Ill Literacy, Episode 141: Christendom (Guest: Peter Heather)
Download MP3In Episode 141 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Peter Heather, author ofChristendom: The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300.
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Peter Heather, chair of medieval history at King's College, London, to discuss his new book, Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300. They chat about how a small sect of isolated and intensely committed congregations became a mass movement centrally directed from Rome, the Church’s chameleonlike capacity for self-reinvention, and how nothing was inevitable about Christianity’s rise and dominance in Europe.
Show Notes:
City Journal: Edward Short – “Fair Triumph, or Foul?”
Literary Review: Costica Bradatan – “Onward Christian Emperors”
New York Times: Paul Elie – “Looking at Early Christianity Through a Different Lens”
Public Discourse: Robert Wilken – “ The History behind the Formation of Christendom”
The Spectator: Eleanor Myerson – “The rocky path to Christian dominance in Europe”
The Telegraph: Peter Stanford – “How 4th-century Christianity radically reinvented itself from a marginal sect to a world power”
Times Literary Supplement: Diarmid MacCulloch – “Kingdom of God”
Washington Examiner: Diane Scharper – “How Christianity Happened”
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Creators and Guests

Host
Tim Benson
Ill Literacy, the newest podcast from The Heartland Institute, is helmed by Tim Benson, Senior Policy Analyst for Heartland’s Government Relations team. Benson brings on authors of new book releases on topics including politics, culture, and history on the Ill Literacy podcast. Every episode offers listeners the author’s unique analysis of their own book release. Discussions often shift into debate between authors and Benson when ideological differences arise, creating unique commentary that can’t be found anywhere else.
