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The Basics - Resources

The Basics 

The history and beliefs within Christianity can be overwhelming to someone who has just started studying it. This thematic category provides a selected introductory bibliography, featuring short articles discussed during the class, books suggested for further reading, and additional resources such as videos, news articles, an online Bible tool, and a library of patristic texts, all chosen to guide further exploration of Christianity’s most fundamental subjects. The parallel use of the glossary provided on our website is recommended.

ANNOTATED RESOURCES

Bibliography:

  • An introduction to World Christianity, tracing developments from the Late Antique world to the modern Global South: Irvin, Dale T. “World Christianity: An Introduction,” Journal of World Christianity 1 (2008): 1-26.
  • The introduction to this concise handbook presents the fundamental concepts of World or Global Christianity and summarizes key themes: Sanneh, Lamin and Michael J. McClymond. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to World Christianity. John Wiley and Sons, 2016, 1-19.
  • In the 2010 revision of his 1968 work Introduction to Christianity, the late Pope Benedict XVI revisits the historical context of the earlier editions and addresses contemporary challenges: Ratzinger, Joseph. "The New Preface," Introduction to Christianity, 2nd Edition, 2010.
  • A concise introduction to the Bible, covering the etymology of the term, the development of the Hebrew and Christian canons of the Old Testament and its translations, the formation of the New Testament, and the use and reception of canonical biblical texts: Riches, John. "Chapter 3: The Making of the Bible" in The Bible. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2nd Edition 2022.
  • A foundational article by Peter Brown that redefines the Late Antique “Holy Men,” focusing on their role not only as spiritual figures, but as agents of authority and social mediators: Brown, Peter. “The Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Late Antiquity,” Journal of Roman Studies 61 (1971): 80-101.
  • In the following book, Meredith McGuire proposes studying religion as a lived experience, highlighting the diversity of personal spiritual practices beyond organized religion: McGuire, Meredith B. Faith and Practice in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • This book explores how religion and science can be understood together, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from anthropology, history, and philosophy: Rappaport, Roy. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge University Press, 1999, 107-138.

 

Online articles:

 

Videos:

  • In these three video essays, a renowned Greek Orthodox abbot with a strong presence on YouTube, Geron Nektarios Moulatsiotes, explains who God is according to traditional Christian theology:

-          Who is God (with English subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTjOb2icrDc&list=PL3iUY6WD7ChCeUbaDqSzIkVV_W0VrS8vK&index=52

-          Is God triune? (with English subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hma9aLItDP4&list=PL3iUY6WD7ChCeUbaDqSzIkVV_W0VrS8vK&index=48

-          Is Christ the God? (with English subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0wzjRpKbA8&list=PL3iUY6WD7ChCeUbaDqSzIk...

 

Other resources: