"Enjoyable and illuminating. . . . Clearly and plausibly argued . . . full of fascinating detail." -
The Boston Globe "Entertaining. . . . An excellent and readable account of the development of Christian doctrine." -
The New York Times Book Review "There is much here to admire. . . . It is a panoramic view that Freeman handles with grace, erudition and lucidity." -
The Washington Times "A triumph. . . . Engrossing. . . . Successfully realized. . . . Wholly admirable. . . . Freeman is to be congratulated on a broad-brush approach that throws the main issue into sharp focus. . . . [He] has added a new level of understanding." -
The Times Higher Education Supplement "A fascinating account." -
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Engrossingly readable and very thoughtful. . . . Freeman draws our attention to myriad small but significant phenomena. . . . His fine book is both a searching look at the past and a salutary and cautionary reminder for us in our difficult present." -
The New York Sun
"One of the best books to date on the development of Christianity. . . . Beautifully written and impressively annotated, this is an indispensable read for anyone interested in the roots of Christianity and its implications for our modern worldview. . . . Essential." -
Choice
"Engaging. . . . Refreshing. . . . A memorable account. . . . The author is always interesting and well informed. Freeman's study moves with ease between political and intellectual history. . . . The cumulative effect is impressive." -
The Times Literary Supplement
"A fine book for a popular audience that enjoys history, clear writing, and subject matter that reflects our own time." -
Houston Chronicle
"The narrative is clear and fluent, the nomenclature is studiously precise . . . and the theological conflicts of the fourth century are analyzed with . . . subtlety." -
History Today
"Ambitious, groundbreaking. . . . In the tradition of . . . Karen Armstrong's
A History of God . . . a scholarly history that is accessible, passionate and energetic." -
Hartford Advocate
"Freeman has a talent for narrative history and for encapsulating the more arcane disputes of ancient historians and theologians. . . . He manages not only to make these disputes interesting, but also to show why they mattered so much. It is a coup that few books on the early church pull off." -
The Independent
"Engaging and clearly written." -
The World and I
"[A] lucid account of an intellectual and social transformation that continues to shape the way Christianity is experienced and understood." -
The Dallas Morning News
