Cities of God: the real story of how Christianity became an urban movement and conquered Rome
Description
How did the preaching of a peasant carpenter from Galilee spark a movement that would grow to include over two billion followers? Who listened to this "good news," and who ignored it? Where did Christianity spread, and how? Based on quantitative data and the latest scholarship, preeminent scholar and journalist Rodney Stark presents new and startling information about the rise of the early church, overturning many prevailing views of how Christianity grew through time to become the largest religion in the world. Drawing on both archaeological and historical evidence, Stark is able to provide hard statistical evidence on the religious life of the Roman Empire to discover the following facts that set conventional history on its head: Contrary to fictions such as The Da Vinci Code and the claims of some prominent scholars, Gnosticism was not a more sophisticated, more authentic form of Christianity, but really an unsuccessful effort to paganize Christianity. Paul was called the apostle to the Gentiles, but mostly he converted Jews. Paganism was not rapidly stamped out by state repression following the vision and conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, but gradually disappeared as people abandoned the temples in response to the superior appeal of Christianity. The "oriental" faiths—such as those devoted to Isis, the Egyptian goddess of love and magic, and to Cybele, the fertility goddess of Asia Minor—actually prepared the way for the rapid spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire. Contrary to generations of historians, the Roman mystery cult of Mithraism posed no challenge to Christianity to become the new faith of the empire— it allowed no female members and attracted only soldiers. By analyzing concrete data, Stark is able to challenge the conventional wisdom about early Christianity offering the clearest picture ever of how this religion grew from its humble beginnings into the faith of more than one-third of the earth's population.
More Copies In Prospector
Loading Prospector Copies...
More Details
Contributors:
ISBN:
9780060858421
9780061739972
9781705212578
9780061739972
9781705212578
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Staff View
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 971418fe-1503-049c-290e-ac87cd33b07e |
---|---|
Grouping Title | cities of god the real story of how christianity became an urban movement and conquered rome |
Grouping Author | rodney stark |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-06 22:32:53PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-18 21:36:32PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
auth_author2
Souer, Bob
author
Stark, Rodney
author2-role
Souer, Bob
hoopla digital
hoopla digital
author_display
Stark, Rodney
available_at_basalt
Basalt
detailed_location_basalt
Basalt Non Fiction
display_description
How did the preaching of a peasant carpenter from Galilee spark a movement that would grow to include over two billion followers? Who listened to this "good news," and who ignored it? Where did Christianity spread, and how? Based on quantitative data and the latest scholarship, preeminent scholar and journalist Rodney Stark presents new and startling information about the rise of the early church, overturning many prevailing views of how Christianity grew through time to become the largest religion in the world. Drawing on both archaeological and historical evidence, Stark is able to provide hard statistical evidence on the religious life of the Roman Empire to discover the following facts that set conventional history on its head: Contrary to fictions such as The Da Vinci Code and the claims of some prominent scholars, Gnosticism was not a more sophisticated, more authentic form of Christianity, but really an unsuccessful effort to paganize Christianity. Paul was called the apostle to the Gentiles, but mostly he converted Jews. Paganism was not rapidly stamped out by state repression following the vision and conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, but gradually disappeared as people abandoned the temples in response to the superior appeal of Christianity. The "oriental" faiths—such as those devoted to Isis, the Egyptian goddess of love and magic, and to Cybele, the fertility goddess of Asia Minor—actually prepared the way for the rapid spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire. Contrary to generations of historians, the Roman mystery cult of Mithraism posed no challenge to Christianity to become the new faith of the empire— it allowed no female members and attracted only soldiers. By analyzing concrete data, Stark is able to challenge the conventional wisdom about early Christianity offering the clearest picture ever of how this religion grew from its humble beginnings into the faith of more than one-third of the earth's population.
format_basalt
Book
format_category_basalt
Books
id
971418fe-1503-049c-290e-ac87cd33b07e
isbn
9780060858421
9780061739972
9781705212578
9780061739972
9781705212578
itype_basalt
Non-fiction
last_indexed
2024-04-19T03:36:32.060Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_basalt
270.1 STA
owning_library_basalt
Basalt Regional Library
owning_location_basalt
Basalt
primary_isbn
9780060858421
publishDate
2006
2009
2020
2009
2020
publisher
HarperCollins
HarperSanFrancisco
Tantor Audio
HarperSanFrancisco
Tantor Audio
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Christianity
Church
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
Electronic books
History
Nonfiction
Religion
Religion & Spirituality
Sociology
Church
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
Electronic books
History
Nonfiction
Religion
Religion & Spirituality
Sociology
title_display
Cities of God : the real story of how Christianity became an urban movement and conquered Rome
title_full
Cities of God : The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome [electronic resource] / Rodney Stark
Cities of God : the real story of how Christianity became an urban movement and conquered Rome / Rodney Stark
Cities of god [electronic resource] : The real story of how christianity became an urban movement and conquered rome. Rodney Stark
Cities of God : the real story of how Christianity became an urban movement and conquered Rome / Rodney Stark
Cities of god [electronic resource] : The real story of how christianity became an urban movement and conquered rome. Rodney Stark
title_short
Cities of God
title_sub
the real story of how Christianity became an urban movement and conquered Rome
topic_facet
Christianity
Church
Church history
Electronic books
History
Nonfiction
Religion
Religion & Spirituality
Sociology
Church
Church history
Electronic books
History
Nonfiction
Religion
Religion & Spirituality
Sociology
Solr Details Tables
item_details
Bib Id | Item Id | Shelf Loc | Call Num | Format | Format Category | Num Copies | Is Order Item | Is eContent | eContent Source | eContent URL | Detailed Status | Last Checkin | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT16694439 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/16694439?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online | |||
ils:.b26795164 | .i48322544 | Basalt Non Fiction | 270.1 STA | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Jun 09, 2023 | banf | ||||
overdrivecmc:ODN0005296247 | ODN0005296247 | Overdrive (CMC) | Online Overdrive (CMC) | eAudiobook | Audio Books | 1 | false | true | Overdrive (CMC) | http://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=162&titleID=5296247 | Available Online | Overdrive (CMC) | |
overdrivecmc:ODN0000113851 | ODN0000113851 | Overdrive (CMC) | Online Overdrive (CMC) | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Overdrive (CMC) | http://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=162&titleID=113851 | Available Online | Overdrive (CMC) |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT16694439 | eBook | eBook | English | HarperCollins | 2009 | 1 online resource (288 pages) | ||
ils:.b26795164 | Book | Books | 1st ed | English | HarperSanFrancisco | [2006] | vii, 280 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm | |
overdrivecmc:ODN0005296247 | eAudiobook | Audio Books | Unabridged | English | Tantor Audio | 2020 | 1 online resource (6 audio files) : digital | |
overdrivecmc:ODN0000113851 | eBook | eBook | English | 2009 | 1 online resource |
scoping_details_basalt
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b26795164 | .i48322544 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | false | false | true | 116, 117, 118, 119, 120 |