History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity 200-1000 AD (Making of Europe)

Average customer rating:

I read this for a class
Excellent book -
A great writer produces unreadable prose
Deep and wide
Origins and developments in the western tradition

The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity 200-1000 AD (Making of Europe)
Peter Brown
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0631221387

Book Description

This book offers a vivid, compelling history of the first thousand years of Christianity. Ranging across the Christian world from China to Iceland, the narrative illustrates the diversity of Christian beliefs and practices. It also places the rise of Christianity in the context of other religious traditions, especially Islam. The author draws penetrating portraits of individuals and communities, from St Patrick and the Irish church to the Christian communities of Armenia and Mesopotamia.For the second edition, the book has been thoroughly rewritten and expanded. It includes two new chapters, on monasticism and Irish Christianity. The author has also added an extensive preface in which he reflects on the scholarly traditions that have influenced his work and explains his current thinking about the book's themes. The new edition contains new maps, a substantial bibliography, and a number of chronological tables to orient the reader.

Customer Reviews:

I read this for a class.......2006-11-27

I had this book for a class on Medieval Europe. This book was our main text for the first half of the course and I spent quite a bit of those two months reading this book... I probably would have liked this book more had I had longer to read and understand it. It's arranged in a very confusing way and it's terrible to write essays over. My professor said that Peter Brown is brilliant, and I think he probably really is. Unfortunatly, I was too lost to appreciate it. If things were arranged more chronologically and if some clear distinctions were made in people groups this book would be more greatly appreciated.

Excellent book -.......2006-01-15

The book goes beyond the rather narrow sounding scope of the title; Brown nicely covers the changes in politics and economics that fostered (or hindered) the spead of Christianity from Ireland to the Middle East. The subject matter is cogently presented and enjoyable to read, unlike other scholarship of this era where authors tend to prove to the reader how much they know leaving the reader somewhat in the dust. Fascinating (at least to me!) is the number of texts that Brown cites that show the changes in orthodoxy from one century to another in various geographical areas, and how those texts came to be preserved. Conclusions are based on either these texts or archiology, not flights of a priori fantasy that all-too-often formed the basis for earlier works on this period. All in all, a book of great scholarship, but most approachable.

A great writer produces unreadable prose.......2005-10-10

Let me say first that I have been a great admirer of Peter Brown for many years. His "World of Late Antiquity" was a seminal work that inspired a generation of scholars to look past the tired old concepts of the fall of the Roman empire, and his biography of Augustine, recently updated, is magnificent.

It was with some excitement then that I sat down to see what Brown had to say in a work that covers a larger span of time than most of his previous studies. And it was with a sinking heart that I realized, after a few pages, that this one-time master of prose has lost his way.

In his lengthy introduction, Brown seems determined to undermine every preconception we may have about Europe's evolution in late antiquity and the early middle ages. To reinforce his point, he puts quotation marks around a myriad of words and phrases: "Roman", "barbarian", "imperial", "Western." For a page or two this seems like a reasonable way of signalling that these words may not mean what we think they mean. But the trouble is, he never stops: the quotation marks multiply, sometimes occurring a dozen times on a page, and seldom less than once per paragraph. And it becomes impossible to know what he is trying to signify. If he finds words like "Roman" and "barbarian" useful, why doesn't he simply define what he means by them, rather than distancing himself from them? It seems pointless to contrast barbarian and Roman, if you believe that the one is not really barbarian, and the other not really Roman.

And it gets worse. What are we to make of the fact that Irish kings ruled over "plains"? Do the quotation marks signify that the kings called them by that term (or its Gaelic equivalent), or that they were not really plains? Why the quotes around "Carolingian minuscule", not just on introduction but in subsequent references -- was the script not truly Carolingian, or not truly minuscule?

I don't know who should take the most blame here, Brown for repeatedly flagging words as not meaning what we think they mean, without bothering to find alternatives that he feels are more accurate, or his editor for letting him get away with it.

I realize other readers may not be as bothered by this sort of thing as I am, but I found it baffling and, ultimately, offputting. I seldom return a book, and I never thought I would return one of Peter Brown's, but that is what I did in this case.

Deep and wide.......2005-07-23

Peter Brown first came to my attention through his scholarship in the study of Augustine, one of my particular interests in the field of church history. His biography of Augustine is considered one of the standards, having been written first in the 1960s, and revised for the turn of the millennium in 2000. This speaks to the length of his career and involvement with the study of church history generally, of which this volume is a wonderful survey.

