The 10 Best History of Christianity Books
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Editor's Notes
April 09, 2020:
Sourcing top-notch books on the history of Christianity is tricky for a few reasons. It's a notoriously complex subject that spans thousands of years, so comprehensive histories are either exceptionally long or must abridge and leave out certain concepts and occurrences. Author bias, whether in favor or against, is hard to avoid completely, on top of the fact that many ancient sources can be interpreted in different ways.
Bearing all this in mind, we curated some of the best, most accessible, neutral, and respectful tomes we could find. We included thorough volumes that span thousands of years, like Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years and Church History in Plain Language, some that focused on key events, such as Turning Points, and one account from an acclaimed ancient source in Eusebius: The Church History. Those considering the origins of the subject should be equally pleased with Tried by Fire and The First Thousand Years. Each of these focuses on that initial millennium but views it through a different lens. The former examines key figures who have been targeted and punished for their beliefs while the latter narrates via a selection of particularly noteworthy figures and events.
Today's update saw the removal of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, which suffers from strong complaints regarding its bias and apologetic tone. Many readers found its imbalanced approach made it difficult to trust the material. We also said goodbye to A Short History of Christianity, which is meant to be concise but manages to gloss over some pretty important topics, which we feel isn't in step with what readers searching for these books want.
We added Tom Holland's "Dominion" and A History of God in their place. We felt it was important to include at least one survey of Christianity that also focused on Judaism and Islam to give readers a full account and understanding of the religion in a broader scope. Dominion found a spot on this list thanks to its placing Christianity in context with the modern era and explaining how it has affected ideas for both religious people and non-believers. An example of this is the concept that all humans have inherent worth, regardless of wealth or status. Both books are credited for having easily understood, lilting prose and enlightening takes that make you stop and think.
For further elucidation on the subject, consider checking out our list of books that help readers understand Christianity.