This is a new volume to replace "The Short History of the Catholic Church" (Burns&Oates) that is severely out of date. Here is a one volume history of the Christian people from Pentecost to the present day, with principal focus on the Catholic Church. Having passed AD 2000 it seems appropriate and necessary to have a new short history of the first two millenia of the Christian era. In the last half century there has been a massive amount of research into Church history, published in learned articles and in multi volume works. Full notice is taken of these recent scholarly initiatives in writing this short account, which is also eminently readable. In each section there is a balance between the institutional and the more directly religious dimensions of the Church - here are some of the elements - bishops canon law charity councils crusades devotions heresies laity liturgy martyrs missionaries parishes pilgrimages popes prayer priesthood religious orders sacraments schools theologians universities and the vita consacrata. The scope is wide the pace of the narrative attractive.