The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 3: Early Medieval Christianities, c. 600 - c.1100

The Cambridge History of Christianity #3

by Thomas F.X. Noble (Editor), Julia M.H. Smith (Editor)

The key focus of this book is the vitality and dynamism of all aspects of Christian experience from late antiquity to the First Crusade. By putting the institutional and doctrinal history firmly in the context of Christianity’s many cultural manifestations and lived formations everywhere from Afghanistan to Iceland, this volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity emphasizes the ever-changing, varied expressions of Christianity at both local and world level. The insights of many disciplines, including gender studies, codicology, archaeology and anthropology, are deployed to offer fresh interpretations which challenge the conventional truths concerning this formative period. Addressing eastern, Byzantine and western Christianity, it explores encounters between Christians and others, notably Jews, Muslims, and pagans; the institutional life of the church including law, reform and monasticism; the pastoral and sacramental contexts of worship, belief and morality; and finally its cultural and theological meanings, including heresy, saints’ cults and the afterlife.

Genres: History, Religion, Church History, Christianity, Nonfiction

880 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2007

About the author

Professor, Department of History, University of Notre Dame.

Medieval, Mediterranean, religious; the city of Rome, the papacy, late antiquity, the Carolingians, the West and Byzantium.

Reviews

[David Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the main texts in my seminary Church History class. It is an excellent overview of the period with chapters written by many top scholars. If you're looking for a good overall introduction that is academic yet approachable, this Oxbridge series is wonderful (albeit expensive).