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Church History #1
From Christ to Pre-Reformation: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context
Church History offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and developed. It did so not in a vacuum, but in a setting of times, cultures, and events that both influenced and were influenced by the church. Church History looks closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church.
Volume one explores the development of the church from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation. Filled with maps, charts, and illustrations, it offers overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds; insights into the church s relationship to the Roman empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians; the place of art and architecture, literature and philosophy, both sacred and secular; and much more, spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries.
Volume One Content Overview 1. The Setting for the Story s Beginning 2. Jesus and the Beginnings of the Church 3. The Subapostolic Age 4. The Church and the Empire 5. Heresies and Schisms of the Second Century 6. The Defense Against Rival Interpretations 7. The Fathers of the Old Catholic Church and Their Problems 8. Church Life in the Second and Third Centuries 9. Development of the Church During the Third Century 10. Diocletian and Constantine: On the Threshold of the Fourth Century 11. The Church in the Fourth Century: Doctrine, Organization, and Literature 12. The Church in the Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries: Monasticism, Expansion, Life, and Worship 13. Christological Controversies to Chalcedon 14. Augustine, Pelagius, and Semipelagianism 15. Transitions to the Middle Ages: Germanic Migrations, Doctrinal Developments, and the Papacy 16. Eastern and Western Churches in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 17. The Eastern Church from the Seventh to Eleventh Centuries 18. The Western Church from the Seventh to Ninth Centuries 19. Decline and Renewal of Vitality in the West: The Ninth to Eleventh Centuries 20. The Papal Reform Movement and the First Crusade 21. Intellectual Revival: The Rise of Scholasticism 22. Monastic, Literary, Political, and Cultural Activities in the Twelfth Centuries 23. The Glory of the Western Medieval Church: The Thirteenth Century 24. Portents of Decline"
Volume one explores the development of the church from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation. Filled with maps, charts, and illustrations, it offers overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds; insights into the church s relationship to the Roman empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians; the place of art and architecture, literature and philosophy, both sacred and secular; and much more, spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries.
Volume One Content Overview 1. The Setting for the Story s Beginning 2. Jesus and the Beginnings of the Church 3. The Subapostolic Age 4. The Church and the Empire 5. Heresies and Schisms of the Second Century 6. The Defense Against Rival Interpretations 7. The Fathers of the Old Catholic Church and Their Problems 8. Church Life in the Second and Third Centuries 9. Development of the Church During the Third Century 10. Diocletian and Constantine: On the Threshold of the Fourth Century 11. The Church in the Fourth Century: Doctrine, Organization, and Literature 12. The Church in the Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries: Monasticism, Expansion, Life, and Worship 13. Christological Controversies to Chalcedon 14. Augustine, Pelagius, and Semipelagianism 15. Transitions to the Middle Ages: Germanic Migrations, Doctrinal Developments, and the Papacy 16. Eastern and Western Churches in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 17. The Eastern Church from the Seventh to Eleventh Centuries 18. The Western Church from the Seventh to Ninth Centuries 19. Decline and Renewal of Vitality in the West: The Ninth to Eleventh Centuries 20. The Papal Reform Movement and the First Crusade 21. Intellectual Revival: The Rise of Scholasticism 22. Monastic, Literary, Political, and Cultural Activities in the Twelfth Centuries 23. The Glory of the Western Medieval Church: The Thirteenth Century 24. Portents of Decline"
544 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 31, 2013
This is a very fine text that works well at the seminary level. Ferguson is a careful scholar that has obviously read widely in primary sources. He constantly points his readers to classic texts in church history. His personal judgments are infrequent, but quite insightful when they come. For instance, when explaining the Christological controversies prior to Chalcedon, he writes, "Church leaders always seem to prefer to fight new battles in terms of old controversies with whose arguments they have become comfortable."
The text maintains a good narrative flow and incorporates insights from art, architecture, theology, and general history. Ferguson is careful not to subsume the entire medieval church under the auspices of the papacy. He has a good discussion of Celtic, Carolingian, and Orthodox varieties of the faith. He also ventures into eastern Christianities on occasion, but has a primarily western focus.
One criticism is his fairly cursory handling of the Crusades. The first is covered adequately, but later crusades receive minimal attention.
The subtitle is open to interpretation. "From Christ to the Pre-Reformation" means he brings you up to the Pre-Reformation, but does not include the Pre-Reformation. Ferguson concludes with Boniface VIII, and a tacit reference to the Avignon papacy and Babylonian captivity. Nothing is said of Conciliarlism or early reformers like Wycliffe and Huss. (These may be left for a second volume.)
