The Rise of Christianity: The First Thousand Years

Running 240 minutes, The Rise of Christianity has the scope to embark on more than a passing assessment of the rise of the single most important cultural, political and social institution in Europe. The Christian (Catholic) church went from an obscure Jewish sect to an outlawed religion to the ruling religion of the late Roman Empire in about 400 years. And then things got really interesting. Pulling together a multitude of visual sources, research and scholarly commentators, the filmmakers take us through the decline of Rome and the rise of the Byzantine Empire, examining the thorny and often ridiculously subtle doctrinal disputes that helped define nascent Christian theology, as well as the re-emergence of Rome as the city of the pope and the ally of the Frankish kings. We follow the spread of Christianity into transalpine Europe for a look at the conversion of Ireland and the missionary zeal of the Irish monks. We're also informed about the triumph of Christianity in the Balkan peninsula and Russia, regions converted by Eastern Orthodox missionaries. The Rise of Christianity is more than church history, however. Catholicism was the very fabric of medieval western society and its history is the history of the Mediterranean world and beyond from Late Antiquity into the High Middle Ages. If this series addressed the misogyny of early Christian ascetic theologians and the ramifications of this attitude, it would be a 4-star series. Even so, The Rise of Christianity is an extraordinary and thoughtful documentary. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Van Vleck)