Review/Giveaway: A History of Christianity DVD

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Diarmaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity:  The First Three Thousand Years (BBC)
Episode 1:  The First Christianity
Genre: Christian documentary DVD

How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.

Entry deadline: June 10, 2010

Restrictions: Open internationally!

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway.  This is my review copy, so it has been gently viewed.

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Producer: BBC, Open University and Jerusalem Productions.

Physical Description: 6 discs x 60 minutes each (only 1st disc received for review/giveaway)
List Price: $79.99
For More Info/To Purchase: http://www.ambrosevideo.com/items.cfm?id=1344
To Watch a Preview:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2c_wHpAaLI

Synopsis:

There are two billion Christians in the world today, a third of humanity—Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and many more. Though Christians, by definition, are well-versed in the story of Christ and the apostles, many have given little thought to the details of their Christian heritage—the miraculous transferring of their faith from the first Christians huddled at Golgotha, across two centuries worth of cultures and languages, wars, and the rising and falling of empires. How did this small, obscure Jewish sect that preached humility and personal sacrifice become the biggest religion in the world? The answer will surprise you.


A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years is a six-part series co-produced by the BBC, the Open University, and Jerusalem Productions and presented by Diarmaid MacCulloch, one of the world’s leading historians and Professor of History of the Church and Fellow at St. Cross College, Oxford. As MacCulloch reveals the true history of Christianity, he explores the question, “What does it really mean to be a Christian?”

MacCulloch is one of the most widely traveled Christian historians, and A History of Christianity is the first retelling of the Christian story that is truly global in scope. Filmed in high definition, A History of Christianity takes viewers on a 2,000-year odyssey that reaches the farthest corners of the world, from Palestine in the first century to India in the third, from Damascus to China in the seventh century, and from San Francisco to Korea in the twentieth.

 
What I Liked:  The scenery was amazing - lots of panoramic shots from scenic locations along the journey! This was a nice global adventure.



This was also new information for me.  So often when you learn of the Christian church history, you follow the path of Catholicism in Rome.  This first DVD painted the picture of the path Christianity took towards Asia, and some of the events that impacted it there.  I've also been recently interested in Orthodox churches, and I got a little background on that.
 
Here's a Q&A with the host that goes in a little more detail:

Q: What are some general differences between the expansion of Western and Eastern Christianity?



A: In the West, Christianity became the religion of an entire empire. This meant the end of persecution. It brought power and wealth. It gave the Christian faith a chance at becoming a universal religion. In theory, it embraced Christians in the Eastern Empire as well as in the West.

But in the east, many Christians were unimpressed by the new alliance—even hostile. At stake were fundamental disagreements about the direction the faith should take. Jesus had told people to abandon wealth, not to ally with the rich and powerful. It was Eastern Christians in Syria who led the way, showing Western Christianity a pattern for spiritual life. We call this pattern monasticism, a way of life involving isolation from the world, austerity, and suffering. The expansion of Eastern Christianity has often taken place apart from any empire. It has often been a religion of dialogue, not conquest.

What I Didn't Like:  I really, really would have liked subtitles!  I'm hard of hearing to begin with, and combine that with an English accent, as well as a noisy toddler in the room, and I struggled to concentrate and get the most out of this DVD.
 
Thanks to The B&B Media Group for a review copy of this DVD.
 
Posted by Jane at Mozi Esmé