Apostasy from the divine church

by James L. Barker

Professor Barker's study led him to the formulation of a definite philosophy of Christian history, which found expression in what is commonly spoken of as "The Falling Away" from the Church of Jesus Christ, or the "Apostasy." He held to the concept that the Church of Jesus Christ, which flourished in the first century, gradually passed from existence. A five-fold change resulted in historic Christianity during the centuries. These are to be found in the governmental system of the churches, in doctrine, in religious living, in attitudes toward salvation, and in the churches seeking and gaining political authority. In his writings, Professor Barker traces the steps by which these various transitions were effected, and seeks for and explains the thought-processes which caused them. He presents a well-documented account of Christian history from the first to the sixteenth centuries, emphasizing the departures that took place. By the time he completes his account of the Reformation, his evidence indicates that it was useless to assume that human beings could re-establish the true Church of Christ on earth. There was but one solution to this dilemma - the Church of Jesus Christ must be restored by revelation.

Genres: History, Religion

813 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. The author has done a remarkable amount of scholarship, chronicling the changes made to Christian doctrine and practice after the death of the apostles, and tracing the rise of the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant churches which grew out of it. He makes extensive use of original documents and the words of Catholic historians themselves. This makes for a very dense, detailed book. It is not light or casual reading by any means! The edition I read was an unfinished manuscript published posthumously by the author's widow. It could have benefited greatly from thorough editing for readability and flow. But, all in all, this is a remarkable work.

[Matthew Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book. Almost all members are familiar with James E. Talmage's _The Great Apostasy_ but are less familiar with Barker's _Apostasy from the Divine Church_. This is unforutnate as Barker's book is by far the superior of the two. Few volumes compare save perhaps Barry Bickmore's _Restoring the Ancient Church_. If you can find a copy of the 1984 Bookcraft edition or even the older orange hardback published by the author's wife it is well worth the coin and the time.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original 1960 version with the orange cover.

I really like having all this information in one place. The organization could definitely be better, and there could have been heavy editing, but considering Barker’s wife and friends were publishing this after his untimely death, I’m glad they left everything for the reader to sort through. This book was arranged in chronological order according to topics, which led to overlapping and redundancy, as well as confusion about the timeline. The index can help with that.

So much of this information about the history of Christianity was new to me. I knew bits and pieces, but this book allowed me to put things together more coherently. I found I knew almost nothing about the Eastern part of the Empire. It was good to also have events highlighted that shed light on the differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the rest of Christendom. The very early church era beliefs and practices were interesting, as well. I wish there had been more on the Reformation, and that so many of the sources are in French. Also, the entire last chapter is just Joseph Smith—History quoted in its entirety. I’ll excuse this, though, because in 1960 it wasn’t published in the scriptures.

Overall, I am really glad I read this. It took a long time to get through. As I read, I was usually compelled to keep reading, but after I put it down I didn’t really feel like picking it up again. I also felt it was a slog through some chapters. The Christological debates were mind-numbing. I found so many of the arguments completely foreign and confusing. It was such a different way of thinking. However, this book definitely helped me understand where the classical and Charlotte Mason home school people I follow are coming from. For that, this book was unbelievably helpful. Before reading this I didn’t know I wanted to know about this subject so much. I’d love to see a new work of this kind, updated with new research.

[Keith]

Recommended by Bill Bryant. 2013.11.28.
Recommended by Wallace Cooper. 2019.02.10.
The 1960 edition which I have has 805 pages.

[D.L. Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best history books I've read. Barker's accounts coincide very well with JB Bury's History of the Later Roman Empire.

[Russell Hilburn]

I did not read this book. I'm trying to load it.