Traditions evolve, and the ways of interpreting them also evolve, sometimes quite quickly. The transformations that Christianity underwent in the twentieth century have been reflected by an ever-increasing pace of change in academic approaches. This book reflects the most recent research into its subject. As the pace of change seems likely to continue, any historian's version of the story of Christianity will necessarily invite radical reinterpretations. Therefore, it is important to concede that although today's textbook may serve for many tomorrows, it may not meet all the expectations of the next generation of readers. If in years to come writers choose to interpret the Christian tradition in radically new ways, they will inherit an onerous task, but they will also earn the sympathies and blessings of a host of predecessors.
This text aims to introduce students in a new millennium to a tradition that shaped two previous millennia whose onset coincided with the dawn of the Roman Empire. The church emerged at a time most unfavorable to its survival. It gradually found shape and momentum amidst incalculable political and cultural obstacles, and became in turn an obstacle to forces hostile to itself. Although the intention of nineteenth-century Christian missionaries was to standardize the ways in which the church provided meaning to various peoples, the global expansion of Christianity actually provided a diversity of such meanings. In recent decades the church has slowly come to recognize that it is just one cultural system among many, existing in a pluralistic world where the spread of civilization is no longer predominantly identified with the expansion of Europeanculture. If the church of the first century recognized no differences between Jews and Greeks, East and West, so the church in the twenty-first century must struggle to eliminate differences between races and sexes, nations and classes. This narrative explains how some of the current problems confronted by the modern church came into being.
Thematically, this work aims to be as inclusive as possible. It begins by focusing on the Jewish roots of Christianity within the context of the Roman Empire, and Judeo-Christian relations in general. It also covers the history of Christianity's relations with Islam, and the rivalry between the Holy Roman Empire in the West and the Byzantine Empire in the East that oversaw the spread of Orthodoxy continuing to this day. The book deals with the impact on Christianity of the pivotal change from a largely oral medieval Christian tradition to a written culture that flourished with Gutenberg's invention of moveable type and the first printing presses. The various roles played by women in the church is exemplified by Beguines, female medieval mystics, and contemporary feminist theologians. The book's subjects range from scholasticism, nominalism, Jansenism, and Pietism, to Enlightenment religions, social Christianity, and Liberation Theology. The additional coverage of artistic strains and popular religious movements is intended to point to a new direction in church history.
This book is meant to be as flexible as possible and is organized so that it can be read either continuously or selectively. Instructors who wish to omit periods of church history will be able to do so. The six parts represent conventional breaks in the history of the Christian tradition. A timeline at the beginning of each part gives an overview of some of the most important events within that period. Each chapter is an independent unit, although cross-references to other chapters offer extended explanations and discussions of points at issue.
Biographical Profiles highlight the lives and works of some of the most influential people in the history of Christianity, including Jesus himself, St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Vincent de Paul, Siren Kierkegaard, and Paul Tillieh. Extracts from the writings of religious figures—St. Benedict, Hildegard of Bingen, Margery Kempe, Jonathan Edwards, Karl Barth, Gustavo Gutierrez, and many others—offer insights into the important issues of the day. Who's Who boxes summarize the leading figures within various religious movements, from the twelve apostles to current Liberation and feminist historians. Nine maps offer snapshots into areas such as the first Christian communities and the spread of Christianity compared with other religions.
With a view to objectivity, I have adopted as much as possible the stance of an outsider to the Christian tradition. If some observations appear challenging, they are offered in the interest of depicting Christianity as it might be viewed by today's non-Christians.
My thanks are extended to the following reviewers, whose comments helped me in preparing the final version of the manuscript: Greta Austin, Bucknell University; Lee Bailey, Ithaca College; and Joseph Currie, Fordham University.
This work has been a team effort, and it is a pleasure to recognize the help of my often indefatigable partners at Laurence King Publishing Ltd: my editors Richard Mason, Damian Thompson, Christine Davis, and Melanie White; copyeditor Eleanor van Zandt; picture editor Peter Kent; designer Melinda Welch; and typesetter and layout artist Paul Barrett.
Ralph Keen
University of Iowa
May, 2003