I’ve noticed that some reviewers have described it as “dry.” Perhaps it says something about me, but I found it quite interesting. Then again maybe those of us who cut our teeth on Kenneth Scott Latourette, find almost anything delightful by comparison.
I plan to adopt this as a text for my church history class.
The text maintains a good narrative flow and incorporates insights from art, architecture, theology, and general history. Ferguson is careful not to subsume the entire medieval church under the auspices of the papacy. He has a good discussion of Celtic, Carolingian, and Orthodox varieties of the faith. He also ventures into eastern Christianities on occasion, but has a primarily western focus.
One criticism is his fairly cursory handling of the Crusades. The first is covered adequately, but later crusades receive minimal attention.
The subtitle is open to interpretation. "From Christ to the Pre-Reformation" means he brings you up to the Pre-Reformation, but does not include the Pre-Reformation. Ferguson concludes with Boniface VIII, and a tacit reference to the Avignon papacy and Babylonian captivity. Nothing is said of Conciliarlism or early reformers like Wycliffe and Huss. (These may be left for a second volume.)
I’ve noticed that some reviewers have described it as “dry.” Perhaps it says something about me, but I found it quite interesting. Then again maybe those of us who cut our teeth on Kenneth Scott Latourette, find almost anything delightful by comparison.
I plan to adopt this as a text for my church history class.
October 2, 2019
A great, readable overview of the church's histories from the Apostolic Age to the Renaissance. Reading it became a struggle due to its categorical and not linear structure. Moving back-and-forth within (relatively) the same period of time over 4 chapters became difficult to understand the flow of history & each person or event's effects on the next.
October 10, 2013
A good, comprehensive overview
This work of history by Everett Ferguson provides a good balance. It is comprehensive enough and provides enough details without become bogged down in minutiae that only academics would likely find interest. Rather than descriptions of historical events in isolation, they are placed within a narrative framework that includes how the past has influenced it and how the event influences the future. The events are described in the context of surrounding cultural, social, political, and other historical events. Even though ultimately the work describes the Western church, its connection to the Eastern church and other less known areas of the world are incorporated.
This book is written foremost as history. It describes both the good and bad of the church's history. It does not seek to defend negative actions, but seeks to explain how and why they happened.
The history of the church is the story of conflicts: doctrinal, ecclesiastical, political, philosophical. It gives credence to the saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." Nearly all church conflicts being experienced in the 21st century have similarities with past conflicts.
Some of the earlier chapters dealing with the first and second generations of the church provide context that help with interpretation of New Testament text.
The writing is very readable and accessible. I think every Christian ought to read it. This would be a good reference work for every church leader to own.
(This review is based on an advance review copy supplied through NetGalley and provided by the publisher.)
This work of history by Everett Ferguson provides a good balance. It is comprehensive enough and provides enough details without become bogged down in minutiae that only academics would likely find interest. Rather than descriptions of historical events in isolation, they are placed within a narrative framework that includes how the past has influenced it and how the event influences the future. The events are described in the context of surrounding cultural, social, political, and other historical events. Even though ultimately the work describes the Western church, its connection to the Eastern church and other less known areas of the world are incorporated.
This book is written foremost as history. It describes both the good and bad of the church's history. It does not seek to defend negative actions, but seeks to explain how and why they happened.
The history of the church is the story of conflicts: doctrinal, ecclesiastical, political, philosophical. It gives credence to the saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." Nearly all church conflicts being experienced in the 21st century have similarities with past conflicts.
Some of the earlier chapters dealing with the first and second generations of the church provide context that help with interpretation of New Testament text.
The writing is very readable and accessible. I think every Christian ought to read it. This would be a good reference work for every church leader to own.
(This review is based on an advance review copy supplied through NetGalley and provided by the publisher.)
December 2, 2013
A fantastic release by Zondervan in a two part volume series, Everett Ferguson really wrote a comprehensive and well-balanced study in his Church History: From Christ to Pre-Reformation. I found Ferguson engaging and tactile, always offering a fair historical analysis without clouding down pages with his own historiography; however, he does offer such fresh batch of insights when he does present various opinions to the historiography, letting the historical pendulum swing naturally and freely.
Ecclesiastical history from the rise of the church to St. Augustine had be captivated, but even post-Augustine--notwithstanding most others--Ferguson writes in such a compelling way that I was charmed and interested in the progression of the Medieval Church, and in fact broadened my knowledge and scope of the given time period that had been hitherto very limited. In short, this is a fantastic piece of literature that serves well for engaging conversation from personal growth to a lecture-hall. Glad to have this text on my shelf.
