AD: 2, 000 Years of Christianity Book

Rather aptly for a book that was originally published as a series of part works in the English newspaper The Daily Telegraph, the foreword of AD describes the story of Christianity as containing "the elements of everything that ever sold a newspaper or made a reader turn a page". This, however, is not a book that seeks to capture the essence of the Christian faith, or to dwell on the spiritual motivation behind 2000 years of incredible events and martyrdom. The roots of Christianity are left uncovered: AD assumes its readers will look elsewhere to gain a basic understanding of the Bible, and there is no investigation as to why Jesus' disciples chose to surrender their Jewish heritage to become the first Christians. Instead it is an historical account of the growing--and waning--influence of Christianity upon evolving nations and political dynasties around the world. Attempting to bring full-circle the cultural and historical impact of 2000 years of Christianity, AD begins with the funeral of Princess Diana, creating an immediate feel of reportage. It is this impression of reading a series of newspaper articles, or a chronicle, that perhaps makes this a book to be dipped into rather than read by chapter. Even the generally good selection of pictures have a grainy, newspaper print quality to them. With only one map and a few small timelines to generate a bigger, overall picture, the emphasis is more on a selection of significant or interesting people and events. The "eyewitness accounts" are particularly fun to read: Gregory of Tours' record of the baptism of the King of the Franks, Clovis, in AD500 describes God filling "the hearts of all present with such grace that they imagined themselves to have been transported to some perfumed paradise." This is an informative, though not comprehensive, read. --Susannah SteelRead More