
Tim Dowley, ed. Introduction to the History of Christianity. 2nd Ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2013. Pp. 616. ISBN 978-0-8006-9969-7. $55.00 (Paperback).
Within the past month, Fortress Press released the 2nd Ed. of Introduction to the History of Christianity, edited by Tim Dowley. Although not a typical pattern in the humanities discipline, this history book is a multi-authored resource. And by multi-authored, I mean 65 authors. With my focused interests in early church history, I will necessarily focus my attention on the relevant chapters.
The array of historical introductions gladly welcome this new edition. The collaborative effort is one of the chief marks of its value. Christian historians, from varied geographical locales, team together to write a “bird’s-eye view of 2000 years of Christianity” (preface, 18). Part I: Beginnings AD 1–325 and Part II: Acceptance and Conquest: AD 325–600 include 15 chapters authored by Richard A. Burridge, David F. Wright, Ralph P. Martin, Michael A. Smith, and others. Each chapter also includes multiple 200–600 word “side-bars”, highlighting relevant data respective of the chapter’s topics. Here is a small sampling of authors and topics:
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