History of Christianity

The Christians: Their First Two Thousand Years. Volume 1, The Veil is Torn, A.D. 30 to A.D. 70 Volume 2, A Pinch of Incense, A.D. 70 to 250 Ted Byfield editor. Christian Millennial History Project Inc., 2002; 287 and 288 pages. $49.95 each

At a time in which North American culture seems taken up with the past – fantasized (The Lord of the Rings), romanticized (Braveheart, Gladiator, etc.) or revitalized (Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity) – it is appropriate that a well-written multi-volume series on the history of Christianity appear.

The Christians is thoroughly researched, with academic advisors from Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic backgrounds. Written in a lively, popular style, the series is aimed primarily for Christians, but the large, attractive format, scores of beautiful, original, commissioned illustrations, more than 300 photos and 16 original maps should give the books appeal to a secular audience as well.

The opening volume, The Veil is Torn consists of nine chapters, beginning with the Pentecost experience in AD 30 and the debate about Jesus (Madman or God?). Succeeding chapters follow Peter and Paul. One chapter describes in detail what is known about the writing of the three Synoptic Gospels, while the final chapters cover the persecution of Christians in Rome by Nero, and the spectacular siege and fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. The narrative follows the biblical accounts in an engaging style that connects each chapter to the next in a continuing story.

The tone of volume one is that of orthodox Christianity, with strong arguments for the reliability of the New Testament documents and a four-page excursus on John Robinson, “an undependable liberal”, the bishop who “appalled the conservatives” but then made a well-documented case that no academic has answered for a much earlier and more credible New Testament.

Paul is portrayed in F.F. Bruce’s language as “the apostle of the heart set free”. Christianity is “experiencing the living Jesus” (p. 190).

Numerous sidebars elaborate on matters related to the main text. The Dorothy Sayers’ piece on the crucifixion of Jesus “Who’s to blame? The Jews or Romans?” is provocative. The essay on Josephus, “The rogue historian” is also insightful. Of the many stunning photos, the two-page spread of Masada was for me a highlight.

A Pinch of Incense gets its title from one of the tests to which people suspected of being Christian were subjected i.e. to refuse to burn a pinch of incense as an offering to Caesar as god would mean a death sentence. This volume consists of ten chapters, beginning with the ministry of John and the writing of the Fourth Gospel. The increasing persecution of Christians, aided by the fervor of Roman bureaucrats like Pliny the Younger and by decrees that made the faith illegal is the focus of much of this volume. The growth of the Roman Empire is detailed, as is the growth of Christian conversions within the army and, secretly, among the Roman ruling elite. The stories of early Christian leaders and martyrs are covered: Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Origen. There is a particularly moving account of the martyrdom of Perpetua in Carthage in AD 203, a young woman who left a diary telling about her life before her arrest. She, along with a number of other women and men catechumens were stabbed through the neck by a gladiator in front of 30,000 jeering amphitheatre spectators. Women were shown no preference and proportionate to their numbers, more women than men were martyred.

Once again exceptional sidebars illuminate the text. Slavery is put in perspective in “Why the Bible condones slavery – all the ancient world depended on it.” “By far the nastiest sports event ever invented,” describes the incredible butchery of the gladiatorial shows. The lengthy chapter on Marcus Aurelius (AD161–180) “The noble emperor who scorned the Christians” would make excellent background reading, as well as a corrective for viewing the Hollywood blockbuster, “Gladiator”.

Both volumes contain numerous photos of archaeological artifacts and excavations of significant historical sites from the first three centuries AD. These bring tangible reality to distant places and events. The rather uncritical use of Eusebius, fourth century AD church historian who is not always reliable, and a miscalculation of the number of Christians in the Roman Empire in AD 110, said not to exceed 8,000 (in a population of 60 million) are a few flaws in an otherwise outstanding account of the first 270 years of Christianity.

Postmoderns tend to have a short memory. We are standing on the shoulders of giants and need to be reminded of the agony and the ecstasy of those who laid the foundations, not only of the Christian church, but of Western civilization. These volumes provide such a reminder.

Walter Unger is President Emeritus of Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC.