Stephen Neill – författare

A History of Christian Missions traces the expansion of Christianity from its origins in the Middle East to Rome, the rest of Europe and the colonial world, and assesses its position as a major religious force worldwide. Many of the world’s religions have not actively sought converts, largely because they have been too regional in character. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, however, are the three chief exceptions to this, and Christianity in particular has found a home in almost every country in the world. Professor Stephen Neill’s comprehensive and authoritative survey examines centuries of missionary activity, beginning with Christ and working through the Crusades and the colonization of Asia and Africa up to the present day, concluding with a shrewd look ahead to what the future may hold for the Christian Church.

This is a new edition of the late Bishop Neill's widely acclaimed book, revised, expanded, and brought up to date by his former colleague the Revd Tom Wright. This masterly survey now describes the historical development of New Testament criticism from 1861 (the year Lightfoot became Hulsean Professor of Divinity at Cambridge) to the present day, the contrasting personalities of scholars, and the permanent contributions made by various schools. The study concludes with a new chapter by Tom Wright, covering New Testament scholarship of the last twenty five years.

A classic guide to New Testament theology, showing that the multiple depictions of Jesus conceal an underlying unity.Is it possible to find in the New Testament a single coherent theology? In Jesus Through Many Eyes, Stephen Neill makes the case convincingly for a unified faith underlying the many traditions and interpretations of Jesus within scripture, which can be summed up in the words Resurrection-Spirit-Reconciliation. First published in 1976, his exposition remains relevant to general readers and specialist scholars alike. Neill provides detailed explanations of more obscure concepts and references, along with comprehensive notes and bibliographies to each chapter, making this an ideal introductory textbook. Meanwhile, those familiar with his arguments will benefit from new insights and interpretations.

Christians form the third largest religious community in India. How has this come about? There are many studies of separate groups: but there has so far been no major history of the three large groups - Roman Catholic, Protestant and Thomas Christians (Syrians). This work attempts to meet the need for such a history. It goes right back to the beginning and traces the story through the ups and downs of at least fifteen centuries. It includes careful studies of the political and social background and of the non-Christian reactions to the Christian message. The narration is non-technical and should present few difficulties to the thoughtful reader; the more technical matters are dealt with in notes and appendices. This book will be of interest to all students of Church History and will also prove fascinating to many who are concerned with the development of Christianity as a world religion and in the dialogue between different forms of faith.

This book, a sequel to Bishop Neill's A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to 1707, traces its subject from the death of Aurunzib to the so-called Indian Mutiny. The history of India since 1498 is of a tremendous confrontation of cultures and religions. Since 1757, the chief part in this confrontation has been played by Britain; and the Christian missionary enterprise, especially on its educational side, has had a very important role. This book depicts with admirable fairness all the various forms of Christian faith that have made contact with India. In this volume, the Indian voice in the controversy begins clearly to be heard. Bishop Neill had hoped it would be heard even more clearly in a third volume tracing the story to Independence in 1947 and the formation of the Church of South India in which he himself played so prominent a part. Unfortunately, he died before he could write it.

A comprehensive and accessible dictionary of the English Bible, with over 1400 articles setting out the meaning of words, their background and biblical context.This comprehensive one volume dictionary has been written to help the ordinary reader of the English Bible. In over 1400 articles the Dictionary deals with the meaning of words, their background and setting in the Bible as a whole. It includes many names of persons and places considered of importance either in contribution, Biblical narrative or teaching. The dictionary can be used with Standard, Authorised or Revised versions of the Bible, and the New English Bible is also occasionally quoted to throw further light on the meaning of a word. For ease of use, technical terms are avoided and the vocabulary has been kept as simple as possible.

A masterful study of the history of Christianity as a social phenomenon.In The Christian Society, one of the great Christian commentators of the twentieth century describes how the Church came to be a society. The past relationship between the missionary church and the pagan cultures it replaced is discussed alongside more recent delicate ecumenical relationships and the ongoing conflict between the church and atheism. Stephen Neill’s perceptiveness as a historian is shown in his masterful summary of the church’s story from the days of Jesus to his own time. Meanwhile, his experience as a missionary and ecumenist comes to the fore as he demonstrates how the unity of the church is integral to its place in modern society, and its power to create a society.Throughout, his approach is empirical, and he considers ‘all who have claimed the Christian name, without making preliminary judgements as to their orthodoxy or their standing within the general body of Christian people.’ The result is a comprehensive depiction of Christianity as a social phenomenon that is as relevant today as when it was written.