format
The eBook version is not modified from the print edition, which can present frustrations when the book redirects readers to a specific page, especially when using the index. The solution is to search by keyword to find page-related references and to use a list of chapter page numbers int the print edition.
A general Kindle ebook location conversion from the print edition:
- Part 1: location 369 (Kindle) is approximately page 18.
- Part 2: location 1396 (Kindle) is approximately page 75.
- Part 3: location 4310 (Kindle) is approximately page 229.
- Part 4: location 5306 (Kindle) is approximately page 287.
- Part 5: location 7870 (Kindle) is approximately page 425.
- Part 6: location 100091 (Kindle) is approximately page 549.
- Part 7: location 14127 (Kindle) is approximately page 767.
When the book requires the reader to go to a specific page without giving a keyword search term, location estimation works pretty well. Barnes and Noble has more specific chapter information and pages on the "Features" section on their Christianity page.
The price of the ebook changed significantly from the book's March release. In April 2010, it was 9.99 on Amazon and similarly priced at other ebook stores, but by June 2010 the Viking had changed the price to 29.99, making it more expensive than the other formats.
Christianity answers questions that many Christians never think to ask. MacCulloch style is friendly and direct, and the book journeys from the earliest days of Jewish and Greek cultures to Jesus's writing in the sand, from Henry Viii's reformation to America's pilgrims, and ends with modern churches and the challenges presented in increasingly secular societies.
Publication Information
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years was written by Diarmaid MacCulloch. It was released in an ebook format by Viking Adult in March, 2010. The ASIN is B0030CVQ5I.
Viking's printed edition of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years was also released in March 2010, and has the ISBN: 0670021261.
The 46 hour audiobook of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years was released by Gildan Audio in March 2010. The ISBN is 1596595545.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