Brent McCulley
Ecclesiastical history from the rise of the church to St. Augustine had be captivated, but even post-Augustine--notwithstanding most others--Ferguson writes in such a compelling way that I was charmed and interested in the progression of the Medieval Church, and in fact broadened my knowledge and scope of the given time period that had been hitherto very limited. In short, this is a fantastic piece of literature that serves well for engaging conversation from personal growth to a lecture-hall. Glad to have this text on my shelf.
Brent McCulley
October 12, 2020
This book is not for people who love the church and therefore want to study its history. This book is for people who love history and probably also the church too. This book provides A LOT of information and detail and Ferguson is obviously an expert on the subject. However, as somebody that very much thinks abstractly about big picture ideas and gets very bogged down when a lot of details are thrown at me, I walked away from this book absolutely exhausted. Ferguson never interrpets the history or explains the significance of the events. It's pretty much just a stream of consciousness retelling of 1500 years of church history. And as someone that is not naturally inclined to history and facts, but is inclined to story and philosophy, I felt the author could have made the information much more interesting.
November 26, 2017
This was my second experience of being assigned Ferguson's text, and this time I especially appreciated the consistent clarity Ferguson offers over an incredible breadth of topics. He remains fairly objective, though someone with a background in Restoration History could note a few occasions in which he provides extra emphases on matters like believers baptism, the development of instrumental music, or his perspective on the fallibility of the pope. A final upside of this text is his appetizer offering of primary sources throughout the chapters, lending readers a hand in deciding which primary sources to further pursue and study.
June 20, 2016
Another good Church History survey. Attractively presented (photos, sidebars, charts, online content etc), reasonably comprehensive (550 large format pages provides plenty of space), appropriately balanced. Quite readable, although not enough to bust out of the expected "boring survey" genre. Everett Ferguson's heavyweight scholarship in the field would lead me to rank this above other comparable surveys.
June 24, 2021
A solid introductory summary of church history from the time of Christ to the start of the 14th century. Touches on all the major events and people. Honestly, grammar and sentence structure made this book difficult to read at times; but overall, a good seminary textbook.
Read
October 7, 2024Did indeed read this
November 30, 2025
super interesting for a textbook!!
June 23, 2022
3.5. Read for school. Decent to good!
October 23, 2013
This review, by Dr. Nicholson, has been provided courtesy of Desert Bible Institute (www.desertbibleinstitute.com).
There was only one overwhelming problem with Everett Ferguson’s book Church History Volume1: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation. He waited until I was out of school to write it.
Right from the onset, I was impressed with this book. I remember, from my years back in college in the 80s, my history texts being filled with double rows of tiny type. I remember authors drowning on-and-on with circuitous sentences riddled with both archaic terms and unpronounceable jargon. Here instead is a book with beautiful graphics, relevant illustrations and photos, clearly identifiable, related materials, and an obviously coherent structure. I actually leaned over to my wife while reading this, who recently finished her advance degree in education, and she was shocked at how much thought, about the way students learn, was given to the structure of this book.
The wording of this book is as clear and well-organized as the format and the typeface. It is an unusually comfortable book to read. The author and the publisher obviously took time to proof the sheets in a way that allows the eye to flow over the page. This allows for both a faster and more relaxed reading of the text and therefore giving the student a higher retention of the material.. Additionally, the numerous maps, illustrations, and photos were place in locations in which to optimize their effectiveness. The visuals used were large, clear, and always relevant to the topic being discussed.
Ferguson writes in a clear, professional style that is both accessible and academically challenging. He uses a recursive structure from chapter-to-chapter that is useful in seeing how a given instance in history had multiple repercussions on the modern day church. The only challenge to this is that he early on develops an information base and then steadily builds on it. The problem would be if professors skipped around in the book (not all that uncommon of a practice) they would need to be careful to explain some of the terminology or references that the author is making.
Oddly enough, one of my favorite parts of this books was the shaded margins that the author uses to add relevant but disconnected material. In this section, the author puts in quotes, verses, little know facts, and other forms of enrichment material that wasn’t necessary to understand the narrative of the text but was nonetheless interesting and engaging. When there wasn’t much in the way of additional material the author would occasionally use this space to overlap pictures part in and part out of the text proper. This, in combination with the myriad other formatting issues, makes this book perfect for the visual learner. It was a great pleasure to read a book that written by an author aware enough about metacognition to format a book in a manner that facilitates better learning.
Trent Nicholson, Ph.D., D.Min.
