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Christianity-The First Two Thousand Years

Christianity-The First Two Thousand Years

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $31.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very interesting, if not comprehensive
Review: OK, how in-depth can you go in only four hours of video?

Aside from that, this set provides some very entertaining history of the first thousand years of Christianity. As with all A&E productions, the technical quality and editing are excellent, and the background music is very nice.

Recommended for those who'd like a brief introduction to early church history, but not much depth. Not recommended for those who need something beyond entertainment.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad,but also so so
Review: reading the other reviews, there is only one thing to say: that every time the christian fate and the bible that is not correct at all is under "attack" the so called "thrue believer" get scared.

The Film was good, but they should let the other fanatic side also tell there story

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better than others state
Review: So, we have one reviewer who admits he hasn't seen the documentary at all, and one who is troubled by its lack of "faith support." Admittedly, one cannot cover the whole of Christianity within 400 hrs.; by the same token, you can provide a general framework that fills in gaps of (mis)understanding, clarifies key points, and identifies major figures. You get what you get in terms of a pick-and-choose format because of time constraints. Does that make this a poor documentary? Far from it. If by "liberal" we mean "willing to look at history from differing points of view" and "challenging beliefs," then yes, the verdict is guilty. However, the scholars and experts in the documentary know their stuff. If you really want liberal, see PBS's Frontline production From Jesus To Christ (another fine production). Don't be scared off by those who might be afraid to have their faith systems explored and scrutinized. Honestly, such scrutiny actually makes our faith much stronger.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Christianity: The Long March
Review: The attempt to cover 2,000 years is to be admired. However, I find some scenes repeated, the background music boring and the general tempo too slow. When compared to other DVDs of historical subjects, such as Islam and the Greeks, this one on Christianity comes second in lacking rhythm and keep one awaken all the time. However, the material is of great interest and illuminating for anyone looking for general information. I suggest a book to accompany the DVD to enrich with details for anyone interested in going further in certain subjects. Specially interesting the celibacy decree of the Catholic Church (in year 1,000) which was never part of the original religion. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed going through the many ups and downs of Christianity, sometimes finding how far its representatives have several times fallen from Jesus words and acts. On the other hand, how exceptional personalities like St. Agustin, St. Ignacio De Loyola, St. Francis of Assisi and Martin Luther have kept Christianity from obsolescence and disbelief.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Remarkable diversity of perspective
Review: The producers of this film went to great pains to collect a diversity of talking heads. Their scholars span the spectrum from Stuart of Gordon Conwell and Justo Gonzalez to head of the Jesus Seminar. There are women scholars, popular writers and religious professionals in every imaginable garb, reflecting together on the history of the church. The visuals are of mixed quality. Several of the images are repeated ad nausium and the dramatizations are not very well done. However the content is relatively helpful. There are times when the film leaves remarkable latitude for traditional accounts and other times when it cites the most critical scholarship. There also seems to be a polemical juxtaposition of praise worthy individuals and institutions gone bad (with a focus on violence). My major complaint is that the series is not comprehensive enough and often feels anecdotal. It could easily have been twice as long. However, for the constraints it is an interesting discussion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent and Intriguing
Review: This DVD has an excellent musical score, with scenes of beuatiful paintings and landscapes, all while giving the stunning narative history of Christianity.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A fascinating history
Review: This is the rare kind of program that makes you feel like a better person for having caught up on a little extra history. The presentation of facts (regardless of what you may see below) is admirable for both its objectivity and educational value. No, the program doesn't intend to bolster your faith, although Christians of all denominations are likely to find something in this series that makes them proud of their individual ethnic heritage. I couldn't stop watching when I was fortunate enough to run across this on television, and I immediately sought it out to buy here. Whether or not you are a Christian, you are likely to find this an interesting presentation that covers a substantial bit of world history.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too liberal, but interesting
Review: This video features many of the key figures in the Jesus Seminar. Of course, this should make the nature of the film clear. Folks from every domain of old-line Christianity are intereviewed. True believers are excluded. Of course, the makers of this set would argue that they wanted to make an "objective historical" account of the history of Christianity. This 'naturally' excludes anyone who defend the truth claims of the Christian faith. Knowing that this is a liberal piece, how well does it do it's job? Of course, you can't cover 1,000 years of history in (actually less than) 5 hours time. PBS could hardly cover the 50 years of modern war between the Israelites and the Arabs in 5 full hours. However, this piece does give us a brief 'Cliff's notes' perspective on the transition from early apostolic church to full-fledged Roman Catholicism. Don't expect much depth. Don't expect your faith to be encouraged. But this is ultimately a decent synopsis of the first 1,000 years of Christian history.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Value!
Review: Very rewarding to watch. The reviews here are mostly all accurate in my opinion. The soundtrack is very nice and the visuals are interesting, but somewhat hypnotic in that it mostly consists of slow panning across still artwork. The narration could be too soothing and put you to sleep though. I found myself drifting off (not because I was bored, but because slow panning and soft narration against the orchestral backing make for a great sedative.) I reversed the program many times to catch up on what I missed. In this regard, it's hard to get through...but I'm glad I purchased it. It's a great reference tool and wonderfully informative. It's nice to know what all had to take place in the past that made me the Christian that I am today.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Value!
Review: Very rewarding to watch. The reviews here are mostly all accurate in my opinion. The soundtrack is very nice and the visuals are interesting, but somewhat hypnotic in that it mostly consists of slow panning across still artwork. The narration could be too soothing and put you to sleep though. I found myself drifting off (not because I was bored, but because slow panning and soft narration against the orchestral backing make for a great sedative.) I reversed the program many times to catch up on what I missed. In this regard, it's hard to get through...but I'm glad I purchased it. It's a great reference tool and wonderfully informative. It's nice to know what all had to take place in the past that made me the Christian that I am today.


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