PETER HEATHER is chair of medieval history at King's College, London. His many books include The Fall of the Roman Empire, Empires and Barbarians, The Restoration of Rome, and, most recently, Rome Resurgent. He lives in London.
*Financial Times Best Books of 2022: History*
“A colossal book written by a colossus in the field . . . [The]
range of interests makes Heather uniquely qualified to tell a grand
story that has often been told before, but seldom with such a sense
of freshness and the unexpected . . . To read Christendom from
cover to cover (an exercise I would advise, if only to savor its
Gibbonian sweep and control of infinitely varied evidence) is to
experience the whoosh of a roller coaster as Christianity passes
from one form to another against the background of an ever-wider
Europe.” —Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books
"Magesterial . . . A bold reinterpretation of faith's nascent days
. . . Adequately covering a thousand years of ecclesiastical
governance and personal piety demands prodigious scholarship, and
Heather answers the call admirably . . . A learned,
exhaustive, and spritely account of the religious goings-on
wherever Masses were celebrated." —Bob Duffy, Washington
Independent Review of Books
"Fresh, prodigiously researched . . . Takes readers on a
wide-ranging journey through eight centuries and across the length
and breadth of Europe (and beyond) to understand the rise of
Christendom . . . Throughout, the author finds ways to turn
conventional wisdom on its head [and] introduces a host of
little-known characters who played an outsized role in
Christianity’s spread." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Students of the ancient world will find refreshing new
perspectives on post-Roman Empire European history that challenge
the received wisdom." —Mark Knoblauch, Booklist
“[A] sweeping and engaging history . . . Full of reinterpretations
and new insights . . . [Heather’s] approach makes for a startlingly
fresh look at a familiar story, a non-triumphalist history of the
triumph of Christianity, and his book is all the more powerful for
it.” —Jane Shaw, Financial Times
“We live in a golden age of broad-ranging historical surveys
written by those who know what they’re talking about. Among them,
Christendom is a fine specimen.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Times
Literary Supplement
“A page-turner . . . It is more pressing than ever to understand
how exactly Christianity came to dominate in Europe. Heather’s
account cuts through the myth of an innately Christian, culturally
monolithic Europe [and] sheds light on the mechanics of state
coercion and intermittent violence which led to the birth of
Christendom.” —Eleanor Myerson, The Spectator
“Heather casts his eye across the whole medieval period as he
unfolds a fascinating story about a religion in a surprisingly
precarious position.” —Dan Jones, The Sunday Times (London)
“A brilliant exercise in disenchantment . . . Superb storytelling .
. . While Christendom is fabulously rich in telling detail, Heather
is always mindful of the big picture. The book is at once
captivating and profound.” —Costica Bradatan, The Literary
Review
“Expertly and entertainingly told . . . One of the many
delights of this weighty book is the abundance of little-heard
but illuminating and intriguing stories that [Heather]
weaves into the narrative.” —Peter Stanford, The Daily Telegraph
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