A History of Christianity

Rating:
Summary: Who is Paul Johnson?
Review: "The History of Christianity", written in 1975 by the British scholar Paul Johnson, tries to convince the reader about what in the author's (biased) view are the deeply corrupted foundations of Christianity since the time of Saint John the Baptist and Jesus himself, given the influence and recurrence of Jewish traditions prevalent at the time, and later on and most specially in the periods of Catholic persecution in the first A.D centuries of the Roman Empire, at the time of Saints Paul and Peter who survived the martyrdom of Christ, and many others martyrs who were to follow and were persecuted ignominously by the pagan Empire; notwhitstanding the author efforts, in the end, the reader has the impression that all the massive historic evidence grouped by him against a pure formative basis of Catholic thinking and practice, is as unconvincing as any prejudiced effort made by any Church antagonist as him. Saint Augustine, for instance, one of the doctors of Christianity, is pillored as a forerunner of the Holy Inquisition in Spain and all his positive personal traits are read upside down by Paul Johnson, who sees everything in him with a tainted sight, portraying Augustine as a devilish person with no morals whatsoever.
A file of martyrs and saints is defiled due to this distorted vision and the reader is almost convinced that nothing is left out of the catholic church tradition which deserves praise, being the catholic institution just the natural heiress of an opressive and bureaucratic (Roman) empire only intent on controlling human beings and their properties for the sake of attaining material wealth and indiscriminate power. But all the prejudiced efforts of the author crumble to the ground when one has the feeling that the bias with which he treats all religious matters is only the sheer inheritance of someone with a puritanical view intent on demolishing the liturgy of the catholic church, thus sacrificing the ceremonial aspects inherited by modernity and leaving nothing on its place. The absence of a complete bio of the author is conspicuous (who is him?, what is his personal creed?, in what he believes in?) and demonstrates that the author's goal is the sheer destruction of the catholic building, leaving nothing in its place.

Rating:
Summary: It is everything that the previous reviewer says.
Review: A more nearly accurate title would have been "A History of the western Christian church." Johnson writes as though the Orthodox church had never developed. This is not a fault, but readers should be warned at the beginning.

On the positive side, he describes in some detail the pre-Latin churches, whose existence has been glossed over by the modern establishment, e.g. the Montanists and the clashing sects of North Africa. Some of their views compare quite favorably with the stodgy Latin dogmas. These chapters are some of the most enthralling.

The book is indeed written for the literate layman such as myself, but it contains a treasure trove of information; Johnson is no one's toady, in spite of the ad hominem attacks on his personal life.

It does not begin exactly where his "History of the Jews" ends, and the latter is considerably more interesting than the former.

I need say no more; the previous, excellent reviewer has said it well.

Rating:
Summary: A very detailed primer
Review: A very good introduction to the history of Christianity, though a bit heavy on the historical detail and not enough transparency in the historicl analysis. If you liked this, check out Rodney Stark's "The Rise of Christianity" and Anthony Gill's "Rendering Unto Caesar."

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting History
Review: Although I am a Christian--or perhaps because I am a Christian--I did not find this historical compendium quite as interesting as the author's History of the Jews. Nevertheless, much of it was fascinating, and Paul Johnson certainly put a great deal of research into this tome, which spans the period of the New Testament through 20th century America. For a Catholic, Johnson does not seem the least bit ashamed of depicting all of the dark, sinful actions of the institutional church. He approaches Christianity as a historian, and as a Christian he pursues the truth, unafraid of where it will lead him. His opinions infiltrate the work, but I always find them interesting and worthy of respect, even when I disagree with them.

Any party-Christian will find something to be offended by when he or she reads this book, as all aspects of the lives of religious founders and the works of Christian institutions are discussed, both the good and the bad. I wish that the author had delved more into the historical origin of the many American sects; he focuses primarily on Catholicism (which, granted, was the history of Christianity for many centuries), but his book seems to speed up when it reaches Protestantism.



