First published in 1925, Karl Kautsky presents a Marxist history of Christianity and Christian society. Divided into four key sections, the book begins by considering the personality of Jesus as portrayed within Pagan and Christian sources and highlighting the Church's difficulty in presenting a unified and concurrent image of Jesus and interpretation of His words. Next, Kautsky analyses the structure of Roman society, with particular emphasis on the slave-holding system, the Roman State and the historiography of the period. In the third section, an early history of the Jewish people is presented, whilst the final section discusses the beginnings of Christianity and the social struggles present within early Christian society.

Auteur

Karl Kautsky

Contenu

Introduction; Part 1 The Personality of Jesus; Chapter 1 The Pagan Sources; Chapter 2 The Christian Sources; Chapter 3 The Struggle for the Image of Jesus; Part 2 Society Under the Roman Imperial Period; Chapter 4 The Slave-Holding System; Chapter 5 The Life of the State; Chapter 6 Currents of Thought in the Roman Imperial Period; Part 3 The Jews; Chapter 7 The People of Israel; Chapter 8 The Jews after the Exile; Part 4 The Beginnings of Christianity; Chapter 9 The Primitive Christian Congregation; Chapter 10 The Christian Idea of the Messiah; Chapter 11 Jewish Christians and Pagan Christians; Chapter 12 The Story of Christ's Passion; Chapter 13 The Evolution of the Organization of the Congregation; Chapter 14 Christianity and Socialism;