Desert Bible Institute, President
Dr. Nicholson reviews academic, Christian living, and fiction books for a variety of publishers in an array of formats. He is never paid for any of his reviews. He writes these strictly as a courtesy to his students at Desert Bible Institute and for any other readers that might find his insights valuable. For more reviews or information, visit Dr. Nicholson’s blog at drtnicholson.wordpress.com.
The book for this review was provided free of charge by Zondervan through NetGalley.com. This book was provided without the expectation or requirement of a positive response. Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to both read your advanced copy and to provide this unpaid evaluation. All opinions in this review reflect the views of the author and not DBI, NetGalley.com, or the publisher.
There was only one overwhelming problem with Everett Ferguson’s book Church History Volume1: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation. He waited until I was out of school to write it.
Right from the onset, I was impressed with this book. I remember, from my years back in college in the 80s, my history texts being filled with double rows of tiny type. I remember authors drowning on-and-on with circuitous sentences riddled with both archaic terms and unpronounceable jargon. Here instead is a book with beautiful graphics, relevant illustrations and photos, clearly identifiable, related materials, and an obviously coherent structure. I actually leaned over to my wife while reading this, who recently finished her advance degree in education, and she was shocked at how much thought, about the way students learn, was given to the structure of this book.
The wording of this book is as clear and well-organized as the format and the typeface. It is an unusually comfortable book to read. The author and the publisher obviously took time to proof the sheets in a way that allows the eye to flow over the page. This allows for both a faster and more relaxed reading of the text and therefore giving the student a higher retention of the material.. Additionally, the numerous maps, illustrations, and photos were place in locations in which to optimize their effectiveness. The visuals used were large, clear, and always relevant to the topic being discussed.
Ferguson writes in a clear, professional style that is both accessible and academically challenging. He uses a recursive structure from chapter-to-chapter that is useful in seeing how a given instance in history had multiple repercussions on the modern day church. The only challenge to this is that he early on develops an information base and then steadily builds on it. The problem would be if professors skipped around in the book (not all that uncommon of a practice) they would need to be careful to explain some of the terminology or references that the author is making.
Oddly enough, one of my favorite parts of this books was the shaded margins that the author uses to add relevant but disconnected material. In this section, the author puts in quotes, verses, little know facts, and other forms of enrichment material that wasn’t necessary to understand the narrative of the text but was nonetheless interesting and engaging. When there wasn’t much in the way of additional material the author would occasionally use this space to overlap pictures part in and part out of the text proper. This, in combination with the myriad other formatting issues, makes this book perfect for the visual learner. It was a great pleasure to read a book that written by an author aware enough about metacognition to format a book in a manner that facilitates better learning.
Trent Nicholson, Ph.D., D.Min.
Desert Bible Institute, President
Dr. Nicholson reviews academic, Christian living, and fiction books for a variety of publishers in an array of formats. He is never paid for any of his reviews. He writes these strictly as a courtesy to his students at Desert Bible Institute and for any other readers that might find his insights valuable. For more reviews or information, visit Dr. Nicholson’s blog at drtnicholson.wordpress.com.
The book for this review was provided free of charge by Zondervan through NetGalley.com. This book was provided without the expectation or requirement of a positive response. Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to both read your advanced copy and to provide this unpaid evaluation. All opinions in this review reflect the views of the author and not DBI, NetGalley.com, or the publisher.
March 8, 2017
Church History, Volume One is like what it says, about the history of the Church from the first century to the thirteenth century. I'm not even going to attempt to summarise contents, but the book basically looks at events, trends, and notable people in Church history. Each chapter also comes with a list of recommended resources, so you could (ideally) use this book as a starting point and then delve into certain issues or events.
I found this book easy to read and follow, even for someone like me, who has no formal education in Church history (apart from what I learnt in Sunday School). In fact, I was listening to one of my cousin's lectures of the Holy Spirit (she records her teachers and shares them with those interested) and I realised that it was easier to understand what the lecturer was saying, in part because I had already encountered the concepts and events mentioned in this book.
But though the book does explain the basics of certain theological issues (like the nature of Christ), because a certain level of understanding is needed to comprehend why the disputes were a big deal, I still found myself wishing for a theology textbook that I could use as a reference. So while the theology explanations are definitely adequate, they are not sufficient. Still, this is a history book so I shouldn't be quibbling.
And since Silence is still on my mind, or rather, it has been on my mind more than normal, I found myself particularly struck by the explanation of Christian persecution in Ancient Rome. In those times, religious functions were also used as expressions of political loyalty. And since Christians would not offer such sacrifices, they were seen as a threat to the Roman state. I thought that this was remarkably similar to the persecution depicted in Silence, which explains why it was controversial.
