--- product_id: 53150382 title: "A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years" price: "434.64 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/53150382-a-history-of-christianity-the-first-three-thousand-years store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Global scope from ancient Palestine to modern China Top 25k bestseller & #21 in Christian Church History 1000+ pages of deep historical insight A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years **Price:** 434.64 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unlock the untold story of Christianity’s 3,000-year global influence — don’t miss the history everyone’s talking about! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years - **How much does it cost?** 434.64 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/53150382-a-history-of-christianity-the-first-three-thousand-years) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Scholarly Yet Accessible:** Oxford professor Diarmaid MacCulloch delivers rigorous history with engaging, clear prose. - • **Cultural & Political Impact:** Discover how Christianity shaped wars, empires, politics, and social norms worldwide. - • **Epic Comprehensive Coverage:** Explore 3,000 years of Christianity’s global journey in one definitive volume. - • **Critical Acclaim & Popularity:** Join thousands of readers who rate this landmark history 4.4/5 and counting. - • **Unbiased Historical Perspective:** Objective, evidence-based narrative that transcends faith and skepticism alike. ## Overview A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch is a monumental, single-volume history tracing Christianity’s evolution from its obscure origins to a global faith. Combining scholarly rigor with accessible writing, it covers key figures, events, and cultural shifts across continents and millennia. Highly rated and widely acclaimed, this book offers an objective, comprehensive exploration of Christianity’s profound impact on politics, society, and human history. ## Description Diarmaid MacCulloch's epic, acclaimed history A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years follows the story of Christianity around the globe, from 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 English, describes not only the main facts, ideas and personalities of Christian history, its organization and spirituality, but how it has changed politics, sex, and human society. Taking in wars, empires, reformers, apostles, sects, churches and crusaders, Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishments. 'A stunning tour de force' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year 'A landmark in its field, astonishing in its range, compulsively readable, full of insight ... It will have few, if any, rivals in the English language' Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Guardian 'A prodigious, thrilling, masterclass of a history book' John Cornwell, Financial Times 'Essential reading for those enthralled by Christianity and for those enraged by it' Melvyn Bragg, Observer , Books of the Year 'Magnificent ... a sumptuous portrait, alive with detail and generous in judgement' Richard Holloway, The Times Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. His Thomas Cranmer won the Whitbread Biography Prize, the James Tait Black Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. He is the author most recently of Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490 - 1700 , which won the Wolfson Prize for History and the British Academy Prize. Review: A History of Christianity - I came to this book, not as a religious person, nor as an atheist - I can see the contradictions in religious dogma but also find lazy, Rickie Gervais style, militant atheism tedious and unnecessary. Therefore I approached this book for its historical content; I wanted to understand how Christianity developed over the millennia. Some reviews from, presumably Christians, attack this book as modern-liberal and dismissive towards Christianity. I didn't find that at all. The text felt very pragmatic, it discusses the subject objectively and unbiasedly. It is written from a historian's perspective, not that of the priest or the atheist. When something contradictory or clearly invented is stated by e.g. an historical reforming bishop, the author discusses this. The author discusses how certain rituals or beliefs came to be and often this is down to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of early Greek texts - it would be remiss to dismiss the author as anti-Christianity or anti-Religion because of this; this is a history book, not a religious text and the author is simply exploring the facts he has available. An example of this is the virgin birth: The author discusses how the original Greek is more accurately translated that the Messiah will be born of a "young woman" but has been mistranslated as "virgin" - this is further compounded by the historical information we have that Jesus is said to have had siblings, most famously James who became the leader of Jesus' followers in the Holy Land after Jesus' Crucifixion. This is not the author putting down Christianity but simply exploring the human misinterpretation of Jesus' life and teachings. Over two thousand years, (mostly) men have tried to make fragments of information "fit" using mistranslations and presumptions and this has resulted in what is modern Christian belief and practice. The book does not deny the existence of a