
The Triumph of Christianity
How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion
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Narrated by:
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Bob Souer
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By:
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Rodney Stark
About this listen
Celebrated religious and social historian Rodney Stark traces the extraordinary rise of Christianity through its most pivotal and controversial moments to offer fresh perspective on the history of the world's largest religion. In The Triumph of Christianity, the author of God's Battalions and The Rise of Christianity gathers and refines decades of powerful research and discovery into one concentrated, concise, and highly accessible volume that explores Christianity's most crucial episodes. The unique format of The Triumph of Christianity allows Stark to avoid dense chronologies and difficult back stories, bringing listeners right to the heart of Christian history's most vital controversies and enduring lessons.
©2011 Rodney Stark (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Lots of amazing statistics, a clear thesis, lots of tangents
- By Mr. and Mrs.G on 07-06-16
By: Rodney Stark
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The Resurrection of Jesus
- A New Historiographical Approach
- By: Michael R. Licona
- Narrated by: Lyle Blaker
- Length: 21 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The question of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection has been repeatedly probed, investigated, and debated. And the results have varied widely. Perhaps some now regard this issue as the burned-over district of New Testament scholarship. Could there be any new and promising approach to this problem? Yes, answers Michael Licona. And he convincingly points us to a significant deficiency in approaching this question: our historiographical orientation and practice.
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Very Compelling Case for the Historicity of The Resurrection of Jesus
- By Theodore Rogers on 01-17-24
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The Search for the Twelve Apostles
- By: William Steuart McBirnie PhD
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Simon Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Jude, Simon, Judas, and Matthias - what happened to the men who answered Jesus' call to follow him? What impact did they have on the world? Where did they go and what did they do after Jesus' resurrection and ascension? In these fascinating profiles, Dr. McBirnie offers listeners a snapshot of the lives of each apostle.
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Disappointed
- By Jennie K. Lindman on 09-04-22
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God's Battalions
- The Case for the Crusades
- By: Rodney Stark
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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A respected and controversial scholar argues that the Crusades were a justified war waged against Muslim terror and aggression. This book takes on the current vogue in liberal thinking to argue that, in fact, the Crusades were not unprovoked. They were not the first round of European colonialism. They were not conducted for land, loot, or converts. The Crusaders were not barbarians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. They sincerely believed that they served in God’s Battalions.
By: Rodney Stark
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On the Incarnation
- By: Athanasias of Alexandria
- Narrated by: Gabriel Travesser
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing except the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a greater miracle or wonder in human history. God becoming flesh in human history is the greatest marvel. Jesus of Nazareth was foretold in the Torah and the Prophets centuries before his appearance, and he was proved to be real and not a pretender due to his death and Resurrection. The early church grappled with all of this intellectually.
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Excellent!!!
- By C. Gravely on 10-28-15
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The Making of the Bible
- From the First Fragments to Sacred Scripture
- By: Konrad Schmid, Jens Schröter, Peter Lewis - translator
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The Bible as we know it today is best understood as a process, one that begins in the tenth century BCE. In this revelatory account, a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture joins a foremost authority on the New Testament to write a new biography of the Book of Books, reconstructing Jewish and Christian scriptural histories, as well as the underappreciated contest between them, from which the Bible arose. The Making of the Bible is the most comprehensive history yet told of the world's best-known literature, revealing its buried lessons and secrets.
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Blathering away....
- By C.Maddy on 05-24-23
By: Konrad Schmid, and others
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Medieval Christianity
- A New History
- By: Kevin Madigan
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 21 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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For many, the medieval world seems dark and foreign - a miraculous, brutal, and irrational time of superstition and strange relics. The pursuit of heretics, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the domination of the "Holy Land" come to mind.
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New Standard Text for This Period
- By Bill Martin on 10-22-16
By: Kevin Madigan
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The Lord and His Prayer
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book of pastoral reflections, N. T. Wright explores how the Lord's Prayer sums up what Jesus was all about in his first-century setting. Wright locates the Lord's Prayer, clause by clause, within the historical life and work of Jesus and allows the prayer's devotional application to grow out of its historical context. The result is a fresh understanding of Christian spirituality and the life of prayer. This deeply devotional book will refresh and stimulate the heart and mind of any listener.
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Rich in truth and faith. High art. Deep thought.
- By Anonymous User on 06-16-17
By: N. T. Wright
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On Christian Doctrine
- By: Saint Augustine
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The four books of Saint Augustine are a compilation of exegetical theology to guide the reader and listener in the understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures, according to the analogy of the faith. The first three books were written A.D. 397 and the fourth was added A.D. 426.