This book, 'The Rise of Western Christendom', looks at the first 1000 years (the first half of Christian history). Despite its title, it does not focus exclusively on the idea of Christianity as a Western phenomenon. One of the great strengths of this historical survey, as opposed to many of the previous generation, is that it does not stop at the borders of Rome, nor does it take a linear progression approach to the history. Brown preserves the diversity inherent in the original church, showing the growth in Latin and Greek areas, as well as other areas that would arise such as the Antioch/Aleppo area, where Coptic and Syriac were significant languages, and art, architecture, liturgical development and scholarship thrived for centuries as a major centre for Christianity. Brown also discusses 'mirco-Christendoms', pockets both within and outside of the original Roman Imperial borders where Christianity was planted and grew more or less independently of central authority and direction.

To understand the history of Western Europe (of which this volume is part of a series on the topic), one must have a wider perspective than just the goings-on that took place on the European continental mainland. Indeed, from the very first lines, Brown starts with the city of Edessa, located in the ancient Fertile Crescent area, and the ancient capital of Ctesiphon, a city located very near modern-day Baghdad, which ruled a powerful empire that did not include any of the European continent, but which had profound influence over the peoples and empires on the European continent for centuries. Also included in Brown's history are peripheral figures - barbarians, farmers, frontierspeople - who often get overlooked in favour of the royal/imperial lines of history.

Brown looks both at individuals and institutions in his historical development and analysis. Individuals such as Augustine, the Cappadocian Fathers, Patrick, Clovis, Justinian and others are prominent, but the overall development of institutions and communities takes the larger portion of the text. There are major innovations such as monasticism and the rise of central church authorities and structures, and smaller institutions such as community governments. Brown includes the various tales of conversion for the different nations (the deliberations of the Icelanders, for example, versus the more forced conversions of the Norse) as well as the theological and administrative variations and homogenisation in the more central Mediterranean region. Brown also deals with the rise of Islam, the varying ways in which Christian communities and Muslim communities interacted and clashed, sometimes violently, but sometimes coming to mutually beneficial accords.

This is a book for students and scholars, although the general interest reader with a curiosity for church history and how it fits into the larger historical frame will also find this text useful. There are maps scattered throughout the text, as well as charts and tables. The book includes extensive endnotes for the scholar, but reading through the narrative does not depend upon them (saving one from having to flip back and forth endlessly). There is an appendix entitled 'Coordinated Chronological Tables' that traces the history from circa 100 - 1000, showing important events in the East, West, British Isles, and Scandanavia. A 44-page bibliography (one third primary sources, the rest secondary sources) and 27-page index round out the scholarship tools, making this an incredibly useful reference resource.

This book is often used at my seminary for the first half of church history, and is used at many schools (undergraduate and graduate level) for history courses generally. Brown's text is engaging and clear, easy to follow and well developed. It is a pleasure to read in addition to being interesting in material and presentation. Brown's text had both depth and breadth, not sacrificing one aspect for the other, but managing to hold both in good proportion to the other.

Origins and developments in the western tradition.......2004-03-25

Professor Brown has substantially revised The Rise of Western Christendom, originally published in 1996 as part of the "Making of Europe" series edited by Jacques Le Goff. The result is a much stronger work, which will appeal to scholars of Late Antiquity more than the first edition while still captivating the general reader.

In the second edition Brown continues to treat the localization of Christianity in regions from the North Atlantic to Asia. He describes how Irishmen, Saxons, and others transferred to their homeland relics, styles of art and architecture, and ecclesiastical customs, thus believing that they "had brought to their own region a 'microcosm' which reflected, with satisfactory completeness, the 'macrocosm' of a worldwide Christianity. . . . They strove to cancel out the hiatus between 'center' and 'periphery' by making 'little Romes' available on their home ground" (15). Brown calls the local variations of a broader Christianity "micro-Christendoms." In his characterization of the British Isles, he writes "The religious leaders of every region claimed to possess at home a set of customs and doctrines which were ultimately derived from 'true' centers of Christian learning and practice in a wider world" (359). Through statements like this, Brown tries to erase the model of thinking about Christianity in terms of "center" and "periphery," a theory he borrows from anthropology and religious studies.

Yet, by entitling the work The Rise of Christianity in the West, the author reifies the notion of Christianity as a "western" phenomenon although a significant portion of the book treats the localization and perpetuation of Christianity in non-western regions such as Syria and Persia. In fact, his discussion of the climate of competition among religions in the East is every bit as penetrating as his examination of the West. A more fitting title to this abolition of core-periphery, therefore, might be Micro-Christendoms: Christianity and Diversity from 200-1000.

The first edition received mixed reviews. One historian of Late Antiquity wrote that ". . . the exuberance and delight inherent in his interpretation . . . ought to make this book attractive and influential" (Journal of Theological Studies 48.2 [1997], 671), while another scholar of the period claimed that "its picture is skewed, and its conclusions are not demonstrated" (American Historical Review 102.5 [1997], 1463). With this second edition, Brown will continue to elicit criticism from those believing that he is too theory-oriented at the expense of doing proper "positivist" work. On the other hand, many of the problems which scholars of Late Antiquity pointed out in the first edition focused on the lack of documentation, and it is here, among other places, that the second edition enhances the work. Although the original had no notes, this version has sixty pages detailing the author's sources. The first edition had a seven-page [End Page 139] bibliography with no primary sources; the second contains a forty-four page bibliography, including eleven pages of primary sources.

