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A major reinterpretation of the religious superstate that came to define both Europe and Christianity itself, by one of our foremost medieval historians.In the fourth century AD, a new faith grew out of Palestine, overwhelming the paganism of Rome and resoundingly defeating a host of other rival belief systems. Almost a thousand years later, all of Europe was controlled by Christian rulers, and the religion, ingrained within culture and society, exercised a monolithic hold over its population. But how did a small sect of isolated and intensely committed congregations become a mass movement centrally directed from Rome? As Peter Heather shows in this illuminating new history, there was nothing inevitable about Christendom's rise and eventual dominance.From Constantine the Great's pivotal conversion to Christianity to the crisis that followed the collapse of the Roman empire—which left the religion teetering on the edge of extinction—to the astonishing revolution of the eleventh century and beyond, out of which the Papacy emerged as the head of a vast international corporation, Heather traces Christendom's chameleonlike capacity for self-reinvention, as it not only defined a fledgling religion but transformed it into an institution that wielded effective authority across virtually all of the disparate peoples of medieval Europe.Authoritative, vivid, and filled with new insights, this is an unparalleled history of early Christianity.

The story of Christian thought is essential to understanding Christian faith today and the last two millennia of world history. This fresh and lively introduction explores the central ideas, persons, events, and movements that gave rise to Christian thought, from early beginnings to its present forms. By highlighting the important but often neglected role of women and the influence of non-Christian ideas and movements, this book provides a broader context for understanding the history of Christian ideas and their role in shaping our world. This work chronicles the impressive developments of Christian thinking which arose from these contexts and have transcended the ages. Christian Thought: provides an overview of the context of Christianity's origin, including discussion of the influence of Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans in the ancient world and the founding figures of Jesus and Paul explores the major events and figures of the history of Christian thought, while drawing attention to significant voices which have often been suppressed analyses the impact on Christian thought of widely discussed events such as The Great Schism, the Scientific Revolution, and Modernism surveys contemporary trends such as fundamentalism, feminism, and postmodernism. Complete with illustrations, timelines and maps, this is an ideal resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the development of Christian thought and its influence over the centuries.