The Story of Christianity: Volume 1

The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of the Church’s history. Author and acclaimed historian Justo Gonzalez shows how social, political, and economic movements all affected Christianity’s internal growth.


From Judaism in the Greco-Roman world to colonial Christianity and the first whisperings of Reformation, Gonzalez takes the reader on a fascinating journey that spans five continents, the Great Western Schism, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the creation of the Holy Roman Empire. Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures, from the Apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and struggles of leading thinkers within the many traditions of the church.

The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, is a fascinating introduction to the history of Christianity for students, teachers of religious history, clergy, or anyone who wants to read a really exciting book that just happens to be true.

Justo L. Gonzalez, author of the highly praised three-volume History of Christian Thought and other major works, attended United Seminary in Cuba, received his M.A. at Yale, and was the youngest person to be awarded a Ph.D. in historical theology at Yale. Dr. Gonzalez is now on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta.