The Faith : A History of Christianity - Softcover

Brian Moynahan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 071260720X ISBN 13: 9780712607209

Publisher: Pimlico, 2003

Synopsis

Over the past two thousand years, Christianity has grown from a small and persecuted sect - 'crucified or set on fire', Tacitus wrote of them in Nero's Rome, 'so that when darkness fell they burned like torches in the night' - into an immense congregation that straddles the globe. The Faith traces the astonishing journey it has made from Jesus and the Cross to the present day. This is a story of fierce drama and incomparable scope, and Brian Moynahan tells it superbly. The apostles are here, and the first monks. Constantine is converted. Rome falls to the barbarians, and heartlands are lost to Islam. Religious zeal inspires the great cathedrals, and the crusades, and underpins the settlement of the New World. The travails of the faith in the reformation and counter-reformation are succeeded by the perils of the age of revolutions, and the assaults by Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Beneath the great themes of Christian history, the book is richly peopled by individuals, by saints, mystics, inquisitors, flagellants, scholars, soldiers and artists of sublime brilliance. Whether he is discussing doctrinal schism, witch-hunts or the Mormons, Moynahan always writes with balance and objectivity. He is no apologist for the manifest cruelties so often perpetrated in the name of Christ. But he also portrays the power and beauty of a faith which has endured for so long and inspired so many. At a time when Christianity is on the retreat in many Western countries, The Faith is a vivid reminder of the beliefs that shaped the world in times more spiritual than our own.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Beginning with the birth of Jesus and tracing the religion established by his followers up to the present day, The Faith is a comprehensive exploration of the history of Christianity. Judiciously covering all the signal moments without bogging down in minutia, author Brian Moynahan's superbly written and generously illustrated book is of central importance to Christians, historians, and anyone interested in a faith that shaped the modern world.

Moynahan's research uses little-known sources to tell a magnificent story encompassing everything from the early tremulous years after Jesus' death to the horrors of persecution by Nero, from the growth of monasteries to the bloody Crusades, from the building of the great cathedrals to the cataclysm of the Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, from the flight of pilgrims from Europe in pursuit of religious freedom to the Salem Witch Trials, from the advent of a traveling pope to the rise of televangelists.

Coming just in time for Jubilee 2000, this ambitious book reveals and commemorates the significance of the Christian faith.

About the Author:

Brian Moynahan is a former foundation scholar of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he took a double first in history. He was for many years a foreign correspondent with the Sunday Times, and was its European Editor. His previous books include The Russian Century and The British Century.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pimlico
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 071260720X
• ISBN 13: 9780712607209
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 816