Situated in an area roughly corresponding to present-day Iraq; Mesopotamia is one of the great; ancient civilizations; though it is still relatively unknown. Yet; over 7;000 years ago in Mesopotamia; the very first cities were created. This is the first book to reveal how life was lived in ten Mesopotamian cities: from Eridu; the Mesopotamian Eden; to that potent symbol of decadence; Babylon - the first true metropolis: multicultural; multi-ethnic; the last centre of a dying civilization.
#132371 in Books imusti 1993-10-01 1993-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.79 x .75 x 5.10l; .53 #File Name: 0140231994314 pagesPenguin
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Henry Chadwick writes in great detail. He gives references from the New Testament ...By Michele Paoletti-SchelpHenry Chadwick writes in great detail. He gives references from the New Testament about the historical event he describes. If you take the time to look up the reference; it adds even more depth to your understanding. Even if you don't look up the references; it is great reading!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Well worth the price.By Walter J. GouldSee also by Justo Gonzalez; "The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day". Mr. Chadwick is excellent in both English and in detail. This one of my two major sources for reference.21 of 22 people found the following review helpful. A good primer on early church history.By William SteckThe Early Church; by Henry Chadwick is a good place to start if you are interested in early church history. He does an excellant job describing the issues that were affecting the development of the church from the apostolic age to around 500 a.d.I do have mixed feelings about this book. You will find information that you probably have not seen elsewhere if you haven't read a book about church history. You will be introduced to Augustine; Cyril of Jerusalem; Hippolytus; and others that you may not even have heard about. The issues concerning the Council of Nicaea are discussed at length. You will see that the acceptance of the four gospels as canonical; no more; no less; was made very early in the history of the church.On the other hand; I did find myself really wanting a glossary or something similar many times when I was reading the book. I'm still not sure; for example; exactly what a Monophysite is. I also have to admit that there were a few stretches in the book where I was just finishing a section just to finish it. Maybe it's the fault of the author; maybe church history is by nature not that interesting. Another way to say it is that some of the issues that arose in the church were detailed and legalistic; which is probably hard to write about in an engaging way.All in all; this is a solid book. As a source of information; it is 4 star book. Based on style and readability; it's more of a 3 star book. Once you've read it; you will at least know what areas of church history you want to know more about; and you can read further on those subjects. Though I doubt this will ever be a best seller; it is a good place to start your study of church history.