Oh, and while I'm on this topic, I also wanted to share that there was some discussion on whether Christians be persecuted on the basis of "the name" (aka being known as Christians) or for the crimes attached to the name. Christian apologists wanted it to be the latter, since they knew they were innocent, but guess which side won out?
I think that people interested in learning more about Church history should consider picking up this book. It's accessible, and I was able to follow what the author says without additional lectures - though I'm sure that lectures and discussions would have made it even better.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
I found this book easy to read and follow, even for someone like me, who has no formal education in Church history (apart from what I learnt in Sunday School). In fact, I was listening to one of my cousin's lectures of the Holy Spirit (she records her teachers and shares them with those interested) and I realised that it was easier to understand what the lecturer was saying, in part because I had already encountered the concepts and events mentioned in this book.
But though the book does explain the basics of certain theological issues (like the nature of Christ), because a certain level of understanding is needed to comprehend why the disputes were a big deal, I still found myself wishing for a theology textbook that I could use as a reference. So while the theology explanations are definitely adequate, they are not sufficient. Still, this is a history book so I shouldn't be quibbling.
And since Silence is still on my mind, or rather, it has been on my mind more than normal, I found myself particularly struck by the explanation of Christian persecution in Ancient Rome. In those times, religious functions were also used as expressions of political loyalty. And since Christians would not offer such sacrifices, they were seen as a threat to the Roman state. I thought that this was remarkably similar to the persecution depicted in Silence, which explains why it was controversial.
Oh, and while I'm on this topic, I also wanted to share that there was some discussion on whether Christians be persecuted on the basis of "the name" (aka being known as Christians) or for the crimes attached to the name. Christian apologists wanted it to be the latter, since they knew they were innocent, but guess which side won out?
I think that people interested in learning more about Church history should consider picking up this book. It's accessible, and I was able to follow what the author says without additional lectures - though I'm sure that lectures and discussions would have made it even better.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
September 25, 2024
This is a college-level textbook on the first half of Christian history, from the time of Christ to the Middle Ages just before the Renaissance and pre-Reformation years (volume two is written by John D. Woodbridge and Frank A. James III).
It is thorough and balanced. While focusing more on the Western European story, it also gives plenty of attention to Eastern Orthodoxy, and even covers the often-neglected Monophysite and Nestorian churches of Syria, Ethiopia and the Church of the East that spread into Asia.
Although Ferguson shows many of the faults of the Catholic church, particularly the gradual corruption of the papacy in the Middle Ages, he also praises good qualities and is able to describe both the good and the bad of many personalities. The writing style is easy to read, and often includes interesting personal details that humanized the historical characters.
I agree with another reviewer that he does not discuss the later Crusades thoroughly enough, and although he provides a chart of the Crusades, he tends to jump back and forth between them, not taking the Crusades in strict chronological order.
He goes into great detail about the philosophy of the Scholastics, and provides thorough discussions of architecture and art. He is mindful to regularly include the popular piety, reminding the reader that what the common people practiced and believed was often different from the famous scholars that become the focus of historians. For example, he shows how belief in transubstantiation was popular long before Thomas Aquinas developed a formal defense of it.
Ferguson occasionally repeats himself or makes allusion to people and events that he has not yet explained, and often tells the reader that he covered a topic in a previous chapter or will cover it in a future chapter, which some readers will find annoying. I was frustrated that he often named cities or people but omitted the country in which they were located.
The font of the hardback book is large enough to be read easily. Most pages have side-bar quotations, there are numerous photographs, charts, and maps, and the wide side margins make it easy to take notes.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and makes a useful textbook for the study of early church history.
It is thorough and balanced. While focusing more on the Western European story, it also gives plenty of attention to Eastern Orthodoxy, and even covers the often-neglected Monophysite and Nestorian churches of Syria, Ethiopia and the Church of the East that spread into Asia.
Although Ferguson shows many of the faults of the Catholic church, particularly the gradual corruption of the papacy in the Middle Ages, he also praises good qualities and is able to describe both the good and the bad of many personalities. The writing style is easy to read, and often includes interesting personal details that humanized the historical characters.
I agree with another reviewer that he does not discuss the later Crusades thoroughly enough, and although he provides a chart of the Crusades, he tends to jump back and forth between them, not taking the Crusades in strict chronological order.
He goes into great detail about the philosophy of the Scholastics, and provides thorough discussions of architecture and art. He is mindful to regularly include the popular piety, reminding the reader that what the common people practiced and believed was often different from the famous scholars that become the focus of historians. For example, he shows how belief in transubstantiation was popular long before Thomas Aquinas developed a formal defense of it.
Ferguson occasionally repeats himself or makes allusion to people and events that he has not yet explained, and often tells the reader that he covered a topic in a previous chapter or will cover it in a future chapter, which some readers will find annoying. I was frustrated that he often named cities or people but omitted the country in which they were located.
The font of the hardback book is large enough to be read easily. Most pages have side-bar quotations, there are numerous photographs, charts, and maps, and the wide side margins make it easy to take notes.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and makes a useful textbook for the study of early church history.
February 7, 2025
Good strong informative text about the early history of the church up to the pre-Reformation time. Its strengths are an imaginative generosity to all 'brands' of Christianity (that is, without preemptively deciding that all things 'Catholic' are immediately good or bad) and without taking upon itself to agree or disagree with the various theological views that have been expressed throughout the ages. A good 'neutral' kind of a history. Another strength is the depth and personalization of some of the various large characters, without sacrificing the broader history.
Weaknesses? It's a little dense. But how do you avoid that in a one volume book that tries to do any justice to 1500 years of history? Read this and be smarter, I say.
Weaknesses? It's a little dense. But how do you avoid that in a one volume book that tries to do any justice to 1500 years of history? Read this and be smarter, I say.
September 4, 2016
This is a very comprehensive work of history by Everett Ferguson which provides an overview of Church history. Zondervan has done a commendable job in bringing out a two-volume work on the history of the church. The author’s work is laudable as he has done a fine job in balancing a clear but concise work without being bogged down by too much detail.
The writing is very eloquent, and the style greatly enjoyable. Both serious students and casual readers of church history will find the volume immensely valuable. It is a must for personal, church and Christian seminary libraries.
The writing is very eloquent, and the style greatly enjoyable. Both serious students and casual readers of church history will find the volume immensely valuable. It is a must for personal, church and Christian seminary libraries.
February 20, 2015
Thorough, and well-researched, this would be a great book if Ferguson paid attention not only to the great accomplishments in the history of the Church, but also to atrocities it orchestrated, supported, or failed to condemn. Persecution of Jews, Muslims, heretics, torture, murder, expulsion are mentioned in passing, if at all, and Eastern Christianity receives a lot less attention than Catholicism in this study.
July 15, 2018
I've read a number of books on Church History and really enjoyed this one. His explanation of various aspects of doctrine is clear. I like the details he put in many of the stories that other writers left out. The earlier part of the book was better than the final section in my opinion. Otherwise, there are no complaints with this work.
October 30, 2023
Hard to engage
I’m not sure if I simply prefer the second volume in this series, of whether it is actually the case, but I find the book to be very hard to stay engaged with which was not the case in the second volume. It feels very wordy in un-necessary places and included lots of historical facts that drew away from a narrative.
I’m not sure if I simply prefer the second volume in this series, of whether it is actually the case, but I find the book to be very hard to stay engaged with which was not the case in the second volume. It feels very wordy in un-necessary places and included lots of historical facts that drew away from a narrative.
June 12, 2008
Extremely dry but packed full of everything having to do with the church history - All the way from Jesus to the middle ages.
Yes, reading a chapter a week was very challenging I admit. But I do know ALL about the popes :p
Yes, reading a chapter a week was very challenging I admit. But I do know ALL about the popes :p
March 20, 2020
Deeply informative, with excellent commentary on the events of church history. I was impressed; it was much better than I expected. The major negative is Ferguson's handling of Augustine, the quality of which was below that of the rest of the volume.
Nevertheless, highly recommended.
Nevertheless, highly recommended.
November 30, 2020
Have opened this book from time-to-time and, shamefully, never posted a review: so, though woefully tardy, I do recommend Everett Ferguson's book on church history. I hope the book has been successful since publication several years ago!
September 7, 2022
I learned a lot from this book even though I found it difficult to read. If you have good understanding of church history and are interested in learning more, this is an excellent book. If you’re like me and are hoping for a high-level introduction, probably look elsewhere.
On the positive side, it’s gives a very detailed, factual, and mostly impartial account of the history. On the negative side, the detail makes it difficult to grasp the “storyline”. The book is broadly arranged chronologically, but within sections the author jumps back and forth in time which makes it hard to follow. History is never clean-cut (and I’d be wary if the author presented it as such), but at the same time without an overarching framework its difficult to remember and connect the individual facts.
