| Plot Summary of The Duffer's Guide to the Early Church |
|---|
"This book is aimed at beginners, and I strongly recommend it. If I may begin at the end with the bibliography and suggestions for further reading, this section is probably worth the price of book alone, and would easily serve for undergraduate level study. That said, I also recommend it for its unusual humourous approach to church history and theology. The general technique is to present each topic as a group tutorial discussion (ie, hot debate), with the general characters each taking some very modern but stereotyped positions. The chapters cover: the Didache, pagan opposition to Christianity (Minucius Felix, Epiphanius, Lucian, Celsus), Roman reactions (Nero to Constantine), martyrdom (Blandina, Polycarp, Stephen), faith and Greek philosophy, Gnosticism (aka gobbledegook), the role of women, Constantine's official adoption of Christianity, Jesus (doctrines of), heresies (a weak chapter - six pages only), Chrysostom, monasticism, and St. Augustine. Phew."
Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of The Duffer's Guide to the Early Church |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- Ancient Roman Era
History of a people?
Yes
History of religion?
Yes
Subjects of this Historical Account
Religion? (if plays a major part)
- Catholics!
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Sympathetic
Intelligence of subject of
history:
- Smart
Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group?
- dictators
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Religion? (if plays a major part)
- Pagans!
Nationality?
- Italian
Ethnicity? (if plays big part)
- White/European
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Somewhat Sympathetic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
- Greece
- Germany
- Turkey
Africa
Yes
Part of Africa:
- Black Africa
Middle East?
Yes
Middle East
- Israel
If applicable, liberal/conservative?
- Historian is very moderate
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
How much gore?
- 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book?
- 8 ()
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel...
- encouraged
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses on brief history of a lot of players
How much romance?
- 1 ()
Is book humorous?
Yes
How much humor?
- 4 ()
If humorous, kind of humor
- eccentric personalities
- parody
- satire
Minor characters feature lots of:
- politicians
- blue collar types
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
Maps necessary?
- Not enough maps
Length of book
- Less than 150 pages
How much emphasis on small details?
- 3 ()
|
|
