Home
»
Rise of Christianity
A01=Rodney Stark
American Society of Church History
Apostolic Constitutions
Attempt
Author_Rodney Stark
Baptists
British Empire
Category=JH
Category=JMH
Category=NHB
Category=QRM
Christian
Christian burial
Christian ethics
Christian Identity
Christian martyrs
Christian mission
Christian monasticism
Christian Science
Christian scripture
Christian theology
Christian values
Christianity
Christianity and Judaism
Christianity in Egypt
Christianization
Church Fathers
Church Growth
Clergy
Congregational church
Constantine the Great and Christianity
Consummation
Conversion of the Jews
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Judaism
Council of Chalcedon
Council of Jerusalem
Crucifixion of Jesus
Deacon
Deaconess
Didache
Divine law
Early Christianity
Edict of Toleration (Hawaii)
Episcopal Church (United States)
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Eternal life (Christianity)
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Fertility
Greco-Roman world
Heresy in Christianity
Hinduism
House church
Jesus movement
Jewish Christian
Jews
John Chrysostom
John the Baptist
Judaism
Justification (theology)
Kabbalah
Lutheranism
Marcion of Sinope
Martyr
Methodism
Minister (Christianity)
Missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
Monasticism
Mormonism
Mormons
New religious movement
New Testament
Old Testament
Origins of Christianity
Paganism
Paul the Apostle
Pauline Christianity
Persecution of Christians
Peter and Paul
Protestantism
Rate of natural increase
Religion
Religious conversion
Religious organization
Saint Peter
Scientology
Sect
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Spread of Christianity
The Christian Community
The gospel
The Rise of Christianity
Theology
Theophrastus
Triumphalism
United Church of Christ
Product details
- ISBN 9780691027494
- Weight: 510g
- Dimensions: 152 x 235mm
- Publication Date: 02 Jun 1996
- Publisher: Princeton University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Delivery/Collection within 10-20 working days
Our Delivery Time Frames Explained
2-4 Working Days: Available in-stock
10-20 Working Days: On Backorder
Will Deliver When Available: On Pre-Order or Reprinting
We ship your order once all items have arrived at our warehouse and are processed. Need those 2-4 day shipping items sooner? Just place a separate order for them!
The idea that Christianity started as a clandestine movement among the poor is a widely accepted notion. Yet it is one of many myths that must be discarded if we are to understand just how a tiny messianic movement on the edge of the Roman Empire became the dominant faith of Western civilization. In a fast-paced, highly readable book that addresses beliefs as well as historical facts, Rodney Stark brings a sociologist's perspective to bear on the puzzle behind the success of early Christianity. He comes equipped not only with the logic and methods of social science but also with insights gathered firsthand into why people convert and how new religious groups recruit members. He digs deep into the historical evidence on many issues--such as the social background of converts, the mission to the Jews, the status of women in the church, the role of martyrdom--to provide a vivid and unconventional account of early Christianity. The author plots the most plausible curve of Christian growth from the year 40 to 300. By the time of Constantine, Christianity had become a considerable force, with growth patterns very similar to those of modern-day successful religious movements.
An unusual number of Christian converts, for example, came from the educated, cosmopolitan classes. Because it offered a new perspective on familiar concepts and was not linked to ethnicity, Christianity had a large following among persons seeking to assimilate into the dominant culture, mainly Hellenized Jews. The oversupply of women in Christian communities--due partly to the respect and protection they received--led to intermarriages with pagans, hence more conversions, and to a high fertility rate. Stark points out, too, the role played by selflessness and faith. Amidst the epidemics, fires, and other disasters that beleaguered Greco-Roman cities, Christian communities were a stronghold of mutual aid, which resulted in a survival rate far greater than that of the pagans. In the meantime, voluntary martyrdom, especially a generation after the death of Christ, reinforced the commitment of the Christian rank and file. What Stark ultimately offers is a multifaceted portrait of early Christianity, one that appeals to practical reasoning, historical curiosity, and personal reflection.
Rodney Stark (1934–2022) was Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University, where he was former codirector of the Institute for Studies of Religion. His many books include The Churching of America, 1776-1990 (with Roger Finke) and A Theory of Religion (with William Sims Bainbridge).
Qty: