Introduction to Christianity
 

I am travelling to Europe in Sept. Visiting Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice. I am not a Christian. Would like to read something that would introduce me to Christianity so that I can better appreciate the paintings and places. Anybody come across a basic book that will help me? Thanks in advance.

Um, how about the New Testament?

You won't find it in Europe. Europeans gave up on Christianity a couple of generations ago. For instance, the Church of England exists mostly to employ unemployable effete men and bull-dyke women.

One recommendation would be the Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. I used several of the Oxford illustrated histories to help me prepare for my trip to England, and I really did get a lot more out of it.<BR><BR>If you want something lighter, the Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism is better than it sounds! Since you will be visiting Catholic countries, you may want a book that focuses solely on Catholicism. Catholicism was the dominant form of Christianity until the 16th century, when the Protestant Reformation led to a new type of Christianity, but one which was not adopted in France or Italy.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip!

Although it's not an introduction to Christianity, you could try "Mona Winks", which is written by Rick Steves and an associate. It has a great explanation and tour of the major museums in Europe.<BR> Actually, most Chrisitans probably don't appreciate the art from a theological perspective!<BR>

I would suggest the Book of John in the New Testament. The book deals with Jesus and His Diety. <BR><BR>It starts with, "In the bginning was the Word..." and continues through Jesus life through the death, burial and resurrection.<BR><BR>Many of the religious paintings in Europe will deal with the following topics:<BR><BR>1. Birth<BR>2. Suffering<BR>3. Resurrection<BR>4. Future glory<BR><BR>You will also, in predominantly Catholic countries, find so many more paintings of Mary that you may wonder why she has been elevated so.<BR><BR>However, the "church", Catholic paid for the art, so they decided the subjects,and they do emphasize Maru more than the Protestants.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>US

Try THE LIFE OF OUR LORD by Charles Dickens.<BR><BR>Gerry K

There are quite a number of books devoted specifically to explaining Christian symbolism in art. They're not really introductions to Christianity as such, more like dictionaries explaining what all the symbols mean, but you might want to look at one.<BR><BR>Three of the old standbys are<BR>1) Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art by James Hall<BR>2) Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture by Peter and Linda Murray<BR>3) Signs and Symbols in Christian Art by George Ferguson

Not to be patronizing.... but I would suggests childrens bible stories, because they give a good basic brief overview of the main stories depicted in art. Catholic versions will be best since some stories heavily depicted in Venetian art for example are only in the Catholic bible. For example Tobit, Tobiolo in Italian. Also similar lives of the saints will help since much of the art is not necessarily bible based.

I was at my local bookstore just right after September 11th because I wanted to understand Islam better. I bought a book in the "bargain section" that was a world religion book. It covered more than one religion. Some Art History books may be in order to explain the individual paintings etc..<BR>I hope that you have a pleasant and safe trip, especially for seeing Art!<BR>Good luck!

Well, at least this once it wasn't me. I've been very helpful and I certainlty haven't been antisemitic or anticlerical, whatever that is.<BR><BR>US

<BR>Try this: http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/christianity/<BR><BR>Your interest is commendable and here is one example why I feel it is important to know the "back story." <BR>It is hard, if not impossible, to be awed by the grandeur and beauty of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. And yet, it helps to understand how this grandeur and beauty came to be. The Roman Catholic Church partly financed the construction of St. Peter's by selling "indulgences", and this selling of "indulgences" was one of the leading causes of the Protestant Reformation. <BR><BR>The Reformation: http://users.aol.com/rcchurch/reform.htm <BR>

You might try "Art of the Western World" by Bruce Cole and Adelheid Gealt. It's an excellent book that puts a lot of the art in context with the history around it.<BR><BR>It is the companion book of the PBS series of the same title that is hosted by Michael Wood. It too is an excellent series. I don't know if it is available on DVD or not.