MARC Record from marc_columbia

LEADER: 02651cam a2200337Ia 4500
001 8643653
005 20110620141905.0
008 110407s2011 xx ab b 001 0 eng d
019 $a667475955
020 $a1848853831
020 $a9781848853836
020 $a1848853823
020 $a9781848853829
035 $a(OCoLC)ocn667475953
035 $a(NhCcYBP)ocn667475953
035 $a(OCoLC)667475953$z(OCoLC)667475955
035 $a(NNC)8643653
040 $aYDXCP$cYDXCP$dERASA$dNLE$dCDX$dBWX$dDGU
050 4 $aBR
082 04 $a230$222
100 1 $aKennedy, Philip.
245 00 $aChristianity :$ban introduction /$cPhilip Kennedy.
260 $aLondon : I. B. Tauris & Co.,$c2011.
300 $axlvi, 310 p. :$bill., maps ;$c22 cm.
490 1 $aI. B. Tauris introductions to religion
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [291]-292) and index.
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 delivrance 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.
650 0 $aChristianity.
650 0 $aChurch history.
830 0 $aI.B. Tauris introductions to religion.
852 00 $buts$hBR121.2$i.K46 2011g