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The Rise of Christianity
 
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The Rise of Christianity (Paperback)

by Rodney Stark (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Customers buy this book with For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery by Rodney Stark

The Rise of Christianity + For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery
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Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st HarperCollins Pbk. Ed edition (26 Mar 1997)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0060677015
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060677015
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.5 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 58,911 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis
How the obscure, marginal Jesus movement became the dominant religious force in the Western world in a few centuries.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener, 17 Sep 2002
By M Hill (Kent, England) - See all my reviews
This book is so interesting I started to read it again as soon as I had finished it the first time.

Stark paints a vivid picture of the life and times of ordinary Jews, Greeks and Romans in the years following the Crucifixion. His arguments as to how the early Church acheived such impressive and resiliant growth are compelling and they give some insight into how the modern Church might recapture some of this vitality.

Stark is a sociologist straying into historical analysis, and there are some accompanying flaws as a result of this adventure. For example, his description of Antioch as a crowded, chaotic and filthy place to live could equally describe nearly any city up until the modern era. Indeed, Stark himself draws parallels between ancient Antioch and modern Bombay. If Christainity alone (or the related religions of Islam, Judiasm and Mormonism) could address the needs of the urban downtrodden then Hinduism and Buddhism would not have the stronghold in India that they currently possess. The fact that he has to impress his readers that whole families lived in single rooms with their livestock reveals his American (multi-room, livestock-free) upbringing - or that of the undergraduates he has to teach.

However, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise fascinating, easy to read book.

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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Social science done right., 22 Dec 1997
By A Customer
If one wants to understand the rise of Christianity this book does a masterful job of explicating this as a process without belittling the religion as a religion. If one wants to understand the process of doing good social science this book is also very useful. Stark makes skillful use of a number of methods but never loses sight of his problem. By contrast, far too much of the research I read either lacks any methodological sophistication at all or is so focused on the technique that it loses the point in the mess of details. I would like to use this book in a methodology of the social sciences class as an illustration of what is possible given some fairly simple methods that are taught to most first year graduate students (or even undergraduates), but, most of all--and hardest of all--intense clarity of thought and careful reflection on the problem at hand.
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6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning, science-based portrait of early Christianity, 7 Feb 1999
By A Customer
Accused of superstitious atheism, and persecuted to the death, early Christians overcame all challenges to overwhelm the pagan world with superior morality and ethical behavour. Rodney Stark combines historical evidence with current sociological theory to explain how. Chapters on the mission to the Jewish diaspora, the role of women in the early church, how social networks functioned during epidemics, and the rationality of martyrdom demonstrate the deeply transforming nature of the Christian religion on Greco-Roman civilization. For anyone who wonders what difference Christianity made in the beginning, and what difference it can make today, this book is a must read.
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