Christianity
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* out of print
Christianity An Introduction
THIRD EDITION
Alister E. McGrath
This edition first published 2015 © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGrath, Alister E., 1953 Christianity : an introduction / Alister E. McGrath. Third Edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-46565-3 (pbk.) 1. Christianity. I. Title. BR121.3.M33 2015 230dc23 2014030311
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover image: Interior of the church La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. Photo © Jose Fuste Raga/Corbis
Set in 10/13pt Minion by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
1 2015
Preface xii List of Illustrations and Maps xiii
Introduction 1
1 Jesus of Nazareth and the Origins of Christianity 3
2 The Christian Bible 28
3 Christian Creeds and Beliefs 54
4 Christian History: An Overview 121
5 Denominations: Contemporary Forms of Christianity 199
6 The Life of Faith: Christianity as a Living Reality 220
7 Christianity and the Shaping of Culture 251
Conclusion: Where Next? 278
Further Reading 280 Sources of Quotations 284 Index 291
Brief Contents
Contents
Preface xii List of Illustrations and Maps xiii
Introduction 1
1 Jesus of Nazareth and the Origins of Christianity 3 The Significance of Jesus of Nazareth for Christianity 3 The Sources of Our Knowledge about Jesus of Nazareth 5 Jesus of Nazareth in His Jewish Context 7 The Gospels and Jesus of Nazareth 9 The Birth of Jesus of Nazareth 10 The Early Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth 13 The Teaching of Jesus of Nazareth: The Parables of the Kingdom 15 The Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth 17 The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth 19 Events and Meanings: The Interpretation of the History of Jesus 21 The New Testament Understandings of the Significance of Jesus 22 Jesus of Nazareth and Women 25 The Reception of Jesus of Nazareth outside Judaism 26
2 The Christian Bible 28 The Old Testament 30 Major Themes of the Old Testament 32
The creation 32 A
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