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Originally Posted by Dimitry  Great. Thanks for the advice! 
So does anyone know where the Orthodox sect of Christianity fits in the picture? |
"Orthodoxy" is a separate and distinct offshoot from the rest of Christianity via a disagreement between the Roman Catholic Pope and the Eastern Patriarch. You can read a bit about it here:
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Originally Posted by Dimitry; Is there any good book out there that just explains the history from a third perspective without starting to interpret it one way or another? |
Well, why don't you just read the Bible itself? Its a fairly clear historical narrative of what the authors mean to convey. You'll read for yourself the calling of Abram, the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, and the birth and ministry of Jesus Christ. You'll also see the spiritual perspectives of many different believers, such as King David (Psalms,) his son, Solomon, (Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Solomon,) and of course, no less than four Apostles, (Paul, John, Peter, and James, & possibly Jude.)
Its many times a mistake to trust the conclusions of "historical explanations," seeing that the explainers have a bias, (whether right or not.) Reading the primary source documents is always the best course, if they are available.