Cover of night permits Jerusalem’s defenders, trapped behind the walls, to deal with the piles of dead bodies. Those still alive are forced to throw the corpses of their families and neighbors off the walls and into the surrounding ravines, where they are left to rot. Image is from Chapter 9 (“Jerusalem falls, the veil vanishes”) of Volume 1 (“The Veil is Torn”).
Defeating the Odds:
How ‘The Christians‘ Came To Be
The Books
‘The Christians: Their First Two Thousand Years’ takes the reader on a journey spanning seven continents, dozens of empires, hundreds of nations, thousands of moments of inspiration and billions of souls. In twelve volumes we are shown — through carefully crafted words and glorious illustrations — what the followers of the Carpenter of Nazareth have been able to accomplish since his first arrival.
The intensity of the clash between Franks and Muslims at Tours is captured in this painting by the nineteenth-century artist Carl von Steuben. Muslim forces would remain for years in some areas of southern France, but the battle effectively marked the end of the Muslim expansion in the west. Image is from Chapter 9 (“The fearsome Franks halt the Muslim tide”) of Volume 5 (“The Sword of Islam”).
Each volume covers key developments along the way. The first three focus on the monumental miracle of the birth of Christianity through to its improbable conversion of one of the greatest civilizations the world had yet to see: the Roman Empire.
The next trilogy sheds light on key aspects of the Dark and Middle Ages, showing how the Faith not only survives Rome’s fall but in fact thrived — even against the onslaught of the ferocious followers of a vigorous new faith: Islam.
Trilogy Three marks the comeback of Christianity, first through the Crusades and its attempt to recover Christians lands lost to the Muslim sword. and then through the explosion of arts and science born of civilizations secure in their following of the Prince of Peace.
The fourth and final trilogy illustrates Christianity in full bloom with glorious bounties, such as the unexpected new democracies both in the New World and Old, the freeing of slaves throughout the Christendom, and the courageous missionaries risking all so that every society on the globe can learn the Good News. The last volume sets the stage for where we are now, with much of Christendom taking their blessings for granted, and the consequences that follow such negligence biblical readers know all too well.
Having succeeded in occupying Rome and appointing his own pope, and with his Norman Sicilian rivals subdued, Barbarossa now stood at the pinnacle of power in Europe. But suddenly everything changed. A malady broke out in his army, killing many of his senior officers, and he found himself forced to flee with his wife through hostile Lombardy and then the Alps to the safety of Germany. In this painting, commissioned by the series, a lone couple make their way on foot through the mountains, possessing little more than the clothes they wear. This swift plunge from worldly triumph to the desperation of a fugitive wrought a profound alteration in Barbarossa’s character. To whom could he attribute such a swift downfall? As a religious man he reached only one possible conclusion.
The Authors
As the second millennia was reaching its end Ted Byfield and his wife Virginia knelt together in prayer to ask God what to do next.
Virginia and Ted Byfield in 1952
Over the past five decades this remarkable couple had successfully created three Christian schools and three Christian news magazines across Canada. The schools went on to teach thousands of young boys how to trust in God by testing their mental and physical limits with a rigorous academic and outdoor education program involving hundreds of miles of canoeing, snowshoeing and dog-sledding each year. The magazines were now being read by hundreds of thousands of Western Canadians every week, presenting the news from a Christian conservative perspective. They then set in motion a twelve-volume history series on the province of Alberta, each book containing over 300 pages, carefully researched and beautifully illustrated. Ted and Virginia credit these remarkable accomplishments to two beings: God and C.S. Lewis.
Virginia and Ted Byfield in 2006
But what now? The Lord placed in the hearts of these energetic octogenarians yet one more task, and the most formidable yet. They were to tell the story of what the Christians have done — from when Jesus walked with us to our present circumstances. And they were to tell this remarkable tale in a popular, highly-readable and beautifully-illustrated manner so that the generations of Christians to follow will have at their grasp all the good — and some bad — that we who call ourselves Christians have wrought since our Master sent us on our way.
And thus they embarked upon their greatest adventure yet. The project they began has drawn upon dozens of Christian writers, researchers, academics and illustrators from all denominations and was financed by thousands across North America. Now is your opportunity to experience the result.
Take a moment to enjoy this sample chapter from Volume One: The Veil is Torn A.D. 30 to A.D. 70 .