Christianity: A Brief History

Christianity is one of the worlds great religions with more than two thousand years of history and over two billion adherents worldwide. But what is Christianity? Where did it come from? How did it develop to its current forms? What doctrines do Christians affirm? What ethical norms do they endorse? What relationships between church and state do they champion and why? What changes have transpired for the faith over the centuries? And what new challenges does Christianity face in the contemporary world? These and other questions are addressed in Michael Robinsons Christianity: A Brief History. After a concise description of the social political and religious world of first-century Palestine the text quickly examines the Jesus of history and tradition including Jesus impact upon his first-century followers; the narrative then moves to describe the expansions and developments of Christianity through the ancient medieval modern and contemporary eras. Along the way readers learn of the varied beliefs mores rituals struggles and triumphs of the faith as well as of the spiritual heights and moral blunders of its people. Robinsons intention is to introduce Christianity through its story and through those who lived it.