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How long does it take to read The Rise of Christianity?

Rodney Stark

The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark takes about 4 hours 31 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 4 hours 31 minutes

A weekend read

First published 1996. 246 pages, about 67,650 words.

10 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 7 hours 31 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 4 hours 31 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 2 hours 49 minutes

The page count is the median across 2 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

The idea that Christianity started as a clandestine movement among the poor is a widely accepted notion. Yet it is one of many myths that must be discarded if we are to understand just how a tiny messianic movement on the edge of the Roman Empire became the dominant faith of Western civilization. In a fast-paced, highly readable book that addresses beliefs as well as historical facts, Rodney Stark brings a sociologist's perspective to bear on the puzzle behind the success of early Christianity. He comes equipped not only with the logic and methods of social science but also with insights gathered firsthand into why people convert and how new religious groups recruit members. He digs deep into the historical evidence on many issues - such as the social background of converts, the mission to the Jews, the status of women in the church, the role of martyrdom - to provide a vivid and unconventional picture of early Christianity.

Subjects: Christian sociology, Church history, History, Primitive and early church, Sociologie, Vroege kerk

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