Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years
Christianity: The First Thousand Years
It is an epic beyond anything Hollywood could hope to imagine, embracing emperors and itinerant preachers, the teaching of a man accepted by millions as the Savior and the battles fought in His name.
From the Crucifixion to the coming of the Crusades, Christianity: The First Thousand Years traces the rise of one of the world's greatest religions. Scholars explore the intertwined fates of the Roman Empire and the faith it persecuted, then later adopted. Theologians reveal how the New Testament was shaped, how pagan festivals were transformed into Christian holidays, and how modern discoveries shed new light on the dawn of Christianity.
Drawing on ancient text, the Scriptures, and visits to sites like Istanbul's magnificent Hagia Sophia, this is a spellbinding journey through Christianity: The First Thousand Years.
Christianity: The Second Thousand Years
It began with a wandering Jewish preacher and a message of love. One thousand years later, Christianity reigned unchallenged as the dominant religion in Western Europe. But the struggles faced by the faith were far from over.
A panoramic journey through ten centuries of belief and conflict, Christianity: The Second Thousand Years chronicles not just the events and personalities that left indelible marks on the landscape of faith, but also the forces behind them. From the Crusades and the Reformation to the sweeping changes of Vatican II, each fascinating episode is illuminated through extensive use of historical documents, commentary from renowned scholars, and visits to the sites where history was made.
Critiques des membres
Ambitious, but a sop to "Popular American Christianity" - Yogini
Although visually pleasing, and informative, this film is not anywhere near as rigourous as it could have been, nor as rigourous as many other films about the rise of Christianity, even though many of the same "experts" were interviewed.
The work of both narrators leaves a lot to be desired. Ossie Davis was not a good choice as the main narrator: His voice is weak and he mispronounces words (calvary for cavalry demonstrates his own religious roots). In my opinion, if the producers wanted to appeal to the mass of African-American Baptists, they could have chosen from among many other more competent African-American narrators and they would have produced a better film.Good but important events left out - Philippe_Vitu
This two part series is well shot and commented but inexplicably leaves out important aspects of the development of christianity in Europe, such as the rising rivalry between the western church and the eastern church in the evangilazation of central and eastern Europe in the (IXth century). For example, the series is mute on the extraordinary missionary work of Cyrille and Methode. I do not remember the series mentioning the 1054 schism, but remember it just making a passing mention of the 1453 fall of Constantinople. To conclude, this is more a documentary about catholicism than about christianity proper...but nonetheless worth watching.It's Fascinating. - Shanex
As soon as I began watching, “Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years’ I began to worry that it might be a biased ‘historical’ rendition of Jesus and his followers by yet another follower. I wasn’t sure that I would always be able to understand what Ozzie Davis was narrating because I find his voice a little difficult to follow. It was worth the struggle, though, albeit a small one. I was soon pulled into this long DVD, and loving every minute of it. It tackled many of the probing questions I had about Christianity, such as, “Why is there a Greek Orthodox Church and where did it come from and how is it different from the Roman Catholic Church?” What really happened when Constantine decided to put the scriptures together in one document?” “How was Charlemane related to Christianity?” “How did Paul get involved with Jesus when he didn’t even know him?” And how do other religions fit into this picture? It’s a lot to tackle, and this DVD set did a darn fine job of it. It's always been hard for me to understand how one lone man changed the course of history. As Elaine Pagels says, “This story is enormously unlikely.”
I would recommend this DVD, even for non-Christians – it’s fascinating.
Critiques des membres
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Ambitious, but a sop to "Popular American Christianity" - Yogini
Although visually pleasing, and informative, this film is not anywhere near as rigourous as it could have been, nor as rigourous as many other films about the rise of Christianity, even though many of the same "experts" were interviewed.
The work of ...Good but important events left out - Philippe_Vitu
This two part series is well shot and commented but inexplicably leaves out important aspects of the development of christianity in Europe, such as the rising rivalry between the western church and the eastern church in the evangilazation of central and eastern ...It's Fascinating. - Shanex
As soon as I began watching, “Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years’ I began to worry that it might be a biased ‘historical’ rendition of Jesus and his followers by yet another follower. I wasn’t sure that I would always be able to understand what ...