Another way in which Brown improves the second edition is by adding two new chapters, "Powerhouses of Prayer: Monasticism in Western Europe" and "The Making of Sapiens: Religion and Culture in Continental Europe and in Ireland." He also amends his chapter "Christianity in Asia" and renames it "Christianity in Asia and the Rise of Islam." And he divides the chapter "Christianities of the North: Ireland and Saxon Britain" into two separate chapters, treating local Christianity in each region more fully.

Furthermore, Brown refines the layout of the visual aids and adds to them. The first edition contained four maps at the beginning of the book whereas the second has ten maps placed strategically throughout the body of the text to correspond to the geographical areas under discussion. Likewise, the second edition has chronologies arranged within the narrative to give the reader a point of reference for the persons, places, and events being examined. These additions allow the reader to organize and contextualize the contents, a point which is especially helpful since the book covers such a broad period and has a vast regional scope. Finally, the placement of sub-headings throughout the text strengthens the structure of the second edition. The reader will find the sub-topics easier to configure within the broader thesis.

This book makes a useful text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in religion and history. It is helpful for its survey of Christianity, the questions it raises regarding the relationship of religion to ethnicity and locality, and its notes and bibliography, which point to related studies. At $29.95, the paperback is a reasonable addition to the individual scholar's library.

Nathan Howard

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Thorough and readable

Excellent introduction to the 1st 1500 years of Church history

Strong historical survey

Opening Narrative to the Story of Christianity

An excellent introduction

The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: Volume One: The Early Church to the Reformation (Story of Christianity)
Justo L. Gonzalez
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Story of Christianity: Volume Two - The Reformation to the Present Day

Documents of the Christian Church

Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volume 1: From Its Beginnings to the Eve of the Reformation (Readings in the History of Christian Theology Vol. I)

Turning Points,: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

Church History: An Essential Guide (Essential Guides)

ASIN: 0060633158

Book Description

The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. It brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements affected Christianity's internal growth.

Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures from the apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and struggles of leading thinkers within the various traditions of the church. "The history of the church, while showing all the characteristics fo human history, is much more than the history of an institution or movement," Gonzalez stresses. "It is a history of the deeds of the spirit in and through the men and women who have gone before in the faith." The Story of Christianity demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church, and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.

The Story of Christianity will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.

Customer Reviews:

Thorough and readable.......2007-09-27

As a former history major and social studies teacher I have read a lot of history books. Gonzalez's "The Story of Christinity: Vol. 1" is one of the best history books I've read b/c of its amazing readability. Like the title implies Gonzalez is telling a story and it was such a well told story that I found myself reading far ahead of the class reading assignments for my Ancient Church History class in seminary. The book covers Christian history from just after the time of the Apostles right through to the Renaissance. In addition to readability this book's main strength is that it covers Church history in Africa, Asia, and the South American in addition to Europe. This opens up a whole new world to most of us who have only heard the story of the Church in Europe. There were so many amazing stories that I want to know more and will read some of the suggested readings Gonzalez compiled at the end of each section. Lastly, this book is one of the best I've read b/c it does not shrink from telling the inspiring stories Christians need to spur us on to greater love for God, but it also tells the stories that we don't want to hear about the evil that has been done in the name of Christ by many well-meaing and not so well-meaning people through the ages. This book is a must read!

Excellent introduction to the 1st 1500 years of Church history.......2007-03-16

I read this book as a layman somewhat well-read in theology, but less so in church history. Given that, I thought Gonzalez' work fantastically fit the bill as an introduction to the growth of the church.

The book is logically broken down into several chronological segments, to include the apostolic church, the early post-apostolic church, the imperial church, and on into the medieval church. Within each of these blocks of time, Gonzalez covers the growth of the church, and the actions of Christians, through the major geographical centers and with respect to the major geopolitical events. For example: the early growth of the church through a somewhat ambivalent Roman empire, primarily between Jewish communities; the early martyrs as the Roman empire grew hostile; the growth of monasticism, encouraged by the imperial adoption of Christianity and the new "ease" of becoming a Christian; the various heresies that developed, and the responses of the various councils as doctrine was codified; and so forth.

The primary emphasis is on the Western church, ie, the Catholic Church in its centers of both Rome and Constantinople. A balanced coverage is given to the various theological centers, although the trend is westward as the church begins to split. Reasonable coverage is given to Eastern Orthodoxy, but the emphasis at the dawn of the second millenium is on the Roman Catholic Church, tracking both the honorable and less than honorable actions of popes, councils, and bishops leading toward the Reformation. In addition to the actions of the major portions of the visible church, due attention is given to various groups (eg, the Waldensians, the Hussites) whose thought was a precursor to, or even influenced, later groups such as the Reformers.

