000			02588pam a2200325 a 4500
001			33243035
003			AUA.1
005			20160122130804.0
008			950922s1996 njuab b 001 0 eng
010			_a95044197
020			_a0691027498 (cloth : acidfree paper)
040			_aDLC _cDLC _dEXN
043			_aaw----- _ae------ _aff-----
049			_aEXNs
050	0	0	_aBR 166 _b.S75 1996
082	0	0	_a306.6/701 _220
100	1		_aStark, Rodney. _96221
245	1	4	_aThe rise of Christianity : _ba sociologist reconsiders history / _cRodney Stark.
260			_aPrinceton, N.J. : _bPrinceton University Press, _cc1996.
300			_axiv, 246 p. : _bill., map ; _c24 cm.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 223-242) and index.
505			_aContents:
505			_aConversion and Christian growth -- The class basis of early Christianity -- The mission to the Jews: Why it probably succeeded -- Epidemics, networks, and conversion -- The role of women in Christian growth -- Christianizing the urban empire: A quantitative approach -- Urban chaos and crisis: The case of Antioch -- The martyrs: Sacrifice as rational choice -- Opportunity and organization -- A brief reflection on virtue.
520			_aSummary:
520			_aThe idea that Christianity started as a clandestine movement among the poor is a widely accepted notion. Yet it is one of many myths that must be discarded if we are to understand just how a tiny messianic movement on the edge of the Roman Empire became the dominant faith of Western civilization. In a fast-paced, highly readable book that addresses beliefs as well as historical facts, Rodney Stark brings a sociologist's perspective to bear on the puzzle behind the success of early Christianity. He comes equipped not only with the logic and methods of social science but also with insights gathered firsthand into why people convert and how new religious groups recruit members. He digs deep into the historical evidence on many issues - such as the social background of converts, the mission to the Jews, the status of women in the church, the role of martyrdom - to provide a vivid and unconventional picture of early Christianity.
650		0	_aChurch history _yPrimitive and early church, ca. 30-600. _96222
650		0	_aChristian sociology _xHistory _yEarly church, ca. 30-600. _96223
942			_2lcc _cBOOK _hBR166 _i.S75 1996
999			_c1720 _d1720