I review The Rise of Christianity (Fortress Press: 1984) in this entry. Never has a more vivid and prosaic account of Christianity been written: everyone fascinated by the church's early growth will want to purchase this tome.
Introductory Remarks
The late W. H. C. Frend's classic work on Christianity's ascent from a first-century movement based in Palestine to a universal religion with increasing social power should be read by students and scholars of early Christian history. The book is over 1000-pages long, it has a copious amount of scholarly notes at the end of each chapter, contains helpful bibliographies, maps, a synopsis of events and two indices (subject and name indexes). Moreover, Frend's approach is objective. Another plus is that his method entails a consideration of early Christianity's primary sources. I will admit that the book is not an easy read; on the other hand, it contains material that's indispensable for ecclesiastical historians.
Specific Contents of The Rise of Christianity
Frend's study begins with the Jewish background of Christianity which leads to his chronicling Israel's Babylonian Captivity, the Maccabean Revolt, and the Jewish Diaspora. Frend then focuses on Jesus of Nazareth's baptism as well as the temptations of Jesus that the Gospels report. The relationship between Jesus and John the Baptizer is explored as well as Jesus' role qua "martyr prophet." But this section could have been developed in more detail.
In this historical account written by Frend, we learn about the apostolic deeds of Paul and his ministry to the ancient world. Frend's account of Paul includes the liturgy, Christian baptism and the apostle's conception of the Eucharist.
A movement known as Gnosticism was viewed with suspicion by early Christians from its inception. Gnosticism later was branded a heresy by the ancient church since it advocated mystical knowledge at odds with ecclesiastical teaching. Frend's book provides helpful details about Gnosticism, then we are treated to a rehearsal of the details concerning the Decian Persecution (249-251 CE).
Frend's chapter on the Constantinian Revolution (305-330 CE) is also informative. It sheds light on the Donatist movement and the Arian Controversy, which resulted in the ecumenical council of Nicaea (325 CE). At that time, the council decided that the Son of God was "begotten" and consubstantial with the Father rather than "made."
The book concludes with an exploration of an early group called the Monophysites, who believed that Jesus had one nature--a divine one. Historical details on Saint Benedict and monasticism are told. Frend's account is detailed, erudite, and well researched. I would highly recommend this scholarly resource to advanced readers of church history.
Thank you, this looks interesting. On page 316 he writes about Mani’s desire to syncretize world religions and philosophies into “a single gospel” (in the third-century):
ReplyDelete“Mani accepted that the message of salvation had been proclaimed to humankind by a succession of prophets and teachers that included Plato, Hermes Trismegistus (in Poimandres), Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus of Nazareth, and Paul, each for his own times and to different peoples. Now, it was time to bring these different proclamations together and proclaim a single gospel from one end of the earth to the other and in all the languages of the day.” This was the goal of his Manicheism, which was also Gnostic.
This reminded me of Lactantius’ and Constantine’s desire in the fourth century to use Hermes Trismegistus to restore what they thought was “the primaeval monotheism.”[1] So this religious syncretism was originally Manichean and Gnostic. (I wrote about this here.)
So, thanks again for pointing this book out, prompting me to look it up and finding this historical gem.
[1] Caroline Nicholson and Oliver Nicholson. “Lactantius, Hermes Trismegistus and Constantinian Obelisks.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 109 (1989): 200.
You're welcome, Jim, and I appreciate your contribution since I had forgotten what Frend said about Mani. You probably remember that Jason Beduhn specializes in Manichean history, and has written about it--Augustine of Hippo was also a follower of Mani before he accepted Neoplatonism, then became a convert of the Church. Nevertheless, Auggie had a difficult time shaking the dualistic and syncretic beliefs of Mani.
ReplyDeleteLastly, thanks for referencing the journal article by the Nicholsons. If you want to pursue the Lactantian trail some more, see https://acad.carleton.edu/curricular/clas/lactantius/biblio.htm