As I understand it, Gonzalez is a Protestant. This is probably detectable in the book, but all in all he gives a fair and balanced coverage of the various groups of the church. Mention is also made of other, perhaps lesser known, aspects of the church, to include the Persian church, the Indian church, and, briefly, the spread of Christianity to China. For significant depth in these areas, one would do well to continue on to other resources as well.

The only weak point I'll highlight is footnotes. Gonzalez' gives "Suggested Reading" lists at the end of each major section of the book, but footnotes would be a useful addition to highlight, for example, source materials for some of the more esoteric pieces of information about the early church.

As an intro to church history, this book is a "must read"!

Strong historical survey.......2007-01-12

This is a very accessible, readable history, but it's extremely thorough, and useful for many applications. Highly recommended.

Opening Narrative to the Story of Christianity.......2006-12-07

This is a summary of the first seventeen pages of The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. This book was written by Justo L. Gonzalez. In the early chapters of this writing, it is clear that the author is writing in narrative form and that subsequent chapters merely build upon the earlier issues or incidences that occur as the history of the church is unfolded.
Firstly, the author asserts that Christians were first-century Jews. To describe Christianity, Gonzalez then goes on to examine the geography of its beginnings, the culture and politics of the day, and variations to the normal views. Palestine becomes a central location to many of the narratives concerning Christianity's growth. The author implies that Christianity spread because of the location of Palestine; and that because it was invaded regularly for its resources, that other nations were exposed to it. Despite the Hellenistic culture of the day, Christians would not bow to other gods that came with the culture and therefore became known to be obstinate. This seeming obstinance led to Roman authorities putting down the seemingly `Christian rebellion,' but more likely was a reaction to radical or Zealot Jews than to Jewish Christians. Within Judaism there were varying beliefs.....some conservative and others more liberal in their beliefs. Notably so, were the Pharisees, who believed in a final resurrection; as opposed to the Sadducees, who did not. In addition was a group called the Essenes, who were a sect that withdrew from the larger number of Jews and believed that the end of the world would be sooner than later. Because the Sadducees were more involved in the temple, their philosophy began to disappear with the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.
Secondly, although the temple was destroyed, Christianity continued to blossom despite language barriers, counter-cultural issues, and politics. Because of new language barriers, the Hebrew Old Testament had to be translated into Greek and Aramaic. The Greek translation was known as the Septuagint, which helped spread the message to Gentiles. Some Jews fought to avert being assimilated into the Hellenistic culture, while others sought to integrate with the culture to further the recording of Jewish history. Finally, the politics of the day became troublesome for early Christians being that citizens would be required to bow to a Pantheon of gods and the Roman emperor himself. Certainly, there were advantages during the Roman rule such as protection of certain individuals under the law, the latitude that some rulers had with the law, which brought a level of `civilization' to the time. But, those same characteristics also brought abuse in some cases. That is when certain philosophical ideas would help Christians explain their faith in a climate that favored reason and logic.
This book is awesome in the way that it narrates the story of historical christianity. It makes it easy to understancd why historical personalities did what they did.

An excellent introduction.......2006-03-03

Recently I was asked to recommend some books for a burgeoning scholar of early Christianity and this was the first book I chose. It offers a very good introduction to the history of Western Christianity, treating most subjects well despite limited space. Still this book is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead to provide the basics of the Christian story in the West, and it does a fine job of this.

Average customer rating:

The Hobo Philosopher
Too bad I bought this book.
The strength of Chaucer's verse shines through....
Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You?
Tall Tales Live Forever

The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics)
Geoffrey Chaucer
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140424385
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

With their astonishing diversity of tone and subject matter, The Canterbury Tales have become one of the touchstones of medieval literature.

Translated here into modern English, these tales of a motley crowd of pilgrims drawn from all walks of life-from knight to nun, miller to monk-reveal a picture of English life in the fourteenth century that is as robust as it is representative.

Translated by Nevill Coghill

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-30

I suppose that any freshman college student has read some of these Tales. I had a professor who read a few of them to us in the Olde English. It was really fun and you really got a grasp of where the English language was coming from - and poetry.
I went on from my English class and read the whole works. They are good, classic short stories. You are really going back to the basics here. The stories are all easy to read and are about the everyday type people and their everyday lives. You get classic English literature, history, short story writing techniques, and the roots of the English language all in one medium sized book. Can't beat it. It's a bargain.

Too bad I bought this book........2007-07-03

I find it very unfortunate that I wasted my money on this book when I could have read the entire story on the Internet. Of course, the story is out of copyright, and you'll find it all over the Internet, in complete.

Don't waste your money like I did. Even worse, I never even read the book.