God or explicitly deny Jesus as a Prophet, Messiah, Christ or as the Son of God, and not once did I get the impression that this was the aim of the author - he is not attempting to offend, he is writing scientifically (i.e. evidence based). He is also not attempting to prove that Jesus WAS any of these things. With regards to the reading experience, for a grand ol' tome of over a thousand pages of tiny Penguin-typical print, it never felt like a slog. I breezed through it and enjoyed it. The author has an easy writing style which makes such an unfathomably complex and huge topic accessible and digestible. The book itself is largely chronological and darts about over the globe, starting with the ancestry of Christianity (judaism, Babylon, Ur etc., then the Hellenistic and then Roman world), onto Jesus and then early Christianity, moving across to Byzantium and the rise of Islam, Charlemagne and the West, to the Crusades and Middle Ages and on and on until modern times. There are discussions on philosophers and philosophy, religion and paganism, interpretations of Holy texts, synods and councils (Nicaea etc.), Emperors, Popes, Khans, Monarchs, Saints, Bishops, Monks and Hermits. Even at a thousand pages of small print, it is a... miracle (pardon the choice of word) that the author has managed to discuss such an unending subject so comprehensively in one book. A strong recommendation from me to anyone and everyone. But if you are religious, I would advise approaching it with an open mind and the understanding that this is not meant to offend your faith, nor persuade you that you are wrong. It doesn't deal in faith and spirituality but earthly factual information and therefore I believe you can safely separate the two worlds and enjoy this book for what it is: A History of Christianity. Review: Good, and I will finish this book - but I will have to work at it. - Very interesting, but quite heavy going in places, and is definitely not a 'light read' - it swings to the academic paper in places, and public explainer in others. It also tends to skip about, with cross references all over the place, starting on one thought but then annoyingly jumping to another thought without properly explaining the last one beyond a reference to where else that information is. I have no doubt that there IS detail on that thought, just not at that point in the book. It's worth reading, and has provided some interesting insights already - the author is self described as 'a critical friend of Christianity' and so is not pushing a specific agenda, but tries rather setting out historical information. It's not however bedtime reading. I managed to turn over two pages at once, and only realised about half way down the page that I had done so - this chimes with the slightly chaotic thought trains. I am quite sure that it is well worth the read, but it is quite hard going, and feels very academic. ## Features - New Store Stock ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 25,439 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 21 in Christian Church History 66 in Religious History of Christianity 332 in World History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,680 Reviews | ## Images ![A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91lJZnxAXVL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A History of Christianity *by J***S on 11 June 2025* I came to this book, not as a religious person, nor as an atheist - I can see the contradictions in religious dogma but also find lazy, Rickie Gervais style, militant atheism tedious and unnecessary. Therefore I approached this book for its historical content; I wanted to understand how Christianity developed over the millennia. Some reviews from, presumably Christians, attack this book as modern-liberal and dismissive towards Christianity. I didn't find that at all. The text felt very pragmatic, it discusses the subject objectively and unbiasedly. It is written from a historian's perspective, not that of the priest or the atheist. When something contradictory or clearly invented is stated by e.g. an historical reforming bishop, the author discusses this. The author discusses how certain rituals or beliefs came to be and often this is down to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of early Greek texts - it would be remiss to dismiss the author as anti-Christianity or anti-Religion because of this; this is a history book, not a religious text and the author is simply exploring the facts he has available. An example of this is the virgin birth: The author discusses how the original Greek is more accurately translated that the Messiah will be born of a "young woman" but has been mistranslated as "virgin" - this is further compounded by the historical information we have that Jesus is said to have had siblings, most famously James who became the leader of Jesus' followers in the Holy Land after Jesus' Crucifixion. This is not the author putting down Christianity but simply exploring the human misinterpretation of Jesus' life and teachings. Over two thousand years, (mostly) men have tried to make fragments of information "fit" using mistranslations and presumptions and this has resulted in what is modern Christian belief and practice. The book does not deny the existence of a God or explicitly deny Jesus as a Prophet, Messiah, Christ or as the Son of God, and not once did I get the impression that this was the aim of the author - he is not attempting to offend, he is