The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity, A.D. 200-1000

I first encountered Peter Brown in his biography of Augustine as a history major 1973. His writing style has morphed in a pleasing way into a subtle, simple style that belies his total mastery of his subject. In seamless fashion, he has woven the latest archeological and socio-economic findings together with a deep understanding of the texts of that era to shed new light on the tectonic changes that birthed our Western Civilization out of the Greco-Roman world. He surveys the Persian Sassanian Civilization and the birth of Islamic Civilization that does equal justice to their own perspective of the world of that time.I think any reader, curious of that era, will enjoy this book. Historians can also appreciate the comprehensive breadth of this survey as well.If I had any complaints, it would be a somewhat abrupt end of description of the Carolingian Age after Louis the Pious, 840 CE. The division of the Carolingian Empire of the West into three separate kingdoms by treaty of Verdun 843 CE. It had lasting consequences on the development of French and German nation states and the middle ground, the kingdom of Lothar that they fought over for 1100 years.Secondly, there is no mention of John Scotus Eriugena. He was the head of the Palace School of Aachen after 804 CE until 877 CE. Philosophers agree that he is the most significant Irish intellectual of the early monastic period and the most original philosopher of the Carolingian era. He was unusually fluent in Greek and he was familiar with Neoplatonism.Aside from these two glaring exceptions, Peter Brown does well to bring his history up to 1000 CE. Very worthwhile read.

Peter Brown is outstanding, providing great depth to analysis. The archeological and cultural context produces a rich perspective. His writing style and vocabulary is wonderful. Highly recommended

A master treatment by the preeminent scholar on the subject brings readers an updated survey of recent scholarship. Using the Annales analysis as basis for understanding he completes a basis for the complete revision that ends the Dark Age view begun by western historians centuries ago. At same time he finishes off the Pirenne theory. Christianity is placed in a proper Mediterranean context with an emphasis on its Eastern origins and tradition.

This book is readable, with a lot of detailed information about the context of the history of Western Christianity.

One of those history books that completely change your perception of a period. Peter Brown completely changes our understanding of the early middle ages and the end of the Roman period.

Superb, lifetime of scholarship shows through.

Great!

This excellent work covers a period typically overlooked by those who find history inconvenient.

The book itself is brilliant and deserves 10 stars. Coherent, packed with information, very detailed. But I would not recommend the Kindle edn at all. It doesn't correspond with the paper version. For example, the chapter 'Christianity and Empire' in the paper version is on page 54, in Kindle - it starts on page 139. There is no publishing data, contents look like links on a web-site with no page numbers. Chapter titles are huge in comparison to the text. Index is just a list with no reference to the pages. So if you need it, you'll have to try to use it through the search option which doesn't always work.If you need this book for university research, better invest into the paper copy.

Many books dealing with the early Middle Ages are are fascinating because the main characters are remarkable because of their learning and considering that travel was mostly on foot very much aware of events happening in the known world. This book is especially interesting because it clearly shows the connection between pageant life and the Christian period that followed.

positive

Very well documented. Very interesting and informative. Relevant for Europeans and Christians, but also all kind of people interested in social and historic processes.