My rating is only on the size of the book, because like I said, I never read it, and I am forced to issue a rating (I only wanted to enter a comment).

The strength of Chaucer's verse shines through...........2007-06-29

Chaucer was a master story teller. He was a master poet. He was a master writer. He was just blessed, gifted... there aren't enough words to express the depth of Chaucer's talent... his gift.

This collection reminds me why I fell in love with Chaucer's work back in college. It's one of the more complete collections and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I will read it a thousand times in my life and will undoubtedly love it more with each reading!

Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You? .......2007-04-28

Over some period I have read several translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. My first experience, selections in a high school text, was not promising. (Possibly, I was not yet ready for Chaucer.) Translating poetry from one language to another is difficult and often unsuccessful. Translating Chaucer from Middle English is not much easier. English has changed dramatically in the last 600 years, to the point that Middle English is nearly indecipherable. For example, we read Chaucer's description of the Knight's appearance:

Of fustian he wered a gipoun (Of coarse cloth he wore a doublet)
Al bismotered with his habergeoun (All rust-spotted by his coat-of-mail)

A glossary, persistence, and considerable time are required for reading the original Chaucer. If you choose to do so, the Riverside Chaucer edition (edited by L. Benson) and the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Olson and Kolve) are highly recommended. The Signet Classic paperback (edited by D. R. Howard) modernizes the spelling a bit, but still largely adheres to the original Chaucer.

Although your instructor will most likely assign a particular edition of Canterbury Tales, it can be exceedingly helpful to pick-up an additional version or two. A slightly different translation may entirely surprise you, may even resonate with you, making Chaucer much more enjoyable. I suggest that you look for these versions:

Canterbury Tales, Penguin edition, translated by Nevill Coghill, is an excellent poetic translation. It is a complete collection arranged by Group A thru H. It also includes The Parson's Prologue, The Parson's Tale in synopsis, and Chaucer's Retractions. Coghill's translation remains my favorite.

Selected Canterbury Tales, Dover Thrift edition - provides a poetic, rather than literal interpretation, and is quite readable. The collection of tales is fairly small, however.

The Canterbury Tales, Bantam Classic paperback edited by Hieatt, uses the "facing page" format with the original Chaucer on the left and a modern literal translation on the right page. I found the literal translation a little wooden, but this edition can be quite helpful if you need some help with Middle English. (A guide to phonetics, grammar, spellings, and a glossary is provided.)

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Barrons Educational Series) uses an "Interlinear Translation" format in which each line of Middle English is followed by a modern translation (literal to make the comparison easier). I rather like this approach.

Canterbury Tales, John Murray Publishers, London is hard to find, but provides a partial translation to modern English, maintaining as much as possible of the Middle English. This rather clever approach is somewhat risky, but the translator H. L. Hitchins pulls it off. With some effort I could follow the text without continually referring to a glossary and in a limited way I was "reading Middle English".

Canterbury Tales, Pocket Books, prose translation by R. M. Lumiansky, is easy to read, but while this prose format adheres to the storyline, it is only a shadow of the poetic Chaucer. However, it can be helpful if you are not comfortable with poetry.

Tall Tales Live Forever.......2007-02-12

Chaucer was ahead of his times in many ways and the Canterbury Tales reveal it. Human nature has not changed since the Middle Ages and these Tales take a modern day reader into himself/herself as well as into the past. A wonderful companion book to the Canterbury Tales is Walking to Canterbury by Jerry Ellis. This author--he also wrote Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, nominated for a Pulitzer--walked the route of the Canterbury Tales to explore contemporary life in England and interweave it with the history and traditions of Chaucer's times to make for a wonderful adventure.

Wessex in the Early Middle Ages (Studies in the Early History of Britain)

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Wessex in the Early Middle Ages (Studies in the Early History of Britain)
Barbara Yorke
Manufacturer: Pinter Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0718513142

The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12)

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One of the best armour books ever written!

The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12)
Alan Williams
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004124985

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One of the best armour books ever written!.......2006-05-18

This is a highly detailed study of the metallurgy of medieval and Renaissance armour. It reveals some surprising facts and challenges some commonly held beliefs. The level of accuracy and detail are unmatched in this book. It features hundreds of pieces of armour from collections all over the world.

I highly recommend this book!

Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800

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Trend-setting
Fantastic Survey!

Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800
Chris Wickham
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0199212961

Book Description

The Roman empire tends to be seen as a whole whereas the early middle ages tends to be seen as a collection of regional histories, roughly corresponding to the land-areas of modern nation states. As a result, early medieval history is much more fragmented, and there have been few convincing syntheses of socio-economic change in the post-Roman world since the 1930s. In recent decades, the rise of early medieval archaeology has also transformed our source-base, but this has not been adequately integrated into analyses of documentary history in almost any country. In Framing the Early Middle Ages Chris Wickham combines documentary and archaeological evidence to create a comparative history of the period 400-800. His analysis embraces each of the regions of the late Roman and immediately post-Roman world, from Denmark to Egypt. The book concentrates on classic socio-economic themes, state finance, the wealth and identity of the aristocracy, estate management, peasant society, rural settlement, cities, and exchange. These give only a partial picture of the period, but they frame and explain other developments. Earlier syntheses have taken the development of a single region as 'typical', with divergent developments presented as exceptions. This book takes all different developments as typical, and aims to construct a synthesis based on a better understanding of difference and the reasons for it.

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Trend-setting.......2007-03-04

Late Antiquity is still quite controversial. Its application, time boundaries, and geographic limits still a matter of debate. As such, theories about its true nature and its application to historical study is still undetermined and is being revised everyday.

This book, much like the book that landed 'Late Antiquity' as a free-standing period in English historical enquiry (Peter Brown's "The World of Late Antiquity") is a trend-setter. Wickham's excellent scholarship, plus the fact that he dares and explores new waters and concepts, is ground breaking and profound. This book is going to be the "Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World" of its generation and have many volumes written in "response" to it. A must have, no doubt about it, for anyone interested in the Late Antique and Early Medieval history, and a must read for anyone interested in pre-Industrial Revolution economic history, regardless of time and place!

Fantastic Survey!.......2006-09-04

Chris Wickham explores the world of the early Middle Ages in a systematic way. Using literary and archaeological evidence, Wickham describes the changes which took place in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa after the fall of Rome. He maintains that despite the great political upheavals of the time, local continuity was a hallmark of this period. Economic decline and regrowth were connected with changes in the power and wealth of the aristocracy, who also exercised lesser or greater control over the land and the people.

While this massive piece of scholarship does not address cultural or intellectual history, it provides a very clear picture of the political and economic changes that transformed the former Roman Empire during the years 400-800 A.D. The writing is lively and easy to read, and the work is well organized. The full index and large bibliography as well as the broad range of topics covered make this book an indispensible reference tool for anyone studying Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths

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A Lesson on Carefully Examining a Brilliant Age of 1000 Yeras and What Honest History Means
Chivalrous, Generous France
If the author wasn't French, everybody would know this book
A Tonic For Uninformed Pronouncements
"History does not furnish any solution...

Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
Regine Pernoud
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
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ASIN: 0898707811

Book Description

As she examines the many misconceptions about the "Middle Ages", the renown French historian, Régine Pernoud, gives the reader a refreshingly original perspective on many subjects, both historical (from the Inquisition and witchcraft trials to a comparison of Gothic and Renaissance creative inspiration) as well as eminently modern (from law and the place of women in society to the importance of history and tradition). Here are fascinating insights, based on Pernoud's sound knowledge and extensive experience as an archivist at the French National Archives. The book will be provocative for the general readers as well as a helpful resource for teachers.

Scorned for centuries, although lauded by the Romantics, these thousand years of history have most often been concealed behind the dark clouds of ignorance: Why, didn't godiche (clumsy, oafish) come from gothique (Gothic)? Doesn't "fuedal" refer to the most hopeless obscurantism? Isn't "Medieval" applied to dust-covered, outmoded things?

Here the old varnish is stripped away and a thousand years of history finally emerge—the "Middle Ages" are dead, long live the Middle Ages!

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A Lesson on Carefully Examining a Brilliant Age of 1000 Yeras and What Honest History Means.......2006-08-09

Regine Pernoud's book THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES:DEBUNKING THE MYTHS is a brief but instructive book which both undermines popular history (popular nonsense) of the loosely defined Middle Ages (c.500-1500 AD). This book refers to documents and the use of reason to debunk the notion that the Middle Ages were sterile and oppressive. One should note that Miss Pernoud also gives her readers an important lesson on how to learn history and how to produce historical works.

Father Buckley, SJ, has a short but useful forward to this book. He gives examples of a brilliant age during which people saw the abolition of slavery, "checks and balances" on abosolutism, great architecture (the Gothic Cathedrals), the invention of the codex (bound book), the musical scale, and the mechanical clock. He could have easily included the development of bookhand or standard penmanship, and the remarkable achievement of Scholastic Philosophy and its insistence on logic and clear reason.

Among the myths that have been perpetuated is that of the Medieval serfs. These people lived better than slaves during Ancient History, and these people had absolute rights such as access to their land. These men and women could not be removed from their land. While these people could not easily leave, they did indeed have social mobility. Furthermore, Miss Pernoud refers to documents such as deeds, bills of sale, etc., whereby serfs, including women, expanded their land holdings and could improve social mobility. She indicates that some who were serfs were able to go the Medieval monastic schools and later universities and rise in the rank of the Catholic Church and political structure. Miss Pernoud cites women such as Heliose, Peter Abelard's wife, who knew Latin and Greek and composed literary works.

