This book provides insight into the development of the Church from the beginnings to the Protestant Reformation. It is written in chronological sequence and sheds light on the life of important and known individuals of Church history. The author brings in historical facts and mentions traditons leaving out his own interpretation and opinion about them. The easy-to-read writing style allows this book to be captivating reading material for personal interest as well as a helpful source for intensified research on early Church history.

Gonzalez tells history the way it is meant to be told--as a story. This book truly portrays events as a seamless narrative, giving this work remarkable readability. Gonzalez does not compromise information for ease of reading, however; his work is thorough and replete with the pertinent names, dates, locations, etc. Note, though, that this book is meant to be an introductory text. Gonzalez isn't aiming at overwhelming his readers with every minute detail; instead he whets the appetite and provides his readers with a solid foundation for further study. Recommended without reservations.

As a former history major and social studies teacher I have read a lot of history books. Gonzalez's "The Story of Christinity: Vol. 1" is one of the best history books I've read b/c of its amazing readability. Like the title implies Gonzalez is telling a story and it was such a well told story that I found myself reading far ahead of the class reading assignments for my Ancient Church History class in seminary. The book covers Christian history from just after the time of the Apostles right through to the Renaissance. In addition to readability this book's main strength is that it covers Church history in Africa, Asia, and the South American in addition to Europe. This opens up a whole new world to most of us who have only heard the story of the Church in Europe. There were so many amazing stories that I want to know more and will read some of the suggested readings Gonzalez compiled at the end of each section. Lastly, this book is one of the best I've read b/c it does not shrink from telling the inspiring stories Christians need to spur us on to greater love for God, but it also tells the stories that we don't want to hear about the evil that has been done in the name of Christ by many well-meaing and not so well-meaning people through the ages. This book is a must read!

I read this book as a layman somewhat well-read in theology, but less so in church history. Given that, I thought Gonzalez' work fantastically fit the bill as an introduction to the growth of the church.



The book is logically broken down into several chronological segments, to include the apostolic church, the early post-apostolic church, the imperial church, and on into the medieval church. Within each of these blocks of time, Gonzalez covers the growth of the church, and the actions of Christians, through the major geographical centers and with respect to the major geopolitical events. For example: the early growth of the church through a somewhat ambivalent Roman empire, primarily between Jewish communities; the early martyrs as the Roman empire grew hostile; the growth of monasticism, encouraged by the imperial adoption of Christianity and the new "ease" of becoming a Christian; the various heresies that developed, and the responses of the various councils as doctrine was codified; and so forth.



The primary emphasis is on the Western church, ie, the Catholic Church in its centers of both Rome and Constantinople. A balanced coverage is given to the various theological centers, although the trend is westward as the church begins to split. Reasonable coverage is given to Eastern Orthodoxy, but the emphasis at the dawn of the second millenium is on the Roman Catholic Church, tracking both the honorable and less than honorable actions of popes, councils, and bishops leading toward the Reformation. In addition to the actions of the major portions of the visible church, due attention is given to various groups (eg, the Waldensians, the Hussites) whose thought was a precursor to, or even influenced, later groups such as the Reformers.



As I understand it, Gonzalez is a Protestant. This is probably detectable in the book, but all in all he gives a fair and balanced coverage of the various groups of the church. Mention is also made of other, perhaps lesser known, aspects of the church, to include the Persian church, the Indian church, and, briefly, the spread of Christianity to China. For significant depth in these areas, one would do well to continue on to other resources as well.



The only weak point I'll highlight is footnotes. Gonzalez' gives "Suggested Reading" lists at the end of each major section of the book, but footnotes would be a useful addition to highlight, for example, source materials for some of the more esoteric pieces of information about the early church.



As an intro to church history, this book is a "must read"!

I read this book as a layman somewhat well-read in theology, but less so in church history. Given that, I thought Gonzalez' work fantastically fit the bill as an introduction to the growth of the church.

The book is logically broken down into several chronological segments, to include the apostolic church, the early post-apostolic church, the imperial church, and on into the medieval church. Within each of these blocks of time, Gonzalez covers the growth of the church, and the actions of Christians, through the major geographical centers and with respect to the major geopolitical events. For example: the early growth of the church through a somewhat ambivalent Roman empire, primarily between Jewish communities; the early martyrs as the Roman empire grew hostile; the growth of monasticism, encouraged by the imperial adoption of Christianity and the new "ease" of becoming a Christian; the various heresies that developed, and the responses of the various councils as doctrine was codified; and so forth.

