Diarmaid MacCulloch's epic, acclaimed history "A History of Christianity: The Fi
rst Three Thousand Years" follows the story of Christianity around the globe, fr
om ancient Palestine to contemporary China. How did an obscure personality cult
come to be the world's biggest religion, with a third of humanity its followers?
This book, now the most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in Engl
ish, describes not only the main facts, ideas and personalities of Christian his
tory, its organization and spirituality, but how it has changed politics, sex, a
nd human society. Taking in wars, empires, reformers, apostles, sects, churches
and crusaders, Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity t
o the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishme
nts.