Silence: A Christian History

Abstract

SILENCE: A CHRISTIAN HISTORY. Diarmaid MacCulloch, New York, NY: Viking, 2013, Pp. xii + 338, Hb, ISBN 9780670025565, $27.95. Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton (Evangel University/Springfield, MO).I come from a noisy church tradition-a place where young Christians like their music loud and pulsating. The notion of silence in Christianity struck me as odd when I saw it on the new books' shelf of my local library. But as I flipped through the Table of Contents and checked a few pages, many thoughts came to mind. Perhaps like historians, psychologists and counselors can learn much from silence. Silence helps interpret noise.Diarmaid MacCulloch portrays the history of silence amongst God's faithful. The work is scholarly, intriguing, insightful, and masterfully written. MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University and an award winning author. He has also produced a multiepisode video series on the history of Christianity as well as a New York Times Best Seller on the same subject. MacCulloch organized Silence into historical eras creating nine chapters to describe four epochs.The first chapter of The Bible era offers a look at the contrasts between silence and celebration in the Hebrew Bible. God speaks. Israelites cry out and celebrate with a loud noise. And there are times when people are hushed before the Lord. Chapter two reveals the back and forth of noise and silence. Jesus ends a period of silence. He gives a voice to the poor. And at times Jesus retreats into silence. Paul deals with noisy, and sometimes cantankerous, Christians.The Triumph of Monastic Silence embraces a thousand years. MacCulloch describes the rise of asceticism, the formation of the first monastic orders, and the silence of those who did not join the early martyrs. Fortunately, we learn of both Eastern and Western church traditions.We approach the modern era in Part Three, Silence through Three Reformations. In two chapters we learn of the context for reform in a sweeping review of icons and mystical notions through 1500. As readers will know, the noise of the Protestant Reformation dominates church history in the era 1500 through 1700. Amidst the loud calls for reform are those promoting tolerance and peace. And in this context, Quakers quietly meet. Finally, Tridentine Catholics rise to defend their traditions.Part Four, Reaching behind Noise in Christian History, is different from the historical narrative. …