Rating:
Summary: solid introduction to the history of Christianity
Review: Given the two millennia which the history of Christianity fills, Johnson's work is necessarily limited in what it covers and in the detail it devotes to certain topics. In a book of this nature (one designed for a general readership), much is left out. But the "spine" is there, and Johnson traces the development of the Church from the time of Christ (with some brief background information on Jewish sects before Christ) through, approximately, Vatican II and Humanae Vitae.

The Catholic Church is more the topic of the book than is Christianity in general. Perhaps this results from the age of Catholicism versus the age Protestant denominations. After all, for three quarters of the period covered, the Catholic Church was virtually alone on the scene, at least as far as Western Europe (Johnson's focus) was concerned. But even in the post-Reformation era, Protestantism receives attention that pales in comparison to that given Catholicism. And the Eastern Orthodox churches are mentioned virtually not at all after the 1054 split, except to compare the Church's adherence to Latin while the Orthodox churches accepted the native tongues of its members. All of this is fine, of course, but the title is somewhat misleading in this regard. A better title might have been "A History of Catholicism" or "A History of Christianity in the West."

That said, this is still an excellent book, and the material it includes is examined excellently. Theological doctrine and debates necessarily enter the story (such as the Trinity and the Pope's infallibility), but this is not a history of doctrine and its development. Rather, Johnson focuses on the evolution of Christianity (or, if you like, the Church) as a political, social, legal, and economic institution, one centered in Western Europe but also attempting to radiate outward--through the Crusades, missionary work, and, later, attempting to establish a foothold in North America. A key element of the story is the church-versus-state relationship, which changed over time. At times, the Church was the dominant player, and at other times, it yielded much authority to European monarchs. Much of the history witnesses series of give-and-take between church and state and, of course, concludes with the triumph of the state and also with the virtual separation of the world into two (sometimes competing) spheres.

This is an excellent treatment of Christian history, summarizing in 500 pages what could legitimately fill (and has filled) many thousands of pages. It is more than mere narrative as well, for Johnson includes many insightful analyses and draws thought-provoking conclusions. The book does not assume too much pre-existing knowledge of the subject (although having read the Bible, or at least Acts, would probably be helpful for the first part of the book), and it serves as a very fine starting point for studying the history of Christianity.

Rating:
Summary: solid introduction to the history of Christianity
Review: Given the two millennia which the history of Christianity fills, Johnson's work is necessarily limited in what it covers and in the detail it devotes to certain topics. In a book of this nature (one designed for a general readership), much is left out. But the "spine" is there, and Johnson traces the development of the Church from the time of Christ (with some brief background information on Jewish sects before Christ) through, approximately, Vatican II and Humanae Vitae.

The Catholic Church is more the topic of the book than is Christianity in general. Perhaps this results from the age of Catholicism versus the age Protestant denominations. After all, for three quarters of the period covered, the Catholic Church was virtually alone on the scene, at least as far as Western Europe (Johnson's focus) was concerned. But even in the post-Reformation era, Protestantism receives attention that pales in comparison to that given Catholicism. And the Eastern Orthodox churches are mentioned virtually not at all after the 1054 split, except to compare the Church's adherence to Latin while the Orthodox churches accepted the native tongues of its members. All of this is fine, of course, but the title is somewhat misleading in this regard. A better title might have been "A History of Catholicism" or "A History of Christianity in the West."

That said, this is still an excellent book, and the material it includes is examined excellently. Theological doctrine and debates necessarily enter the story (such as the Trinity and the Pope's infallibility), but this is not a history of doctrine and its development. Rather, Johnson focuses on the evolution of Christianity (or, if you like, the Church) as a political, social, legal, and economic institution, one centered in Western Europe but also attempting to radiate outward--through the Crusades, missionary work, and, later, attempting to establish a foothold in North America. A key element of the story is the church-versus-state relationship, which changed over time. At times, the Church was the dominant player, and at other times, it yielded much authority to European monarchs. Much of the history witnesses series of give-and-take between church and state and, of course, concludes with the triumph of the state and also with the virtual separation of the world into two (sometimes competing) spheres.

