000			03264nam a2200397 a 4500
001			ebr10480610
003			CaPaEBR
006			m u
007			cr cn|||||||||
008			110604s2011 enkab sb 001 0 eng d
010			_z 2011280278
020			_z1848853831 (pbk.)
020			_z9781848853836 (pbk.)
020			_z1848853823 (hbk.)
020			_z9781848853829 (hbk.)
020			_z9780857719362 (e-book)
040			_aCaPaEBR _cCaPaEBR
035			_a(OCoLC)741613203
050	1	4	_aBR121.3 _b.K46 2011eb
082	0	4	_a230 _222
100	1		_aKennedy, Philip.
245	1	0	_aChristianity _h[electronic resource] : _ban introduction / _cby Philip Kennedy.
260			_aLondon ; _aNew York : _bI.B. Tauris ; _aNew York : _bDistributed in the U.S. and Canada exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, _c2011.
300			_axlvii, 310 p. : _bill., maps.
490	1		_aI.B. Tauris introductions to religion
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [291]-292) and index.
505	0		_apt. 1. Origins and growth -- pt. 2. Medieval Christianity -- pt. 3. Discovery and diversity -- pt. 4. Enlightenment and modernity.
520	8		_a"The Christian faith has the allegiance of one third of the human race. It has succeeded in influencing civilization to such a degree that we now take its existence almost for granted. Yet it might all have been so different. Christianity began with the words and deeds of an obscure village carpenter's son who died a shameful criminal's death at the hands of the Roman subjugators of his country, itself an insignificant outpost of the powerful ruling Empire. The feverish land of biblical Palestine, awash with apocalyptic expectations of deliverance from its foreign overlords, was hardly short of seers and prophets who claimed to be sent visions from God. Yet the followers of this man thought he was different: so different, in fact, that some years after his death and asserted resurrection they scandalously insisted not only that he was sent by God, but that he was God. How a provincial sect, with its seemingly outrageous ideas, became first the sanctioned religion of the Roman Empire and then, over the course of 2000 years, the creed of billions of people, is the improbable story that this book tells. It is a story of freethinkers, friars, fanatics and firebrands, and of the lay people (not just the clerical or the powerful) who have made up the great mass of Christians over the centuries. Many introductions to Christianity are written by Christians, for Christians. This elegant textbook, by contrast, shows that the history of the religion, while often glorious, is not one of unimpeded progress, but something still more remarkable, flawed and human"--Publisher's description, p. [4] of cover.
533			_aElectronic reproduction. _bPalo Alto, Calif. : _cebrary, _d2013. _nAvailable via World Wide Web. _nAccess may be limited to ebrary affiliated libraries.
650		0	_aChristianity.
650		0	_aChurch history.
655		7	_aElectronic books. _2local
710	2		_aebrary, Inc.
830		0	_aI.B. Tauris introductions to religion.
856	4	0	_uhttp://site.ebrary.com/lib/rucke/Doc?id=10480610 _zAn electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view
999			_c221580 _d221580