writing scientifically (i.e. evidence based). He is also not attempting to prove that Jesus WAS any of these things. With regards to the reading experience, for a grand ol' tome of over a thousand pages of tiny Penguin-typical print, it never felt like a slog. I breezed through it and enjoyed it. The author has an easy writing style which makes such an unfathomably complex and huge topic accessible and digestible. The book itself is largely chronological and darts about over the globe, starting with the ancestry of Christianity (judaism, Babylon, Ur etc., then the Hellenistic and then Roman world), onto Jesus and then early Christianity, moving across to Byzantium and the rise of Islam, Charlemagne and the West, to the Crusades and Middle Ages and on and on until modern times. There are discussions on philosophers and philosophy, religion and paganism, interpretations of Holy texts, synods and councils (Nicaea etc.), Emperors, Popes, Khans, Monarchs, Saints, Bishops, Monks and Hermits. Even at a thousand pages of small print, it is a... miracle (pardon the choice of word) that the author has managed to discuss such an unending subject so comprehensively in one book. A strong recommendation from me to anyone and everyone. But if you are religious, I would advise approaching it with an open mind and the understanding that this is not meant to offend your faith, nor persuade you that you are wrong. It doesn't deal in faith and spirituality but earthly factual information and therefore I believe you can safely separate the two worlds and enjoy this book for what it is: A History of Christianity. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good, and I will finish this book - but I will have to work at it. *by T***M on 7 November 2025* Very interesting, but quite heavy going in places, and is definitely not a 'light read' - it swings to the academic paper in places, and public explainer in others. It also tends to skip about, with cross references all over the place, starting on one thought but then annoyingly jumping to another thought without properly explaining the last one beyond a reference to where else that information is. I have no doubt that there IS detail on that thought, just not at that point in the book. It's worth reading, and has provided some interesting insights already - the author is self described as 'a critical friend of Christianity' and so is not pushing a specific agenda, but tries rather setting out historical information. It's not however bedtime reading. I managed to turn over two pages at once, and only realised about half way down the page that I had done so - this chimes with the slightly chaotic thought trains. I am quite sure that it is well worth the read, but it is quite hard going, and feels very academic. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ À masterful primer - though not without flaws *by V***S on 16 February 2025* First of all Professor MacCulloch deserves credit that this book - despite hyperlexia, and an autistics obsession with history and Theology - took me something like 3 months to finish. I normally chew through even weighty tomes in under a month. Three months of consistent reading is unheard of, so for that, I tip my hat. Second observation - this book is very good. MacCulloch has attempted to cover three thousand years of ecclesiastic history in a single text, and has succeeded admirably. Prospective readers should note that this is an introductory primer - in depth knowledge will require more specific and wider readings, but handily the good professor provides an extensive reading list, broken down by chapter. For the more academic amongst us, his footnotes are impeccable and I have already loaded my kindle with a good number of journal articles that he references, as well as purchasing several other books! My single negative comment is that in discussing the 20th Century, notably American segregation and the church in South Africa under apartheid, MacCulloch falls prey to whiteness. He credits Niebuhr, for forming part of Martin Luther King's theological development, and somehow manages to skip on past the existence of James H Cone, the literal originator of Black Theology - who himself called out Niebuhr (who was his colleague at Union) for being wishy washy on the subject of segragation ! His neglect there also means he fails to discuss Black Theology and Womanist theology at all, which is a glaring omission. Then, when discussing apartheid he spends several pages singing the praises of two white Anglicans for their efforts to end apartheid, and Desmond Tutu merits a few passing mentions and no exploration at all! That is not to mention that the efforts of other African activists like Steve Biko are utterly unmentioned, leaving one with the impression that apartheid ending can be credited to two Church of England clerics and Nelson Mandela! These were jarring commissions and I can only hope that Prof MacCulloch has learnt better since 2009. Overall this is still an excellent and comprehensive introduction to the history of Christianity, and was an insightful read. Do be aware of the glaring omissions that I note above though, and read some James Cone! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/53150382-a-history-of-christianity-the-first-three-thousand-years](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/53150382-a-history-of-christianity-the-first-three-thousand-years) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-07-29*