The “People’s Weekly” Version of Early Christian History
Written: Aug 14 '04
Product Rating:
Pros: Great way to learn the historical background for Christian faith.
Cons: Cheesy cover, a number of typos in the book.
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for more background of the history of Christian faith, but find scholarly books dry, this is the perfect book for you.
Helga17's Full Review: James D. Snyder - All God's Children: How the Firs...
I picked up this book at a bargain bookstore when I was visiting a friend in Houston, Texas. I enjoy history, and love historical fiction. As a Christian, a historical novel based on the first fifty or so years of Christianity sounded fascinating, and maybe even a little educational. I was not disappointed, and it was even more educational than I had expected.
The book contains two different kinds of narrative. The first is a series of letters written by the fictional character “Attalos” to his cousin “Eumenes.” They are sellers and producers of scrolls in business together long-distance. They send scrolls back and forth to each other that they think will sell well in the other’s market, and also trade business tips. Attalos shares in his first letter that he is in the process of writing a book about this new religious sect called “The Way,” and asks his cousin to keep a copy of the first section of this book safe.
That brings us to the second kind of narrative, which is the history of “The Way” or Christianity, as written by Attalos. This kind of narrative makes up the bulk of the book, and is only interrupted by letters from Attalos to his cousin talking of recent news and asking him to keep the next enclosed section of the book safe. The history sections are organized chronologically, and contain the 1-3 year period covered by the particular chapter at the top of the page. This makes it very easy to keep track of the time line.
These history sections don’t really contain fiction. Attalos makes clear when he is stating his theory as to motivations behind events, but as a whole, this is non-fiction with a spoonful of sugar. Sometimes, when there are conflicting stories contained in history, Attalos shares all of the possible scenarios, and then often shares which one he thinks is most probable. The history parts contain numerous quotes from historical texts, and the documentation contained in the endnotes shows that James Snyder, the actual author of the book, did his homework. He draws on a wide variety of sources including, for example, the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, Seneca and Josephus, and the Bible.
While the history sections are actual history, they are not heavy reading. The flow is much like that of any novel. (It’s also just as hard to put down as any other novel… even though I was pretty sure I knew how it ended.) It follows three lines of this history that often cross each other’s paths. First, it covers the lives of the Roman Emperors of the times, which is quite the soap opera. It covers the history of the leaders who are directly responsible for the governing of the Jewish states. The third “story” line is that of the work of the apostles, and especially the apostle Paul. I was absolutely captivated by the way the stuff I’ve read about my whole life in the Bible fit into historical context. This perspective on the historical context of the Bible shed light on so many little things which I missed the full impact of prior to this. For example, Cornelius, the Roman centurion from Italy who becomes a Christian in the book of Acts is rather amazing when you know more about what a centurion is and how the Roman army operated.
In the back of the book, besides his documentation of research, there are some informational sections that I found very helpful. First there is a list of the Ancient names for locations that provides the reader with the modern day name for the same location. Then there is a section of illustrations and maps. It begins with a series of composite sketches of what different historical figures might have looked like based on both descriptions and surviving artwork. I liked the fact that I could refer to this section and put a face to the name. It helped me keep the large number of people in this book straight. Next, there are maps of the areas, including specific maps of Rome and Jerusalem, which helped make more sense out of some of the wars and sieges. Lastly, there are actual pictures (although not in color) of some surviving art from the times, including a fresco of Paul from the Roman Catacombs that I found particularly interesting.
I really enjoyed this book, but I do have a couple of small criticisms. The editors missed a decent number of typos, as I counted at least a dozen while I was reading. The red cover on the paperback version I own is overdramatic and cheesy and didn’t capture the feel of the book to me. Lastly, and for me this isn’t even really a criticism, it is obvious that the author of this book is a Christian, and while he makes an effort to be well balanced and impartial, it is also obvious that he is trying to sway the reader toward Christianity. I liked that about the book, but some might not. While the author is a Presbyterian, I do not believe his bias is so great that it would differ from that of a Baptist or a Roman Catholic or any other kind of Christian. It’s more of a general bias toward Christianity. This is the meat and potatoes of early Christian history, and he does a very good job of avoiding or brushing over the parts of history that are hotly debated as to their truth.
Other than that, I really don’t have anything bad to say. History has never been so interesting or easy to swallow. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the early history of the church, but not looking to delve into the depths of scholarly research or debate. It provides the perfect backdrop for the average Christian to see their faith in the context of history. If that sounds good to you, buy this book.
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