The primary emphasis is on the Western church, ie, the Catholic Church in its centers of both Rome and Constantinople. A balanced coverage is given to the various theological centers, although the trend is westward as the church begins to split. Reasonable coverage is given to Eastern Orthodoxy, but the emphasis at the dawn of the second millenium is on the Roman Catholic Church, tracking both the honorable and less than honorable actions of popes, councils, and bishops leading toward the Reformation. In addition to the actions of the major portions of the visible church, due attention is given to various groups (eg, the Waldensians, the Hussites) whose thought was a precursor to, or even influenced, later groups such as the Reformers.

As I understand it, Gonzalez is a Protestant. This is probably detectable in the book, but all in all he gives a fair and balanced coverage of the various groups of the church. Mention is also made of other, perhaps lesser known, aspects of the church, to include the Persian church, the Indian church, and, briefly, the spread of Christianity to China. For significant depth in these areas, one would do well to continue on to other resources as well.

The only weak point I'll highlight is footnotes. Gonzalez' gives "Suggested Reading" lists at the end of each major section of the book, but footnotes would be a useful addition to highlight, for example, source materials for some of the more esoteric pieces of information about the early church.

As an intro to church history, this book is a "must read"!

Recently I was asked to recommend some books for a burgeoning scholar of early Christianity and this was the first book I chose. It offers a very good introduction to the history of Western Christianity, treating most subjects well despite limited space. Still this book is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead to provide the basics of the Christian story in the West, and it does a fine job of this.

This is a very readable and detailed history (in two volumes) of the Christian religion from the time of the Apostles until 1984, when the book was published. I read this book out of general interest, although I understand that it is widely used for college courses on church history and doctrine. The history of the church is a huge topic, and Gonzalez has a real talent for summarizing complex developments and making them very accessible for a general reader. No special background in theology or history is required to appreciate this wonderful account. Gonzalez is apparently Protestant, but he gives a fair and balanced account of all denominations, including Catholic and Orthodox. He also includes mysticism and the radical sects. He is aware of the current scholarship, but he doesn't get bogged down in the numerous scholarly controversies of historians. He doesn't succumb to revisionism and p.c.; he's not afraid to call a spade a spade. But if there is genuine ambiguity and grounds for debate, he does mention that. The two volumes of this book also work well as a concise history of western civilization from year one until 1984. Gonzalez is able to identify the most important events and issues and describe them clearly and concisely. The major theological movements are described very briefly. This is not primarily a history of doctrine, but rather a history of the various Christian churches.

Footnotes are kept to an absolute minimum here, in order to avoid unnecessary distractions. Suggestions for further reading are given at the end of each section, but these are very incomplete. For example, the only suggestion for further reading on English Puritanism was published in 1912.

Gonzalez's area of special interest is Latin American Christianity, and so he devotes some space to the history of Christianity there from the time of the Spanish Conquistadores to the Liberation theology of the late 20th century. Since this book was written before the demise of the Soviet Union, I think a revised edition is in order.

In another text ('The Changing Shape of Church History'), Justo Gonzalez writes about the shift away from a Eurocentric focus on the history of Christianity to a recognition that Christianity is a global phenomenon, not just due to Western missionary activity, but rather has been since its earliest day. Gonzalez keeps this global perspective in mind in his two volume narrative history, 'The Story of Christianity'.

This first volume looks at the history of Christianity from the first century to the dawn of the Reformation period. In his section on the early church, Gonzalez explores the Jewish and Roman worlds of the time, and how the early churches, from Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the Second Temple and the missions of Paul to the early teachers and leaders of the church as it grew in various ways. The persecutions of the early centuries and the martyrs, as well as many of the controversies and heresies, are presented with an interesting analysis. Gonzalez does not take the position that just because something has been labeled a heresy historically that it is necessarily bad or wrong doctrine.

The second section begins with Constantine and continues through most of late antiquity - this is the period of the church becoming an official arm of the state, many of the great creedal councils, and some of the leading lights in Christian theological development. Persons such as the Cappadocians (Gonzalez includes Macrina as a person in her own right here, and so avoids the general term 'Cappadocian Fathers'), Ambrose, John Chrystostom, and Augustine are highlighted. Gonzalez also looks at the major heresies of the time - Donatixm and Arianism.

The third section looks at the high and late medieval periods, including the sometimes termed 'dark ages' in Western Europe. However, in Eastern Christianity, there were no such dark ages, and the Carolingian Renaissance led to developments that continued in various ways toward the 'Golden Age' of medieval Christianity, a period of increasing development in theology, architecture, music and devotion. Gonzalez also highlights some pre-Reformation figures such as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Savonarola and others whose influence will be felt in succeeding generations more forcefully.