Another myth re the Middle Ages is that of the status of women. Miss Pernoud cites documents of women who were in certain trades and businesses. The Catholic Church authorities were very opposed to arranged marriages,and the Canon Law jurists argued that since marriage was a Holy Sacrament which had to be voluntary, arranged marriages were not binding at least in theory. This is not to say that the Catholic authorites prevented arranged marriages. One should note that women of noble birth could be rulers and queens. One should note that St. Louis' mother was his active regeant until he could assume power and ruled from 1226 to 1270. Women who entered the religious life held land tenure and even controlled both convents and monastaries. Miss Pernoud invites readers to look at documents and sources rather than media nonsense whose talking heads have little or no knowledge of anything.

Miss Pernoud destroys the notion that Medieval women did not have souls. Those who propagate this nonsense refuse to acknowledge the number of Medieval women who achieved sainthood. Miss Pernoud again refers readers to documents rather than popular history (popular nonsense).

One should also note Miss Pernoud's remarks on Medieval law and contractual arrangements. The idea of a Medieval king being an absolute monarch was almost impossible. Kings, lords, and vassals had obligations and rights in their legal and political relations which limited trends towards absolute power. The Catholic Church authorities also worked to inhibit trends of centralized power.

Another important issue that Miss Pernoud examines is that of the Inquisition which has been so badly portrayed. A Medieval inquisition was simply an invesitation based on some problem or complaint. It was simply an attempt of the Catholic authorities to investigate and possibly solve problems. Those who cite the Catholic authorities prosecuting heretics as some sort of evil obviously have little knowledge about the challenge a well organized heretical movement presented. Of particular interest is the challenge presented by the Albigensians. When these heretics caught the attention of the Catholic authorities during the late 12th and early 13th centuries (the 1100s and 1200s), the Catholic authorities made an investigation and did not apply sanctions. However, when Catholic repesentatives were murdered, the Catholic authorities had to act. One must also realize that the Albigensians had political and military support from the southern French and northern Spanish nobility who were only interested in land and conquest. One must also understand that the Albigensains were so dualistic that they were fanatical and dangerous. The Albigensians were opposed to contrats in an age when rights and security were based on contractual relations. Miss. Pernoud mentions that the Albigensians worked against anything that promoted life such as marriage and birth. For these heretics to murder pregnant women or the elderaly was common as the Albigensians destroyed anyone who promoted life. To use a current expression, the Albigensians endorsed the culture of death.

Miss Pernoud uses modern examples of modern inquisitions even though they do not go by that name. Rights groups and humanitarian organizations often make investigations (inquisitions) into serious problems and incidents. These moderns then make suggestions or recommendations. The comparison is obvious.

Another aspect of the inquisitions is one of comparison. Miss Pernoud is clear that very few of those summoned by Medieval inquisitions were even sanctioned or punished. Yet, the 20th century moderns witnessed mass murder, concentration camp brutality, mass slaughter of civilians, etc., all in the name of political ideology and affiliation. One should note that that Medieval inquisitors had to honor due process and paid careful attention to evidence to avoid unjust prosecutions. As Miss Pernoud indicates the abuses of the Inquisiton came later during the eras of the Renaissance/Reformation and the Age of Absolutism. When secular authorities got control of the Inquisiton after the Middle Ages, the abuses mulitiplied. One should note that Catholic authorities protested these abuses.

When popular media types talk about the Renaissance, they betray their lack of knowledge as Miss Pernoud clearly indicates. The Renaissance scholars did not add the Latin and Greek learning. They simply repeated it. On the other hand, the Medieval Scholastics embellished Ancient Greek thought and Latin learning. Medieval vernacular learning was rich and creative,but the Renaissance literature was simply too structured and to imitative of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Finally, Miss Pernoud examines the historical methods. Essentially, she argues that history without documents is simply empty opinion and so much propganda and nonsense. One should note that Miss Pernoud gives readers brief excerpts of manuscripts, documents, etc., which refute Media Land historical nonsense.

Obviously, this reviewer is impressed with Miss Pernoud's THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES: DEBUNKING THE MYTHS. She carefully makes her case as a historian should. She is clear that historical study should not be politicized nor pandy to popular bias. One should read this book to find why, "A man of science, the historian is, delegated by his fellow man to the conquest of truth (p 141). Miss Pernoud makes this quote meaningful.

Chivalrous, Generous France.......2006-07-19

My title comes from a letter in Phillip Hailey's Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed (recommended despite the critics) written to encourage those hiding Jews in occupied France. The French at that time suffered such indignities as a nose museum, meant to denigrate the Jewish nose in relation to the German's mythic Aryan Man.

