Church History

by Thomas Hopko, David C. Ford

THE ORTHODOX FAITH series is intended to provide basic, comprehensive information on the faith and life of the Orthodox Church. It consists of four volumes.

This expanded volume summarizes the primary personalities, controversies, and events of the Christian era through a synopsis of each century, beginning from the birth of the Church through the early 21st century.

Genres: Religion, Christianity, History

320 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2016

About the author

Thomas Hopko is an Orthodox Christian priest and theologian. He was the Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary from September 1992 until July 1, 2002 and taught dogmatic theology there from 1968 until 2002. Now retired, he carries the honorary title of Dean Emeritus. Father Hopko is a prominent Orthodox Christian lecturer and speaker, well-known both in Orthodox and ecumenical circles. He has several podcasts on the internet radio station for Orthodox Christians called Ancient Faith Radio

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introductory materials

[Όλαφ Iversen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, simple introduction to Church History.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a whirlwind tour through 2000 years of Christian history. The text is divided into centuries, and brief synopses of each century are given, with a focus on the major events and people, typically saints and clergy but with many notable laypeople mentioned too. Some of these centuries receive more detailed treatment than others, depending on the extent to which each century saw major conflicts (chiefly doctrinal in the earlier centuries; chiefly administrative in later centuries).

Expect brevity rather than thorough coverage. This is 2000 years of history in 320 pages.

I did find it amusing that the book concludes abruptly with a few short lines about Pope Francis, noting his "simple way of life and his concern for the poor, while also remaining firm in his support of traditional Roman Catholic theological and moral teachings." I suspect that many traditional Catholics today would disagree strongly with this conclusion.