Rating: 
Summary: Fast-paced and satisfying
Review: A fabulously interesting book. It is refreshing to read history that gives God His rightful place and supports with scholarship the history that I had always suspected to be true.Allow me to note a few minor disagreements. Carroll accuses Plato of proposing totalitarianism in the Republic. Although Socrates does propose a totalitarian state, he explicitly says that it will probably never come into being; it is used primarily as an image for finding justice in the individual soul. I am inclined to the view that Socrates' proposals are meant satirically; like those in Brave New World, they are a way of pointing out that there are limits to the perfectibility of man. If you seek evidence of totalitarian tendencies in the Greeks, however, there are plenty in Plato's Laws and Aristotle's Politics. Carroll's favorable attitude toward Alexander the Great is astonishing. Alexander may have been moved by "some supernatural impulse", but he was a brutal killer. I submit that any man who nowadays sought to dominate the entire civilized world, and slaughtered those who got in his way, would be regarded not as a benefactor but as a monster. Such was Alexander. For those interested in ancient history, I also recommend The Star That Astonished the World, by Ernest L. Martin (out of print?). It offers a fascinating reappraisal of the chronology of the New Testament, based largely on astronomical calculations. Among other things, he maintains that the eclipse mentioned by Josephus was not that of 4 B.C. but another one three years later, and that Herod therefore died in 1 B.C. This part of his argument seems solid enough, but he even dares to propose an exact date for the birth of Jesus! Anyhow, back to Carroll. All the volumes of this history make for terrific reading and plenty of controversy. Here's hoping he finishes them all.
Rating: 
Summary: What Distortion
Review: Amazing distortion of history, this author is so blinded by "faith" he'll say anything to convince people. His claims, notably his laughable "proof" that Jesus is historical and that he was Messiah, are so childish and phony it's mind boggling that this book has sold more then 10 copies. Amazing how religion does this to people, how can Mr. Carroll even be called a doctor? If you want blind distorted material go ahead and read this, if you want the real facts about what happened in history, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: The anti-Davinci Code
Review: Carroll's book is very influential. He argues that men, women, and God make an impact on history. We are even seing this today. There is no other tme in our life where the Church has been persecuted this bad (scandals, and now the Davinci Code) For many of you "DAVINCI LOVERS", this is a great book from an orthodox Christian point of view.I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Historical Context
Review: First of all, it is worth note that Carroll admits his bias right from the beginning, and thus honestly admits to what would have been obvious from the first few pages of his work. Among the "objective historians", the lack of bias is paramount, and is established by attacking, diminishing, and demeaning whatever subject they approach. Carroll, by way of contrast, admits a pre-existing bias, and is thus free to explore, explain, and defend his subject matter. The Founding of Christendom accomplishes three great ends. First, it provides a succinct and riveting chronological study of the "History of the World." I admit I was quite shocked to discover that Carroll picks up his work not from AD0, but from the moment of Creation itself. Audacious! And yet his historical approach provides a new view of Genesis. Secondly, Carroll's portrait of the evolution of Judaism, through the birth of Christ gives a compelling view of the necessity of the Old Testament as a precondition to the New. Finally, the extent to which "Foundation" establishes chronological context is particularly impressive. Without so much as a "Meanwhile, in Greece..." Carroll manages to firmly establish the temporal relationship of Biblical events within the broader context of world history. It is one thing to look at a wall chart displaying events in different civilizations at different times, and quite another to understand the relationship between Philistine domination of the Israelites and the Homeric legends of ancient Greece. Certainly other works have hinted at the similarities between the Phillistines, Goliath and the Grecian demi-gods, but Carroll's was the first work that made it click so clearly. Finally, this is the best of the four comparably excellent volumes for one primary reason: this volume has the least number of references to "August, the ancient dying time of Rome," the phrase of resort that may be Carroll's one true weakness.
Rating:
Summary: The anti-Davinci Code
Review: I labored through several other church history books until I came across this gem of a series (four of six completed). Dr. Carroll has done thorough research and comes across with a balanced view -- and from an unashamedly Catholic perspective -- in very readable prose. Now that Dr. Carroll has retired, perhaps he will make time for book five in the series. I cannot wait!
Rating: 
Summary: "Finally, A History As Christ Would Write It"
Review: In this age of scathing biblical criticism and rigorous historical objectivity it is definately a relief to find someone writing history from a theocentric point-of-view. Warren H. Carroll makes way for Christ and His Church through a general overview of history starting with man's earliest encounters with God all the way to the establishment of Christendom by Constantine the Great. A thorough account of the life of Christ is given along with a clear, detailed narrative defining the Apostles' missions at home and abroad, the steadfast character of Christianity under persecution, and the pride of the Roman Empire giving way to the conquering humility and ethics of Christianity. An eloquent summation of both the New and Old Testaments are treated with strong and convincing answers to modern criticism - Carroll's colorful storyline mixed with brilliant Christian apologetics makes this an excessively convincing read...there are four books in this series currently in print, two more presently in the making.
Rating:
Summary: A Scientifically-Faith Based History of Civilization
Review: In this edition of a coming seven volume set, Dr. Carroll, in a very scientific yet faith-based manner, presents the history of man from his creation to the early apostolic times. Dr. Carroll supports all of his claims with a respectable sense of reasoning and support from reliable resources. Although he presents this history from the perspective of a believer, he, nevertheless, challenges his own claims and presents his answers to those challenges. His honesty and objectivity are a welcomed relief in this time of revisionist history that often demands more faith than the writings of this Christian scholar. This is a must read for all serious historians because a history of the West is not complete without a history of Christendom.
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Perspective on History
Review: This book gives the reader a perspective on history that is refreshing! Not only is this series well researched, it is well written. The author does a marvelous job in helping the reader see Divine Providence throughout history. I never thought a book on history would be so hard to put down! But...that is what Truth does!
Rating:
Summary: Well written history of Christianity to time of Constantine
Review: Warren Carroll is one of the most amazing historians I have ever read. Unashamedly and unapoligetically Catholic, he also has an incredible amount of learning under his belt, without ever sounding pedantic. For example, his bibliography has a short summary note under each & every book entry. He is also incredibly opinionated, sometimes in opposition to all other scholarly writers. Sometimes right, sometimes ridiculous, always interesting. I can't recommend anything by this author highly enough, and I have read about everything he has published.
Rating:
Summary: History from a Christian perspective
Review: Warren Carroll's "History of Christendom" series presents history as viewed from a Christian (and more specifically, Catholic) perspective, with Christ as the focal point of history. Some might argue that this perspective results in a biased view of history. But as Dr. Carroll points out in the introduction to the first book, every historian's work is shaped by his particular world-view, whether consciously or not. Thus all written histories are to some extent biased. And in my opinion, Dr. Carroll's approach provides an excellent counter-balance to the more secularized version of history that many of us are familiar with. This first book in the series covers the early history (and pre-history) of Christianity, starting with the ancient Jewish, Greek, and Roman civilizations, and proceeding up to 324 A.D. It is excellently written and is very well researched and documented (100+ footnotes per chapter, and several hundred sources total). In my opinion this first book is the best in the series. The three chapters on the life of Christ are especially good, and would alone be worth the price of the book.
| 
