Publisher's Synopsis
NEWLY UPDATED EDITION in 2019! John S. C. Abbott's classic History of Christianity was first published in 1872. This edition is a slightly abridged version that also includes additional material and several new chapters to bring it up to date with the 21st century. Abbott was known mostly as a writer of inspirational works, such as The Mother at Home (1835), and historical biographies. His most acclaimed biographical work is probably The History of Napoleon Bonaparte (1855). In Abbott's Concise History of Christianity, the history of the world's largest religion and its more than two thousand-year history is available in a single volume. Abbott's aim, as he stated in the preface, was to produce "a brief, comprehensive, and readable narrative of the origin of Christianity ... prepared [and] adapted to the masses of the people." In writing about the history of Jesus Christ, Abbott treats his subject much as he would any other historical figure. He draws on the Gospels as being authentic and reliable in this task. Abbott says that he seeks not to convert the reader nor dissect the theological beliefs and philosophical principles of Christianity, though his own strong faith clearly shows through in much of his writing. At times, his preference for mainline Protestantism is fairly apparent. Still, this is, as Abbott claims, a simple narrative of the facts and events surrounding the history of Christianity.
