Howdy folks.
In a couple of months I will be teaching a Survey of Church History course. I want to track down the best resources I can find.
What are the best church history resources available in Logos?
Thank you for your consideration.
I hate to say it, but what you'll appreciate the most / find most useful for your course is probably going to depend to a real extent on your theological outlook.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
https://www.logos.com/product/2227/the-oxford-dictionary-of-the-christian-church-rev-ed
You have a very valid point. I would still appreciate any recommendations that anyone would care to make, although obviously some will be a better fit than others.
I have found Justo Gonzalez' Story of Christianity to be a very good general survey of church history. I don't believe it's available in Logos (which is a shame, because I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it were), but is available on Amazon. It's a two volume work, but there is a paper version that has both volumes bound together. Gonzalez covers the early church to today. If there are particular periods that you want to focus on, you may need something more focused to supplement it, but it does a great job of describing the sweep of church history.
If you want a nice supplement for early church history, you might want to look at these:
They provide a wonderful selection of documents from the first few centuries of the church. Neither one is what you would typically think of as a "history," but they do a great job of illustrating what was happening and how early Christians thought about things.
Gonzalez has some titles on Vyrso.com, too https://vyrso.com/products/search?Author=9484%7cJusto+L.+Gonzalez including an "Essentials Guide" book on church history (on sale for $.99 - what a steal!): https://vyrso.com/product/39092/church-history-an-essential-guide and some of his works on the history of Christian Thought.
I hadn't realized that - thanks for pointing it out! I'll have to go take a look.
Thanks for the suggestions. This has been helpful so far.
That $0.99 Gonzalez book is a ridiculous deal.
I'll second Justo Gonzalez's Story of Christianity. The first volume of that was the text book for my History of Christianity I class. and it was excellent. Just the right level of detail, and very readable. It's unfortunate that it isn't available in Logos, but a condensed one-volume version of Gonzalez's three-volume A History of Christian Thought is available on their Vyrso label.
There is also Philip Schaff's revered classic, History of the Christian Church, though it's kind of pricey for a 100-year-old book (although it is 8 volumes and nearly 7000 pages so probably worth it). If you want an untagged version you can get it on Kindle for much much less.
I was the one who suggested the Lion History Series and pushed for people to order it in pre-pub and it finally went through. It's a nice little series with excellent illustrations that focuses in on some specific people and periods in Christian history.
Another resource that does that kind of focused treatment of key events and periods is Mark Noll's Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Also, Mark Noll's A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada is one of the best on North American Church History.
There are also a few inexpensive church history titles on Vyrso that I've just purchased (found them while searching for recommendations for you). Still evaluating them, but you might want to check out Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious (only 99 cents) and Christ and His Church: An Overview of the History of Christianity and 5 Minute Church Historian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time.
EDIT: I see you've already discovered the 99-cent Gonzalez book, which is indeed a steal.
I have found Justo Gonzalez' Story of Christianity to be a very good general survey of church history. I don't believe it's available in Logos (which is a shame, because I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it were), but is available on Amazon. It's a two volume work, but there is a paper version that has both volumes bound together. Gonzalez covers the early church to today. If there are particular periods that you want to focus on, you may need something more focused to supplement it, but it does a great job of describing the sweep of church history. Gonzalez has some titles on Vyrso.com, too https://vyrso.com/products/search?Author=9484%7cJusto+L.+Gonzalez including an "Essentials Guide" book on church history (on sale for $.99 - what a steal!): https://vyrso.com/product/39092/church-history-an-essential-guide and some of his works on the history of Christian Thought.
Another good resource. Thanks for the link.
God Bless you always my Brother in Christ!
James
Another suggestion, Daniel:
Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language. (Word, 1995)
Long enough to be useful to you as teacher of a survey. Probably a suitable perspective for you (based on your blog). I personally enjoy the way Shelley starts a chapter with a vignette (a real story of the era), and then proceeds to explain what was going on.
Others not mentioned (unless I missed them):
Oxford's History of the Christian Church (16 vols.)
Neale's History of the Holy Eastern Church (6 vols.)
Williston Walker's A History of the Christian Church
I hate to say it, but what you'll appreciate the most / find most useful for your course is probably going to depend to a real extent on your theological outlook. You have a very valid point. I would still appreciate any recommendations that anyone would care to make, although obviously some will be a better fit than others.
From my (Catholic) Faithlife library, a couple volumes of possible interest...
Hitchcock, James. History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012. - A good overview of Catholic history from a justly esteemed senior Catholic historian. Not always one hundred percent trustworthy on details in my areas of particular specialty, but it's a decent and up-to-date survey nonetheless.
Henry Newman, John. An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. London: James Toovey, 1845. - Not history, per se, as ordinarily considered, Newman, as an Anglican, considers the development of Christian doctrine (and Christian doctrines) through time. This was the last book Newman completed before becoming Catholic. It's lines like the following that compelled me to warn you about doctrine mattering: "Whatever be historical Christianity, it is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth, it is this" (page 5). Newman and the late Jaroslav Pelikan (Lutheran to Eastern Orthodox) pose, I think, the two of the greatest modern personal challenges to Protestant historians. You might find reading Newman a useful endeavour; it would at least be a well argued different point of view penned by one of the greatest writers of his century, in any language.
There is also Philip Schaff's revered classic, History of the Christian Church, though it's kind of pricey for a 100-year-old book (although it is 8 volumes and nearly 7000 pages so probably worth it)
And it's practically thrown in for free as part of the "This we believe pastor's edition" in the WEA Resource Library bundle (that's where my copy of Schaff is coming from) - I keep wondering that Logos still offers so much for only $40
the WEA Resource Library bundle
Yes, that WEA bundle is one of the best values on the Logos website.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I appreciate the input.
What is church history without a study of it's doctrine? Historical facts might tell me the where, who, and when, but doesn't tell me why. That is why I suggest "Our Legacy- the History of Christian Doctrine" by John Hannah. https://www.logos.com/product/20426/our-legacy-the-history-of-christian-doctrine
What I appreciate about Hannah's book is its layout. Instead of organizing his material chronologically, he organizes things by theological topics and shows how each major segment has dealt with that topic. I think this is much more useful way of seeing how the church has developed through the ages then by dates and names. Not that I have anything against history. I was a history major in college.
-Lonnie
Lonnie, thanks for the suggestion. That looks like a very good book.
What is church history without a study of it's doctrine? Historical facts might tell me the where, who, and when, but doesn't tell me why. That is why I suggest "Our Legacy- the History of Christian Doctrine" by John Hannah. https://www.logos.com/product/20426/our-legacy-the-history-of-christian-doctrine Lonnie, thanks for the suggestion. That looks like a very good book.
Ditto thanks!
Here's another good one that was just unbundled from a collection:
Christianity through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church by Earle E. Cairns
Here's another good one that was just unbundled from a collection: Christianity through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church by Earle E. Cairns
Thanks for that.
God Bless you always my Sister in Christ!
