The Modern Scholar: From Jesus to Christianity: A History of the Early Church

By: Thomas F. Madden

Narrated by: Thomas F. Madden

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Entrusting the apostles to continue the work he had started by instructing them to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit . . .," Jesus kindled the fires of a new religion in a world largely dominated by polytheism, cult leader worship, and mysticism. In the first century of its existence, Christianity was both welcomed and vilified throughout the Roman Empire. Many of Christianity's original adherents were martyred - murdered by those who believed it a danger to their authority or, at the very least, the cause of unrest among an otherwise docile populace.

Christians themselves practiced their religion with great diversity, linked as much to local influences as theology. Political intrigue, theological beliefs, and simple misunderstandings created a need for dialogue between the many practitioners of the growing faith.

Christianity's adoption as the official faith of the Roman state tied it inexorably to the fortunes of the Empire. This also helped to create a gulf between the two main theological branches of the religion, which remain to this day.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2005 Thomas F. Madden (P)2005 Recorded Books

Great course

If you looking for people who want to try to twist history into sensationalist claims then I guess Dr. Madden won't be for you. You won't get the recently popular nonsense about how Mary Magdalene had Jesus's baby on the coast of France or whatever. If missing out on that means it will be boring to you, then this will be boring.


But he gives allot of the information regarding early church history and doesn't have an axe to grind. With him it seems facts first and then theories. The theories may not be as spectacular but they also aren???t horribly misinformed. And I will say even the seemingly less sensational theories that spring up from listening to his lectures have always given me allot to think about.



As far as his tone of voice and that sort of thing, I had no problem with it. But then again I find the material interesting.

INTERESTING AND USEFUL

It's an interesting and accesible/easy to understand overview of early christianity. My only complain is that the prof is a little bit too hesitant in his presentation on the first part of the course(first few lectures), and that makes it a little bit hard to listen to at first.
Overall i find it very useful to anyone who wants to understand how christianity got be to be what it is today.

A good lecture

This is the first set of lectures by Professor Thomas Madden on the Church History. The lecture starts with the time of Jesus Christ to the Chaucedon and Nestorian expulsion. Madden's lectures are generally consistant in quality and I enjoy them, but for people prefer humourous lecturing styles, some may find him monotonous.

Very informative. Great job with this.

I am learning so much. Very informative and just the facts. No religion, not that I am not a fan of Christian books, but this is just the history. This guy Tom Madden is amazing.

perfect a great overview Professor Madden is geat<br />

it goes quickly it's an excellent overview the professor really digs down and make some really clear that Christianity didn't cause the collapse of the Roman Empire

Mixed review

I was very interested in this topic but I found the speaker difficult to listen to. Rhythm and cadence were distracting in the extreme. I stuck with it only because, my interest in the topic out weighed my frustration with the speaker.

Excellent, unbiased history

Professor Madden is brilliant in his presentation of historical facts, unobscured by biases that are prevalent from many others in academia. I highly recommend this.

Great overview introduction for a neophyte

I say that as a neophyte, granted - so perhaps someone who knows better might disagree with emphases.

For my part, I feel better educated about the rise of Christianity from the times of Jesus to the early rise of Muslim rule.

conflict between early Christian segments

after listening to the history of Rome podcast I was looking for a history of the conflict between different segments of early christians. this did touch on the at little, but not as much as I had hoped.

thought-provoking and well-done lectures

I thought this was a fascinating history of the early Christian Church. I've always loved Prof. Madden's lectures - he's always calm, well-organized, and presents on compelling subjects.

This is like sitting in a college seminar - it is not like an audiobook narrated by an actor. For me, I prefer this style, but YMMV, and I can tell some people in the comments are reviewing this as something it is not.

I also enjoyed Bart Ehrman's "From Jesus to Constantine." Madden is perhaps more of a typical Catholic historian approach, and Ehrman is a bit more what I've learned in my Episcopalian classes, but I like both perspectives. Both are historians first and foremost.