Lower than the Angels

A History of Sex and Christianity

By: Diarmaid MacCulloch

Narrated by: Diarmaid MacCulloch

"A magisterial new history"—The New York Times

"An epic tale, and MacCulloch is an undaunted guide.”—New York Review of Books

A groundbreaking history of sexual emotion, sexual activity, gender relations, marriage and the family--and how Christianity has interacted with this panorama of human concerns

Few matters produce more public interest and public anxiety than sex and religion. Much of the political contention and division in societies across the world centres on sexual topics, and one-third of the global population is Christian in background or outlook. The issue goes to the heart of present-day religion.

This book seeks to calm fears and encourage understanding through telling a three-thousand-year-long tale of Christians encountering sex, gender, and the family. The message of Lower than the Angels is simple, necessary and timely: to pay attention to the complexity and contradictions in the history of Christianity. The reader can decide from the story told here whether there is a single Christian theology of sex, or many contending voices in a symphony that is not at all complete. Oxford’s Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church introduces an epic of ordinary and extraordinary Christians trying to make sense of themselves and of humanity’s deepest desires, fears and hopes.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains photographs and works of art to accompany the material.

Brilliant book, charmingly narrated

A marvellous complimentary read to the author’s earlier work on history of Christianity, and manages to be markedly distinct from that work despite so much apparently shared history. As well as being marvellous structured and argued, it is tonally generous-minded and wry, with beautiful observations and memorable facts / anecdotes throughout

An encyclopedic history

This book is so vast on its coverage it is hard to absorb in one listening. The only omission I noticed was the role of interracial marriage in motivating evangelicals and Southern Baptists to organize and fight to turn the clock back on the rights of women and minorities. Once they lost that battle they moved on to other issues.

Profoundly Revealing

MacCulloch's achievement is extraordinary -- brilliantly organized, thoroughly researched, and warmly presented. Some content is liable to cause some squirming for the most reactive among us on the right and left. MacCulloch avoids pursuit of a bland golden mean, opting instead for forthright comprehensiveness. Thusly confronted, we yet enjoy the thoughtful leadership of an author who avoids both nihilism and prescription.

To understand deeply the context for who we are at this moment in western civilization, I recommend engaging two Audible books : MacCulloch's LOWER THAN THE ANGELS and Snowden's EPIDEMICS AND SOCIETY.

Erudite, thorough, and comprehensive historical view of sex/gender concepts in Christianity

I was impressed with the clarity of writing and exposition on a complex and often misinterpreted part of religious life before and after the birth of Jesus. Though a long book, I never grew bored or terribly lost in the writing, the author’s narration was exquisite. Highly recommended for those with an appetite for history with a soft focus on sexual mores and customs.