Every generation reassesses anew the role played by Christianity in the story of European civilization. Believers and nonbelievers, clerical and anticlerical historians, have inevitably seen things in widely differing perspectives. Even today, such topics as the effect of Christianity on the Roman Empire; the extent of ecclesiastical domination in the Middle Ages; the secularism or otherwise of Renaissance Humanism; the pros and cons of the Reformation; or the degree to which churches in modern times have promoted or retarded social progress@ all these are still matters of heated controversy.
Veering away from history and theology as such. Professor Barraclough's book takes a universal and human direction: it traces the way in which Christianity as a social and cultural force has molded men and events. On a broad canvas it depicts the impact of this most widespread of creeds (it has adherents in virtually every country in the world) on the actual lives of people, humble and great. The editor and the twelve contributing editors, all leading historians in their fields, apply the resources of modern research to assessing the role played by Christianity in the story of Western civilization.
The splendid illustrations bring a vibrant life to the text. For hundreds of years virtually all art was religious art, but by concentrating on meaning rather than form, an d by drawing upon folk art, genre scenes, devotional objects, and photographic records, much that seems remote and difficult is brought into vivid focus. This book will appeal to all of those, of whatever religious persuasion, who seek to understand the forces that have made our world what it is.