This is an excellent treatment of Christian history, summarizing in 500 pages what could legitimately fill (and has filled) many thousands of pages. It is more than mere narrative as well, for Johnson includes many insightful analyses and draws thought-provoking conclusions. The book does not assume too much pre-existing knowledge of the subject (although having read the Bible, or at least Acts, would probably be helpful for the first part of the book), and it serves as a very fine starting point for studying the history of Christianity.

Rating:
Summary: A Sour Look At Christianity
Review: I am usually a fan of Paul Johnson, but this early book by him left me cold. It is a fairly hostile look at the history of Christianity focusing on its failures rather than its successes. I assume it was written during a part of the author's life when he was more critical of institutional Christianity than he clearly is in his latest works. This being said the book is very well written and Mr. Johnson does not play fast and loose with the historical evidence. The book's sins are of omission rather than commission, leaving out much that is positive in the history of Christianity while placing on full display the negative.

Rating:
Summary: A Barnburner!
Review: It amazed me how Johnson could sort through all the details of two millenia of Christianity and present them in an order that was not only rational, but spellbinding. His committment is to honest investigation, yet he demonstrates that despite the truth about some of the horrors of church history, the Christian faith indeed has something to offer the individual and the world.

Paul B

Rating:
Summary: Simply astounding self-centeredness
Review: It must be considered some kind of achievement to write a history of "Christianity" without ever mentioning the Orthodox, without even having an entry in one's index for "Ecumenical Patriarchate." Johnson, besides his well known personal profligacy, is a "committed Catholic" [sic], so it's not surprising that he buys into the traditional, second-millennium Papist history of the "Church." What he does in the process of making the Papacy equivalent to the Church [sic], of course, is to leave out the story of the region where Christ and His initial followers actually lived -- and where the greatest saints worked and taught. Not worth much to him, the legacy of the Cappadocians, the See of Alexandria, etc. This is the FIRST THINGS version of "Christianity," in short.

It's only in the decadent West that what passes for "Christianity" today can be taken seriously. This book is a symptom of the disease written by an author who obviously knows exceedingly little about the history of his subject.

Rating:
Summary: A satisfying, if ill-tempered, overview
Review: Johnson aims to present an historical overview of the Christian religion from its Jewish beginnings until just a few years before the pontificate of John Paul II. It's the first of Johnson's books that I have read, and I must say he is a fetching writer with an easy manner and a brisk style.

His account dwells primarily, and not inappropriately, on the history of European Christianity, though he devotes a large chapter to the rise of the faith in South America and the United States. All of the main events are here: the theological and missionary work of Paul, the Constantinian conversion, the Reformation and, at the end, Vatican II. And some of the 'second-tier' topics Johnson chooses to discuss are quite fascinating: he gives a valuable overview of the contemporary setting of Jesus' mission, a very interesting account of the Jesuit's missionary activity in 17th century Japan (and the subsequent brutal suppression of the faith in that country), and perhaps best of all he stages a delightful parade of some of the bizarre sects of 'Reason' that thrived in in the wake of the Revolution in France. And Johnson seems to have been ahead of his time in drawing attention to the potential consequences of the rapid spread of Christianity in Africa.

However it should be said that the tone throughout the book is fairly consistently negative. Johnson is himself a Catholic, and perhaps he felt it necessary to take the critical stance lest he be criticized for being partial and patronizing. If that was his fear, he certainly succeeded brilliantly in deflecting any such criticisms, but I think the book suffers as a result. When the Church argues on theological grounds, he considers it slightly out of touch, but when it advances other arguments it is worldly and inauthentic; when Catholics do not condemn Nazism to Johnson's satisfaction they are attacked, but when Lutherans do the same they are excused (after all, they didn't have a 'tradition of opposition to the state'); when the Pope refuses to compromise he is portrayed as domineering and antidemocratic, but when he does compromise he is a 'weak autocrat'. Johnson reserves most of his ire for "Augustinianism", "triumphalism", and "mechanical Christianity", whatever that is. I found the concentrated dour tone a bit much after a while. Johnson added a diminutive epilogue in what is apparently an attempt to redress this misbalance, but the result is rather feeble.

Overall, then, a fine read from a literate curmudgeon.