The final section of this text explores the very beginnings of European expansion into the world, with Spain and Portugal's division of the world and early colonial movements. This sets the stage for the next volume.

Each major section is introduced by a chronology; while generally acceptable, more detail here would be helpful, particularly as it relates to the history of ideas. Incorporation of authors, artists, philosophers and others apart from the specifically political and church-related figures would be helpful for the overall context. Each major section also includes a list of suggested readings, but these lists do not include many recent works of merit - Gonzalez himself admits that this text is due for a revised edition.

Gonzalez has a broadly ecumenical and open approach, striving to cover a massive amount of material with fair attention both to major topics and oft-neglected voices. He does a very good job at this, and despite some minor shortcomings, this remains one of the better general church history texts available.

As the subject suggests, this book, a seminary standard, is predominantly for the novice reader interested in Christian history. Gonzalez's writing style is refreshing, as he involves the reader in an intimate way most other authors fail in this regard. Furthermore, the information given is basic and watered-down, so for a more in-depth view of Christian history, I suggest looking elsewhere.

My only complaints are: 1) the price for this paperback is a bit high, 2) given the high price, the book quality is somewhat low (paper/binding are from cheap materials).

3 stars.

Gonzalez's work is highly accurate, and provides a good summary of the church history of the period. However, for advanced students, its value is largely as a means of refreshing the memory about developments in a particular period. It does not have the degree of the history of doctrinal development, or even of all aspects of religious conflicts, that would be helpful in graduate studies.

As well, I did not care for the writing style, which seemed on a par with what "grammar checkers" would allow as not being "pretentious" (translation: nothing above the level of an eight year old.) Though I'd consider the term "readable" to be very complimentary, this book goes too far, placing the language on such an elementary level that I sometimes had to stop a moment and remember this was not a child's book.

I found this book to be eminently readable. It reads like a good novel. As an overview of Christian history this is an excellent book. If you are looking for something more in depth, however, this is not the text for you.

Gonzalez writes, in his two volume series the story of Christianity from inception to more modern contexts. This book is a great overview and survey of how the church evolved and where it is today. This book is great for people of any denomination, and can give everyone a better view of where the diverse views in doctrine we see today, came from. This book is a must have if you want to know the foundation of the Christian church. I recommend this book to lay leaders and pastors alike. It is also great because it will point you in different directions if you want to go deeper, with where to go to find the information.

Gonzalez delivers a fine work, and he is to be commended for it. I recommend this book without reservation.

Referring to both volumes 1 & 2...Gonzalez offers a incredible amount of detail and unbiased history in only 800 pages. His presentation is non-threatening, so Protestant and Catholic alike can appreciate his work.

Seeing the activity of the Christian church during the past 2000 years along side of secular history makes the watered down, non-religious historical account come alive and make far more sense simply because in ages past, religion truly did play a significant role in the decisions not only of the church, but also in the politics of the nations and empires.

Other good books specifically pertaining to American history which you may like, if you favor Gonzalez, are "The Story of Liberty" and "Sweet Land of Liberty" by Charles Coffin. This is because history is very often re-written to fit the mold or desired viewpoint of the prevailing social mindset. Coffin's books, written in the 1800's offer a more accurate view of what really happened in Colonial America than what is being taught in the watered down and politicized versions being taught in public schools in North America today.

In THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, divided into two volumes, Justo Gonzales does a fantastic job of bringing the history of the church alive. His writing style is engaging and the text tends to read more like a novel at times than a typical textbook. And for me that is what this was: a textbook for a Church History class. But by the end of the semester I found myself reading more for pleasure than class requirements.

Gonzales focuses on the high points for the most part because these books are surveys. In particular, there is a greater focus on men like Constantine, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. He is fair in his research and opinions, and no matter what background you come from you'll find that he presents the facts in an honest and unbiased (as possible) fashion. Coming from an evangelical background I learned much about the roots of that movement and was also very pleased to find a wealth of information on the eastern churches, liberal protestantism, scholasticism, etc. The development of the church in early Latin America, Africa, and Asia is also given attention. Gonzales covers all of the bases.

THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY is a fine resource for those who wish to gain a firm understanding of the history of the Christian church or for anyone who desires to have a quality resource on the subject available to them. For student, layperson, or teacher, this is an excellent buy. Five Stars.