The Shaping of Christianity: The History and Literature of the Formative Centuries

by Gérard Vallée

The Shaping of Christianity is a solid, basic introduction to the development of Christianity in the first eight centuries. Written for those who are new to the study of early Christianity, it focuses on the political, social, and religious milieu of the time. Because the author wishes to study early Christianity in context, he examines: the cultural and religious legacies of Greek society and Judaism, the historical developments of the time, including the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the empire, the division of the empire and the growing split between East and West, o and theological controversies and the literature accompanying such debates as the nature of Christ, the procession of the Spirit, and the role of Mary. Vallée highlights primary sources, and includes charts, maps, and a glossary to help readers better understand the different aspects of the patristic era. Aimed at a general audience, as well as college students and teachers, this reader-friendly work will make fascinating, intellectually stimulating reading. †

Genres: Christianity, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[David Withun · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid history of the history of Christian theology and practice. It is especially useful today, since so many of the ancient heresies and errors from the early Christian period are cropping up again in our generation. It also gives the reader a lot of food for thought as far as how to NOT respond to heresy, and has many implicit warnings about the politicization of Christian faith.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vallée's The Shaping of Christianity, The History and Literature of Its Formative Centuries (100-800) is a brief introduction covering the period after the time of The Twelve and before the Mideaval period. While I could pick a few nits (which I won't here), it is hard to imagine how a book of its size could be better for its intended purpose than the present work.

The text reads easily and whilst there is some jargon and reference to various historical events Vallée provides a glossary, timelines and footnotes. Each chapter begins with some introductory text and concludes with a list of readings. The final chapter, "Conclusion", wraps up the text. There are several Appendixes for those wishing to see what is available to pursue further studies.

The book receives my strongest recommendation to those who aren't specialists who would like a historical sense of the development of various flavors of Christianity. Indeed, it has been my observation that among various Christian traditions these days claiming to be of a Bible-believing bent there is almost total ignorance of the subject matter this book covers. To these folk I urgently recommend this book so you can get a sense that the beliefs you feel are so obvious from the Bible don't just jump off pages of the Bible like you may think, but rather have some history behind them.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written