X-Book

A History of Christianity

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Diarmaid MacCulloch's epic, acclaimed history A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years follows the story of Christianity around the globe, from ancient Palestine to contemporary China.

How did an obscure personality cult come to be the world's biggest religion, with a third of humanity its followers? This book, now the most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in English, describes not only the main facts, ideas and personalities of Christian history, its organization and spirituality, but how it has changed politics, sex, and human society.

Taking in wars, empires, reformers, apostles, sects, churches and crusaders, Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty - and inspired its most sublime accomplishments.

'A stunning tour de force' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year

'A landmark in its field, astonishing in its range, compulsively readable, full of insight ... It will have few, if any, rivals in the English language' Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Guardian

'A prodigious, thrilling, masterclass of a history book' John Cornwell, Financial Times

'Essential reading for those enthralled by Christianity and for those enraged by it' Melvyn Bragg, Observer, Books of the Year

'Magnificent ... a sumptuous portrait, alive with detail and generous in judgement' Richard Holloway, The Times

Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. His Thomas Cranmer won the Whitbread Biography Prize, the James Tait Black Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. He is the author most recently of Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490 - 1700, which won the Wolfson Prize for History and the British Academy Prize.

© Diarmaid MacCulloch 2009 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Author Diarmaid MacCulloch
Narrator Diarmaid MacCulloch
Duration 52 hours and 15 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781837317189
Format Audiobook
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Genre Christianity, History of religion
Availability AU, GB, IE

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.