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Summary: A Complex Tale in a Simple and Interesting Manner
Review: Richard E. Rubenstein's When Jesus Became God (The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome) looks at the major controversy kicked off by the Alexandrian priest Arius when he posited a theory that Jesus was not equal to God and then the ideas blossomed from there. The book presents a hundred years of this particular controversy in an informative manner giving space to all sides and acquainting the reader with all the combatants through clear and precise character descriptions, from the bishops to the emperors to the "barbarians". The author explains the often convoluted religious doctrines in a readable and understandable style. He focuses on the actual conflict and creates an entertaining and very dramatic look at a turning point in the Christian religion that would have far reaching consequences down through the centuries. A wonderful examination of an important topic.
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Summary: History Gets a Fair Hearing
Review: If you ever wondered if there was more to the story behind the formulation of the doctrine of the trinity than commonly told, this book is important reading.It is rare for this topic of Christian Faith to be explored from its "equator" - outward, rather than from the pre-defined "poles" of later history - inward. Most accounts of this period have their roots in a singular purpose... that of silencing the heretical position being shouted from the other "pole". Much information available regarding the church councils heralds from such an extreme viewpoint, it becomes very difficult for the reader to separate fact from theology. Well written and fleshed out with true drama, each controversy unfolds and is allowed to live again. Don't get the idea that the book is detached from the details and looks only at personalities. It wades into both, thus giving enough information to make each position understandable. Another refreshing surprise: the author does not rub your nose in his perceptions, baiting you to his pre-determined conclusion. Rather he allows the vibrant re-telling of history to perform that important job.
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Summary: Seventy Years That Changed Christianity
Review: This is an engrossing book about the early Christian Church's struggle with defining the nature of Jesus. What many Christians probably do not appreciate is that in the Forth Century, for nearly seventy years the Church hierarchy fought each other tenaciously regarding the views of a priest by the name of Arius. The Arian controversy threatened to divide all of Christendom. Radical Arianism believed that Jesus was not God at all, while Conservative Arianism believed that Jesus became God by growing in wisdom and virtue. Interestingly enough, it was the Conservative Arians in the Eastern Roman Empire who believed that Jesus was not God by nature, but that he earned his deification by growing in wisdom and virtue. The significance of this book is two fold. First, it illustrates the development of defining the nature of Jesus and how one group happened to win over the other group, but it could have had a different outcome if not for certain historical events. What Christians today take for granted as absolute truth is shown to have been a closely fought battle for hegemony and doctrine. Secondly, it is only my own theory, but maybe there was some Buddhist influence in the Eastern Roman Empire that helped formulate the Conservative Arian view that Jesus grew in wisdom and virtue to the extent of deification. Rather than reach nirvana, Jesus reached godhood. The historical struggle of doctrinal views in the early Christian Church should be fascinating reading for both Christian and non-Christian alike.
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Summary: Clear and Easily Understood Documetary of Christian Triumph
Review: This book is very clear and easy to understand! I have read several works on church history written by the church fathers, as well as by adherents of the Nicene and Anti-Nicene Creeds. So in reading Rubenstein's work I found myself emphatically intersested in the contents do to a major alleviation between the original accounts and Rubenstein's historical conglomeration. If you are not all that familiar with church history I srongly suggest this book. I wish that I would have read this work before going through all the rigorousity of the ancient texts. "When Jesus Became God" is now a treasure on my shelf, I hope it finds its way to yours.
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Summary: Interplay of power politics and ideology in the 4th century
Review: Like moles emerging from their tunnels, the early Christians came out from covert 'survival mode' after Diocletian's Great Persecution -- and almost immediately started fractioning. Much like Islam, Communism, and other ideologies, the factions engaged in violent internicene warfare. The author, Jewish and a professor of conflict resolution, brings a unique viewpoint to this fascinating century of Christian history. He convincingly explains WHY the Arian-Nicene split developed and why common people cared. He makes one sympathize with Roman emperors who sometimes lost patience with their "squabbling children". (As various bishops tried to utilize the civil powers to vanquish their religious foes, one is reminded of children going to Mom and Dad to 'settle' disagreements!) The fourth century was a trying one for the Empire, split time and again, with problems both on the northern (barbarian) and eastern (Persian) frontiers. Rubenstein paints the characters of the parties in lifelike four dimensions -- not only major characters like Arius, Bishop Athanatius, Emperor Constantine, Julian the Apostate, Emperor Theodosius, etc. -- but also scores of minor actors. Christians today chant the words of the Creed of Constantinople, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things came into existence, and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, and Who, with the Father and the Son is together worshipped and glorified...." Only a few handful realize the number of dead Christians, the riots, the politicking, and the number of councils lying under these words. Rubenstein brings the dry sticks of theological dogma into flaming reality by magnificently re-creating the historical matrix from which they grew. The Arians (like modern Unitarians) beleived Christ to be a very holy man -- no more. They believed Jesus would be no guide to men if he were God, for what man can hope to emulate the mysterious, unknowable, and mighty Lord God. The Nicenes could not believe that the Arians could reduce the Master to nothing more than another man-in-the-street: surely he was man (obviously) but -- also God! In a time when the Eastern (Greek portion) of the Mediterranean basin was entirely Christian, and mostly Arian, the Arians were quite powerful. Europe was a backwater, populated by "hicks" (paganii) who had only recently accepted Christianity. But ultimately, as the Roman Empire (in fits and starts) disintegrated, the optimistic Arian view of man as perfectible lost out to the pessimestic Nicene outlook, which looked to a divine Jesus to save men from themselves. Well before the time Islam swept across Middle East two hundred years later, Arianism had been defeated. Jesus had been promoted by his followers to God-head. A cacaphony of contending bishops was being welded into hierarchical structures later known as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Rubenstein's book is a fascinating telling of the historic tale!
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Summary: A thorough historic and question raising theologic work
Review: A previous review stated Rubenstein's book is not a theologic disputation. While not primarily so, the book definitely got me thinking about how actually well grounded in the Greek Scriptures is a major doctrine which most of professed Christianity adheres to. It should be an eye opener for those who believe it was established without a doubt except for some obscure 4th century heresy called Arianism. Dr. Rubenstein conclusively establishes just how widespread the controversy really was and how long it endured. Very early on he reviews a Greek scripture basis for the Arian belief system which was very thought provoking. He touches on the Greek philosophic roots of the anti Arian champion Athanasius, and the violence and religious intolerance exhibited by professed Christians on both sides of the controversy. The question of how Jesus became God doctrinally as the title states is also addressed. A thought provoking and thorough historic account of the subject.
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Summary: Title explains it all - this book dispels popular myths
Review: "When Jesus Became God" is a top-notch account of a much misunderstood period in Christian history. Many people (esp. non-Christians) portray what occurred at the Council of Nicene as a bunch of people spontaneously deciding that Jesus was God. This book puts that over-simplistic myth to rest, and explains the circumstances (and consequences) surrounding the "declaration" of Jesus' divinity. It further explains that the debate between the Arians and Orthodox Christians is far more subtle, in theologic terms, than is often believed. In truth, the Church was undergoing a slow evolution, and the Council of Nicene wasn't the seminal moment it is often portrayed to be. The book explains this at a perfect level of detail, and doesn't require much background knowledge. Regardless of what religion you adhere to, this book is a great way to gain a better understanding of early Christianity's evolution.
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Summary: Wonderful clues to understanding Christian tradition
Review: Those first few centuries after Jesus lived were filled with more turmoil within the young Christian church than I could've imagined. This book tells the history of the Nicene creed and outlines the emergence of many specific beliefs still embraced by the orthodox christian church today, for example the belief that Jesus was God incarnate. As a youngster, I was taught that all the beliefs, traditions, rituals and heretical definitions were basically handed down to the Christian church directly from God, but upon reading the New Testament for myself, I began to wonder where all these things actually came from. This book does a wonderful job of explaining how the church as it currently stands was originally formed through a series of events taking place more than 300 years after Jesus' life on Earth. If, as a Christian, you are even remotely interested in knowing where the definitions of "Christianity" and "heresy" came from, and who decided what the rules should be, this is the book to read. There are far too few books on this crucial period of Church history in existence today, and after reading this rare gem perhaps you will understand why.
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Summary: The Nuns Never Taught Me this!
Review: Ancient history fascinates me, particularly the early Roman Empire. Also, being a product of 16 years of Parochial schools, I've acquired a taste for Church and religious history. This book was tremendous, and I enjoyed it extremely. Of course, my Church History teachers in high school didn't go into the subject the way this book does. To my teachers, Athanasius of Alexandiria was a saint, a great man, and the Scourge of Arianism. It's good to see that he, and Arius also, were human like me, subject to all the faults and frailties of our nature. I like him better now that he's not the paragon of virtue I had been taught. Also, the author really explains the religious controversy in language even a lay person can understand. I found the subject so fascinating that I intend to purchase Eusebius' work on early Church history in the near future.
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Summary: Excellent Church history, but slightly skewed otherwise
Review: The book is an excellent depiction of how Christianity moved from a believer's conscience to church councils. However, I found it a little nearsighted to say that Islam gained popularity because it teaches a unitary God. Zoroastrianism did too, but their faith is nearly dead because the Muslims wiped them out in the 700's A.D. Christians in Muslim lands were forbidden to make converts and were denied other privleges. Had the Christians not won the Battle of Tours, the religion probably would have disappeared, but for military reasons as opposed to a dominant theology.
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