The outright blasphemy against the image of God in man (imago dei) perpretated across Europe expecially against the Jews is generally thought to be the resurgence of an attitude prevalent in the Middle Ages, or as they are popularly known, the Dark Ages. Is this an accurate picture or is it a charicature, yet another revisionist myth of anti-semitic propaganda?

Pernoud shows that the the myth of the Middle Ages as a time of widespread ignorance and violence is largely unfounded. Nevermind that is has been perpetrated in popular culture for the last century by historians like Will Durant, commentators like H.L. Mencken, textbook publishers like Time-Life and popular producers like Disney. In short, everyone.

So why four stars? Given my great love of Paris, I yet only know a little French which, like a little dynamite, is just enough to blow my brains out. This book would be great for someone familiar with all the Paris place names and French historic events. For casual readers like myself, I'd like the next edition to have far more copious footnotes and explanations. Regardless, this is a fascinating debunking that reveals the true heart and soul of Generous, Chivalrous France.

If the author wasn't French, everybody would know this book.......2006-05-06

I cannot think of another explanation why this book isn't more widely known. This is ought to be a milestone in historical analysis. You will never see the Middle Ages or the Renaissance in the same light again.

Art. Literature. Education. Politics. Social justice. The author makes a compelling case as to why the Renaissance actually produced regression in all these areas, and explains how the prejudices arose which have led us to believing otherwise. She does not bore you with minutiae or extensive footnotes which makes for quick reading, but she writes with the authority of one who doesn't need fastidious documentation to make her point. She clearly has read almost everything that has been written from these periods and unquestionably knows what she is talking about.

If you are looking for a book that will shatter your preconceptions about anything and stimulate your mind, this is it.

A Tonic For Uninformed Pronouncements.......2004-10-14

Regine Pernoud's Those Terrible Middle Ages! is a wonderful book. Throughout one's life you always hear the usual myths about the period of history known as "The Middle Ages." Pernoud shows that the Middle Ages were a time, for the most part, of peace and learning. She brilliantly shows that the Middle Ages were a time of wonder and acomplishment and juxtaposes that against the cynicism and skepticism brought on by the so-called "Age of Enlightment." This book should be in every history lover's library. Keep it handy when someone, who usually has not actually read a history book, spews forth on the following subjects, women in the "dark ages," the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, witches and cats and the usual nonsense one hears from the unread and uninformed nowadays.

"History does not furnish any solution..........2004-07-10

...but it permits--and it alone permits--us to pose the problems correctly."

This book is not only a wonderful debunking of the popular myths used to define the Middle Ages, but, in the last chapter, a wonderful justification of the importance of the study of history (though if you are interested in reading this book then you probably already believe in history's importance).

The entire work is wonderfully researched and, even through the admitedly sometimes rough translation, Pernoud's passion for her subject is obvious. The book is both informative and entertaining, and it is a wonderful book to use to introduce oneself to the subject of the Middle Ages while avoiding the negative mythology of that era that is expounded in public school or other books (such as A World Lit Only by Fire).

Book Description

This major reference work is the fourth volume in the series Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages. Its intention is to update the French and Occitan chapters in R.S. Loomis’s Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History (Oxford, 1959) and to provide a volume which will serve the needs of students and scholars of Arthurian literature. The principal focus is the production, dissemination and evolution of Arthurian material in French and Occitan from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Beginning with a substantial overview of Arthurian manuscripts, the volume covers writing in both verse (Wace, the Tristan legend, Chrétien de Troyes and the Grail Continuations, Marie de France and the anonymous lays, the lesser known romances) and prose (the Vulgate Cycle, the prose Tristan, the Post-Vulgate Roman du Graal, etc.). Chapters are also devoted to manuscript compilations, late medieval Arthurian literature, the Arthurian tradition in Occitan literature and Arthur in modern French fiction and film. The contributors provide authoritative summaries of recent research in the field, including aspects such as the intertextuality of Arthurian literature and the socio-political and cultural context of Arthurian works. Each text or author is treated in a sufficiently independent way for the reader to be able to use the volume as a work of reference.

The Mystery of History: The Early Church and the Middle Ages (Mystery of History)

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The Mystery of History: The Early Church and the Middle Ages (Mystery of History)
Linda Lacour Hobar
Manufacturer: Bright Ideas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1892427060

Product Description

From the back cover: Be it a lesson from Germany, China, Zimbabwe, or Iceland, the author leads students to all corners of the globe in the order that major events occurred there. Whether it is the stories of kings and queens, emperors and samurai, knights and inventors, or poets and commoners, the epic continues to unford in The Mystery of History Volume II. Contains three lessons per week; Fun projects and hands-on activities; photos from around the world; exercises, quizzes, quarterly worksheets, and semester tests, weekly timeline and mapping assignments. Distinctive "Memory-card" method, User-friendly format for new or veteran teachers, Reproducible student pages and outline maps, and supplemental reading and resource lists. History from a Bible-centered viewpoint.

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