The Christian Tradition

This book aims to introduce readers to the Christian tradition that has shaped the two millenia from the dawn of the Roman Empire to the present. It provides a diversifying discourse on the ways in which the church provides meaning to persons and peoples, explaining how some of the current problems of the modern church came to be. Special focus has been paid to the Jewish roots of Christianity; each section represents conventional breaks in the periodization of Christian history. It gives attention to the cultural manifestations of Christianity, including the art, music, and literature. For those readers interested in a history of Christianity that is unique, as it takes the voices of the laity and women seriously, and includes art and music as Christian cultural traditions.

The Christian Tradition introduces students at the beginning of a new millennium to a religion that has evolved over and shaped two previous millennia. With particular focus placed on the social and cultural background to this tradition, the text provides a stimulating survey of the history of Christianity from its Jewish roots to the challenges it faces in the twenty-first century. This innovative text weaves a consideration of the arts, spirituality, religious life and practice—especially among the laity, women, and others outside the dominant institutional tradition—into its historical narrative, and offers a comprehensive and diverse view of the course of Christian history.

KEY FEATURES INCLUDE

• An innovative social and cultural history of Christianity
• Special consideration given to the religious life and arts of Christianity
• Biographical profiles highlighting the lives and works of influential figures
• Extracts from the writings of key religious personalities
• Boxes with key statistical data
• Timelines providing overviews of important events in each period
• Nine maps with historical and geographical context
• End-of-chapter key terms
• Over 100 color and black-and-white illustrations