Takeaways:
(1) It’s ok (and necessary) to adapt church practices as circumstances change, but be wary about caring more about traditions and rituals than whats actually in the Bible. Practices that start as biblical can become so altered over time to even become anti-biblical;
(2) Be firm in defending doctrinal error but treat each other gracefully and fully understand others’ arguments—you could just be saying the same thing but from different POVs;
(3) The story of church history is an unlikely story…
What began as a small Jewish sect successfully transitioned to become distinct from Judaism. It survived on and off government persecution to become the state religion of the same empire that previously persecuted it! (All the while defending against many varied doctrinal distortions which arose incredibly quickly!) Later, it remarkably survived when the western Roman empire collapsed and then became the domineering political force that it was during the Middle Ages in the face of pagan germanic religion and Islamic influences!
Honestly you couldn’t invent this if you tried. From a purely historical perspective, it’s remarkable that orthodox Christianity survived to the modern day and did not die out like many other historical religions and non-orthodox Christian offshoots. There were so many instances where I could imagine it dying off if the circumstances had been slightly different. Obviously longevity doesn’t equate with truth, yet it does indicate that there is something special about orthodox Christianity that has made it resonate so deeply with so many ethnically, socially, geographically, and economically diverse people across millennia.
On the positive side, it’s gives a very detailed, factual, and mostly impartial account of the history. On the negative side, the detail makes it difficult to grasp the “storyline”. The book is broadly arranged chronologically, but within sections the author jumps back and forth in time which makes it hard to follow. History is never clean-cut (and I’d be wary if the author presented it as such), but at the same time without an overarching framework its difficult to remember and connect the individual facts.
Takeaways:
(1) It’s ok (and necessary) to adapt church practices as circumstances change, but be wary about caring more about traditions and rituals than whats actually in the Bible. Practices that start as biblical can become so altered over time to even become anti-biblical;
(2) Be firm in defending doctrinal error but treat each other gracefully and fully understand others’ arguments—you could just be saying the same thing but from different POVs;
(3) The story of church history is an unlikely story…
What began as a small Jewish sect successfully transitioned to become distinct from Judaism. It survived on and off government persecution to become the state religion of the same empire that previously persecuted it! (All the while defending against many varied doctrinal distortions which arose incredibly quickly!) Later, it remarkably survived when the western Roman empire collapsed and then became the domineering political force that it was during the Middle Ages in the face of pagan germanic religion and Islamic influences!
Honestly you couldn’t invent this if you tried. From a purely historical perspective, it’s remarkable that orthodox Christianity survived to the modern day and did not die out like many other historical religions and non-orthodox Christian offshoots. There were so many instances where I could imagine it dying off if the circumstances had been slightly different. Obviously longevity doesn’t equate with truth, yet it does indicate that there is something special about orthodox Christianity that has made it resonate so deeply with so many ethnically, socially, geographically, and economically diverse people across millennia.
June 23, 2025
Gods
Church, Control : Thomas, "Church, Church," Sword, Story, "Rome, Rome."
Fifth (5th) Crusade (1217-21, CE) : Church, European Century, Peter.
Christ, Law ; the Pope, won Church.
Before the Fall of Mary ; Human History, Churches.
Mary's Breast, Pope Urban II (1088-99, CE), True literature, Qumran.
France, Syria.
A State Church, Italian Church, and ...
Place, Church, of Bible, Creeds.
Dominic (1170-1221, CE).
Of Law, Bologna.
Ancient Church.
Material Church/Spiritual Offices ; the Christian Saints/Greedy Men.
Decline, Ephesus.
A contribution.
Church, Western Medieval Church.
Dominance.
Gods the Emperors.
Greek Philosophy.
Church/Empire, Bishops.
Greek Church.
Devotion.
Christian Devotion.
Physical imagery.
In, the Twelfth (12th) Century ...
The Baptism, Middle centuries.
Over ...
Infidel Chronicles.
Christians.
Christianity, the Church, Source.
Hagia Sophia.
Roman Ages, Catholicism
-- Rome --
First Crusade (1096-99, CE).
Charlemagne.
Bulgaria.
Constantinople (330-1452, CE)
-- Constantinople --
Russian Primary Chronicle.
Bulgars.
The Sixth (6th) Eastern Church.
Liturgy.
Fouth (4th) maze, established.
Galla Placidia.
Biblical terms, Ravenna.
Byzantium art.
Orthodoxy.
Fifth (5th) Century.
Justinian (527-65, CE).
At ...
-- The Support--
Western Churches.
"Beginnings, Beginnings."
Early state.
Sane.
Story, in ...
Influential.
Necessity.
●
France, Rome.
Cult Kings.
Ruling.
Persecuted minorities.
Missed opportunities.
The Evil Ones.
-- Of --
Eleventh & Twelfth Centuries.
Infidels.
Syrian Christians.
Sparrows, in Bologna.
Fellowship
-- Woman's Love --
Man's subservience.
Alter.
Lover/Beloved.
