The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation

By: Luke Timothy Johnson, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Luke Timothy Johnson

Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

How did a persecuted sect in 1st-century Palestine rise to command such a massive influence on human culture, imagination, and spirit? How did Christianity weather the first critical stages of its historical development and attain its fundamental and enduring cultural role?

Speaking incisively to all of this and more, these 36 enthralling lectures tell the phenomenal story of Christianity's first 1,500 years, in all its remarkable diversity and complex dimension. In the company of Professor Johnson of Emory University, you'll follow the dramatic trajectory of Christianity from its beginnings as a "cult of Jesus" to its rise as a fervent religious movement; from its emergence as an unstoppable force within the Roman Empire to its critical role as an imperial religion; from its remarkable growth, amid divisive disputes and rivalries, to the ultimate schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism; and from its spread throughout the Western world to its flowering as a culture that shaped Europe for 800 years.

Throughout this series, you'll look deeply into the nature and role of faith, the ethos of our civilization, and the core conceptions of identity and ethics that underlie the Western worldview. This is history in the most vivid and meaningful sense of the word: an inquiry into the past that opens a compelling awareness of our present-of our living origins, our ultimate horizons, our deeper selves.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses

I just can't warm to this

I'm sure LTJ is a good scholar, but I find myself zoning out and not in a good way. I also find him much more of a traditional Christian than I am - he admits the scholarly consensus that Paul didn't write everything in the New Testament that is attributed to him, but states that he has decided to believe they are all written by Paul anyway.

I vastly prefer Bart Ehrman's lecture series (several of them on Audible) on the history of early Christianity, but I am comfortable with a secular historical look, even though I am a practicing Christian. YMMV.

Loved it and I didn't think I would

Well laid out and easy to follow. Very comprehensive. I really enjoyed listening to this.

Id recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their thinking and gain an appreciation of the 2000 years before now and how we have come to be where we are now.

Amazing how the influence and decisions of individuals over 1000 ago heavily shapes our society and day to day lives today.

A great audible production

This is an excellent and thorough production for anyone interested in a detailed understanding of Christianity! Performed by a very learned professor of theology! Anyone interested in the history of Christianity including the highs and the lows should listen to it! Luke Timothy Johnson is excellent!

Good but verbose

Good explanation of early Christianity and its development. The speech pattern is flowery. Very happy overall!

Great survey of Christianity thru Middle Ages

I love Dr. Johnson’s courses, and learn much that I had not known. He presents a well rounded survey of early Christianity. He includes episodes and periods during which the Church’s actions were less than Christian, but cites how Christianity has been self correcting. Dr. Johnson’s approach as a Catholic theologian is more balanced than other atheist historians.

Great survey of Early Christianity.

Luke Timotblhy Johnson goese deep into the topic and treats Christianity with respect throughout. He keeps the lectures and presentation very accessible. I highly recommend this series.

Biased

Definitely biased toward Catholicism. Sometimes I felt like the speaker was looking down from on high at high listeners in ridicule. Good details in the first couple of centuries.

The First 1500 Years: A Topical Overview

AT A GLANCE:
A capable and critical professor surveys Christianity up to the Reformation.

CONTENT:
There are 36 lectures presented by topic. These are mostly in chronological order but often not; it is more of a zig-zag than a forward thrust through history. For example, we've already learned of many second-millennium events before we come to the "great divorce" between western Catholicism and eastern Orthodoxy. The lectures cover the topics suitably, especially those on the early Church; it could work as a primer for further study.

NARRATOR:
Prof. Johnson is a former priest and monk, now a celebrated academic. He is quite upfront about his commitments and limitations near the start of the audio lectures. His specialty is in the very early church addressing themes in their Greco-Roman and wider pagan context during the first centuries; if you are seeking a more Medieval focus you'd be better off with the Great Course by William R. Cook on Catholic history. Johnson is articulate but his voice is very slow, for me necessitating a playback speed of 1.25x for the audio portion of the series.

OVERALL:
I appreciate Prof. Johnson's work on the early Church and this is well worth a listen, especially for those unfamiliar with the outline of Christian history.

Couldn’t tell who the audience was supposed to be

I was hoping for a history that played it straight and didn’t require the reader to be a believer or know too much about the bible. Found that it seemed to assume I know more than I did but not go much deeper in spite of that, which left me wondering who was the book for? Stopped after 8 or 9 chapters. Others might get more out of it.

Outstanding, Even-Handed and Polished

This is an exceptional presentation, exceeding the already very high standards set for the Great Courses. Grounded in historical fact-finding principles, the narrator is careful to draw distinctions on where our understanding crosses from fact to probable to speculative. Highly recommended.