BBC Four

BBC 4

A History of Christianity

Diarmaid MacCulloch

Gillian Bancroft

Jean-Claude Bragard

A History of Christianity: Episode 1: The First Christianity

Documentaries

Factual: History

Religion & Ethics

The First Christianity

Episode 1

Episode 1: The First Christianity

BBC Four - A History of Christianity, The First Christianity

Diarmaid MacCulloch shows how Christianity's origins lie east of Jerusalem and Rome.

Diarmaid MacCulloch reveals the origins of Christianity and asks if it can survive in our secular society. He shows how it began east of Jerusalem and Rome.

When Diarmaid MacCulloch was a small boy, his parents used to drive him round historic churches. Little did they know that they had created a monster, with the history of the Christian Church becoming his life's work. 

In a series sweeping across four continents, Professor MacCulloch goes in search of Christianity's forgotten origins. He overturns the familiar story that it all began when the apostle Paul took Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome. Instead, he shows that the true origins of Christianity lie further east, and that at one point it was poised to triumph in Asia, maybe even in China. 

The headquarters of Christianity might well have been Baghdad not Rome, and if that had happened then western Christianity would have been very different.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Historian Diarmaid MacCulloch reveals the origins of Christianity

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch - one of the world's leading historians - reveals the origins of Christianity and explores what it means to be a Christian

BBC HD

BBC Two

BBC Two is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964.

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

Accessibility links

Programme Index

A History of Christianity

Episode 1: The First Christianity

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four