Bernard, of Clairvaux (1090-1152, CE)
-- Nicaea --
King Boris (852-84, CE).
The Invaders.
Schoolmen.
Sant' Apollinare, Classe
-- Apollinare Nuovo --
To ...
Invasions.
Christians.
●
Power.
Mary.
~
Church, Control : Thomas, "Church, Church," Sword, Story, "Rome, Rome."
Fifth (5th) Crusade (1217-21, CE) : Church, European Century, Peter.
Christ, Law ; the Pope, won Church.
Before the Fall of Mary ; Human History, Churches.
Mary's Breast, Pope Urban II (1088-99, CE), True literature, Qumran.
France, Syria.
A State Church, Italian Church, and ...
Place, Church, of Bible, Creeds.
Dominic (1170-1221, CE).
Of Law, Bologna.
Ancient Church.
Material Church/Spiritual Offices ; the Christian Saints/Greedy Men.
Decline, Ephesus.
A contribution.
Church, Western Medieval Church.
Dominance.
Gods the Emperors.
Greek Philosophy.
Church/Empire, Bishops.
Greek Church.
Devotion.
Christian Devotion.
Physical imagery.
In, the Twelfth (12th) Century ...
The Baptism, Middle centuries.
Over ...
Infidel Chronicles.
Christians.
Christianity, the Church, Source.
Hagia Sophia.
Roman Ages, Catholicism
-- Rome --
First Crusade (1096-99, CE).
Charlemagne.
Bulgaria.
Constantinople (330-1452, CE)
-- Constantinople --
Russian Primary Chronicle.
Bulgars.
The Sixth (6th) Eastern Church.
Liturgy.
Fouth (4th) maze, established.
Galla Placidia.
Biblical terms, Ravenna.
Byzantium art.
Orthodoxy.
Fifth (5th) Century.
Justinian (527-65, CE).
At ...
-- The Support--
Western Churches.
"Beginnings, Beginnings."
Early state.
Sane.
Story, in ...
Influential.
Necessity.
●
France, Rome.
Cult Kings.
Ruling.
Persecuted minorities.
Missed opportunities.
The Evil Ones.
-- Of --
Eleventh & Twelfth Centuries.
Infidels.
Syrian Christians.
Sparrows, in Bologna.
Fellowship
-- Woman's Love --
Man's subservience.
Alter.
Lover/Beloved.
Bernard, of Clairvaux (1090-1152, CE)
-- Nicaea --
King Boris (852-84, CE).
The Invaders.
Schoolmen.
Sant' Apollinare, Classe
-- Apollinare Nuovo --
To ...
Invasions.
Christians.
●
Power.
Mary.
~
January 1, 2024
This book is alot. I have been trying to read it from cover to cover for 9 months. I fell asleep many times (I was pregnant for most of those 9 months). I think this book needs to be used more of a reference, if there is a time period you are interested in, you can look it up. But it is way to dry to read all 528 pages and then volume 2 another 839 pages as a story. I will hopefully make my way through over the years and get a general church history knowledge but this needs to go off my "Currently reading" list.
Read
January 6, 2025Church History, Vol 1 too me five years to read. Why? Because it is dry as a bone. This is a textbook, meant for either undergrad or possibly grad students. What it lacks in depth is made up for by its sweeping nature. focusing a lot on the politics of Christianity, especially from Constantine onward, Church History, Vol 1 hits all the major bullet points in western church history. Even though I didn't really enjoy it, I found Ferguson's book helpful for giving me a larger picture of church history, because up to this point, I've mainly focused on individuals or major events.
September 7, 2017
This was your typical book about Christian Church and its faith. I guess I have read so many that I was just hoping maybe this one had something better to offer than the rest. If you study religion or an historian then maybe you would enjoy this book more. Even though I found this book to be like the rest, I did like Everett's writing and researching abilities. I do give him kudos on that share of this book.
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
January 25, 2024
This is a text I return to time and again to reference names in pre-Reformation church history. It provided a great primer for the names and events and their connections, covering 1500 years in relatively short order. Ferguson’s writing style is decent, and I prefer it to the second volume where the style of one of its two authors is painfully challenging to access.
October 16, 2019
Heel goed om kerkgeschiedenis te leren! Wel ingewikkeld, dus daarom zou ik het niet am iedereen aanraden. Maar als Hetty onderwerp je interesseert is door een heel goed boek om tree leren. Ok goed als naslagwerk lijkt mij.
January 3, 2025
This book gives a great general overview of the first 1,500 years of the church. Themes and centuries must be quickly covered since it covers such a large time frame. The author has very few examples of bias and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to begin to study church history.
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