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Not most entertaining
- By Chi-Hung on 04-01-10
By: Saint Augustine
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God and Empire
- Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now
- By: John Dominic Crossan
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In contrast to the oppressive Roman military occupation of the first century, Crossan examines the meaning of the non-violent Kingdom of God prophesized by Jesus and the equality advocated by Paul to the early Christian churches. Crossan contrasts these messages of peace with the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation, which has been misrepresented by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify US military actions in the Middle East.
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Smart Book
- By Wesley Bishop on 07-01-22
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Cities of God
- The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome
- By: Rodney Stark
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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How did the preaching of a peasant carpenter from Galilee spark a movement that would grow to include over two billion followers? Who listened to this "good news," and who ignored it? Where did Christianity spread, and how? Based on quantitative data and the latest scholarship, preeminent scholar and journalist Rodney Stark presents new and startling information about the rise of the early church, overturning many prevailing views of how Christianity grew through time to become the largest religion in the world.
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A coherent, compelling, and challenging account
- By Paul Adams on 06-08-20
By: Rodney Stark
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Heretics and Believers
- A History of the English Reformation
- By: Peter Marshall
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 35 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Centuries on, what the Reformation was and what it accomplished remain deeply contentious. Peter Marshall's sweeping new history argues that 16th-century England was a society neither desperate for nor allergic to change, but one open to ideas of "reform" in various competing guises. This engaging history reveals what was really at stake in the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English Church.
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A heavy read but well worth it.
- By chemtrooper on 12-02-18
By: Peter Marshall
What listeners say about The Triumph of Christianity
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-12-25
Mind Blown
Highly recommend. Engaging, well written, and well read. A must read for anyone interested in world history, religion, or the development of modern science.
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- Jamison Woodward
- 01-21-24
very educational
Fascinating history with reliable citations. Frightening to think how many "truths" we take as common knowledge are based on one popular author's ignorant statement or flawed research whose corrections are not advertised.
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- NAN
- 01-13-23
Fascinating
Clears up so many misconceptions about Christianity in clear, data-driven prose. Rodney Stark is an eminent sociologist and helps address many inconsistencies throughout history supplied by those antagonistic to one form of Christianity or another. Check it out!
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- Caleb Greer
- 03-21-24
Useful Summary of the Christian West.
The book makes clear claims and provides clear evidence. Though the author clearly favors Christianity, he is fair and does not shy away from sharing and contextualizing the good and bad portions of history.ich nonsense is dismissed, and many interesting facts are shared. Highly recommend.
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- JARAM, CT
- 08-04-20
Balanced and unapologetic, excellent read
The book is an encyclopedia of topics related to the rise and presentation of Christianity throughout the ages. The book is a must read for any serious seeker of the history and development of Christianity as well as its influence in today’s world. Stark presents both sides of every topic with a compelling evidence based input. I am now a Rodney Stark fan.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Matsonia
- 01-13-22
(Audible version) Reader was surprisingly hard to follow
Very interesting material. However, I would have gotten more out of this book had the reader been easier to follow. While he has a very pleasant voice and great diction, his tone was so flat that I would repeatedly have to rewind in order to figure out the meaning in his string of flat words. Straining to follow his words became too great a challenge. Too often I found myself tuning the reader out.
The book seems good though. I will consider buying it in paperback so I can reference some of the key points.
The author presents an historical account of Christianity that counters common assumptions. The content is presented through the lenses of social science and history. It is not an apologetic. This is a welcome aspect of the book.
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- B. Field
- 07-29-24
Well researched, compelling, and illuminating
I’ve listened to more than a hundred books on Christian history and/or theology in the last couple years. This was my favorite, in part because the author is an intellectually honest historian with both an insightful grasp of the work of other scholars and his own fresh perspectives and research. I often find myself hesitant to recommend a book because it either devolves into indulgent pet theories or retreads ground already well covered by other authors. This book falls into neither trap. It’s lucid, thorough, original without being fanciful, impeccably crafted, and superbly narrated by the always excellent Bob Sauer. Thirteen years after release, it remains a fresh and formative look at Christianity for devotee and critic alike.
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- Natasa
- 01-21-23
Valuable summary
The book examines numerous deeply rooted misconceptions about the history of Christian Church. Its conclusions are based on solid archival research to be taken seriously.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jack
- 04-02-21
Excellent Analysis of Christianity's Growth
The work is a well researched analysis of how and why the Jesus Movement triumphed. Very detailed. I've learned quite a bit. The only downside I've uncovered is that there should be a PDF that will show the listener the graphs and charts that is mentioned in the text.
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- NMK
- 06-09-24
Re-learned so much!
Really appreciate his correction of historical misrepresentations. Content was extremely interesting, but reader could have been more expressive and engaging.
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