FROM JESUS TO CHRISTIANITY

Professor Madden is easy to listen to and seems to have no theological axe to grind. His voice has a pleasing boyish quality that belies the depth and range of his scholarship and that renders theological and historical complexities with clarity. We first watch Christianity emerge from the multifaceted world of Hebrew monotheism into Greco-Roman polytheism. This is relatively uncomplicated compared to what later follows: cutting through the political intrigues of church councils, resolving heresies, creating early monastic traditions, and witnessing the sharp divisions that develop between Eastern and Western spirituality. It is a taxing journey that we and the Western world have made, but Professor Madden leaves us with the sense that it was worth doing. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]