Silence

A Christian History

By: Diarmaid MacCulloch

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A provocative history of the role of silence in Christianity by the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author. In this essential work of religious history, the New York Times best-selling author of Christianity explores the vital role of silence in the Christian story. How should one speak to God? Are our prayers more likely to be heard if we offer them quietly at home or loudly in church? How can we really know if God is listening? From the earliest days, Christians have struggled with these questions. Their varied answers have defined the boundaries of Christian faith and established the language of our most intimate appeals for guidance or forgiveness. MacCulloch shows how Jesus chose to emphasize silence as an essential part of his message and how silence shaped the great medieval monastic communities of Europe. He also examines the darker forms of religious silence, from the church's embrace of slavery and its muted reaction to the Holocaust to the cover-up by Catholic authorities of devastating sexual scandals.

A groundbreaking work that will change our understanding of the most fundamental wish to be heard by God, Silence gives voice to the greatest mysteries of faith.

©2013 Diarmaid MacCulloch (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Say what? Say not.

An important contribution to the discussions of silence in the Church. While many books focus on the positives of silence, this work handles the negatives as well.

Interesting, but not cohesive

Short Review: Diarmaid MacCulloch is an excellent historian. And the riffs off the idea of silence, while interesting as individual ideas are not cohesive. So on the whole the book lacks focus and organization. My problem is that it seems like MacCulloch is saying that there is no correlation within the idea of silence. So silence can be good, it can be bad, it can be sinful, it can be holy, it can be transcendent, etc. But if it can be everything then I am not sure what the point of the book is, other than to say 'hey here are some essays on silence.'

I do appreciate MacCulloch's outsider status to Christianity. So he can talk about gnostics without feeling the need to defend orthodoxy. But at the same time MacCulloch does not seem to need to denigrate Christianity because he is not a Christian himself. So MacCulloch plays a useful role as a historian. I think my real disappointment is that I thought this would be better because I so much enjoy his last book.

Monstic Silence Too Silent in Silence

What did you love best about Silence?

As with all D.MacCulloch's work, it is thorough, well-written and scholarly.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The revelation that Silence and silent prayer caused some schism in the early Christian church was new to me, and of great historic interest. Alternately, the least interesting feature of the book turned out to be it's greater bulk in the form of the many, many descriptions and reasons for 'dark silence': the Christian church(es) remaining mum on their own and others' ill-doings.

What does Walter Dixon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dixon is, with Grover Gardner, one of the best Narrators in the business. His command of language, crisp & clean pronunciation, and his ability to subtly reveal the humor in a work make him one of my two favorites.(Gardner being the other).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had no extreme reaction beyond the wish for more emphasis on my specialist interest which I mention below.

Any additional comments?

I had been hoping for more emphasis on Monastic Silence and Mystical Silence, rather than the many larger elucidations of the 'silence' around the treatment of Women, Child Abuse, Homosexuality and Holocaust.Commentary on Monastic Silence is all too short.

Playback too fast. Unlistenable at normal speed. A

What would have made Silence better?

Slower playback Slower playback Slower playback

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jonah Slower playback Slower playback Slower playback

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sounded like a robot on meth. Nonstop reading like one long sentence. Didn'.t even stop for a breath

What character would you cut from Silence?

Jonah Slower playback Slower playback Slower playback

Any additional comments?

Buy the book and read it yourself. It's very good,The audiobook is too annoying.Must have been sped up in production to limit costs. It's a joke.