I would Luke a list og Tour top 3 historians and the name og their work and maybe some reasons for the 3 you have chosen, thanks![]()
I would Luke a list og Tour top 3 historians and the name og their work and maybe some reasons for the 3 you have chosen, thanks![]()
Martin - Reformed
Husband to the most godly, honorable and loyal wife Line
Searching for a Church
Webpage www.5solas.dk
Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net
Soli Deo Gloria
Schaff!
As for a contemp, I like Mark Noll for the easy reading but he is in no way comprehensive.
Classical Presbyterian (07-01-2009), PresbyDane (07-01-2009)
I do not know if he would consider himself one but Iain Murray has done an excellent job recording the history of the Church in the 20th century.
Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div, Licentiate, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Ruling Elder Fairmount ARP Church
Pittsburgh, PA
"I am as happy as perhaps creation can make me. I enjoy all the necessaries and most of the conveniences of life. I have a peaceful study as a refuge from the hurries and noise of the world around me, the venerable dead are waiting in my library to entertain me..." --Samuel Davies
Deo Vindice
Classical Presbyterian (07-01-2009), PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
I would add Wm Cunningham to the list
Hard to name just 3, so many these days specialize in a specific area.
John Hannah definitely be a very good modern day historian.
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you."--John Owen
Tim Goerz
Currently serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Weatherford Presbyterian(PCA)
Alvord, Texas
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Merle d'Aubigné - several volumes on the Reformation
Bob, elder, RBC Louisville. 1689 LBCF
"... Of such also, or of those who make a credible profession of being such, all those particular churches consist, which constitute our Lord's visible kingdom. ... Consequently, all the subjects of His government must have spiritual dispositions, , and yield spiritual obedience- obedience proceeding from an enlightened understanding, an awakened conscience, and a renewed heart."- Abraham Booth 1788
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Eusebius has to be one, i would think, with all his work on Ecclesiastical History in the Early Church.
So in order, I would put him first because he came first. William Cunningham WOW, praise God for working through him. I'd have to put him on there and then probably Schaff.
1. Eusebius
2. Cunningham
3. Schaff
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Mark Knoll,
Kenneth Scott Latourette
Schaff
-----Added 6/30/2009 at 11:12:52 EST-----
Don't forget Kenneth Scott Latourette; his is the best history of missions ever written.
Stephen Neill is also good for missions history.
Pergamum
"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Merle d'Aubigné - I love his non-contemporary attitude that God is an actor in history's drama
P. Schaff
Wm. Cunningham
J. Gonzalez, G. Marsden, M. Noll, I. Murray, and D. Bebbington are also very good, but probably too recent to know the enduring value of their scholarship.
Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)
Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?
Christusregnat (06-30-2009), KMK (06-30-2009), PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
D'Aubigne
Eusebius
Neander
For Schaff lovers, you may find this paper I did on Volume 1 of his history here.
Cheers,
Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA
Whisky may not cure the common cold, but it fails more agreeably than most other things.
brianeschen (07-01-2009), PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Curt Lovelace
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church (CBA)
Acton, Maine
Director, Lifework Forum
Sermons at SermonAudio.com/CBCActon
Blogging at Coffee with Curt
Berean (09-20-2009), PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Dr. Hannah is an excellent teacher on the subject. He also has some reformed leanings, although he is at DTS.
Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
In addition to Eusebius and Schaff I would Add J.N.D. Kelly.
J. David Kear
Sunday School Teacher
First Presbyterian Church
Villa Rica, Georgia
PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
OOOOO, good one Mr. Kear.
Schaff is definitely one of the three best. I think that Pelikan is a good contender. I'm not sure anyone has done history of doctrine better than he has (not even Harnack). Eusebius, d'Aubigne, Cunningham, Everett Ferguson are also all excellent.
Rev. Lane Keister
Teaching Elder, PCA, North Dakota (working out of bounds in a CRC and an RCA church)
http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com
http://brahmsgreenglove.blogspot.com
http://accenttranslation.blogspot.com
Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?
Classical Presbyterian (07-01-2009), PresbyDane (07-02-2009)
Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church; Creeds of Christendom
Reinhold Seeberg: Textbook of the History of Doctrines (Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte)
William Cunningham: Historical Theology; The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation
Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, 5 vols.
Richard A. Muller: Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics
J. N. D. Kelly: Early Christian Doctrines
-----Added 7/1/2009 at 09:55:14 EST-----
Etienne Gilson: The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy; Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages; The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas
Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal AnnChildren: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace
1. Eusebius
2. A.J Whylie
3. Schaff
Pastor Jerrold H. Lewis. (Dipl. IT; Assc. A; B.Th; M.Th Candidate, PRTS)
Lacombe Free Reformed Church
"A hot iron, though blunt, will pierce sooner than a cold one, though sharper."
JOHN FLAVEL
My Blog - Click HERE
Our Church site - Click HERE
We used Earle E. Cairns for our Church History class.
Amazon.com: Christianity Through the Centuries: Earle E. Cairns: Books
Nancy L./ [url]www.foundersbaptist.org[/url]
Spring, TX
Your will, Lord Jesus Christ! Nothing more... nothing less... nothing else.
Most Church Historians are either generalists or specialists. It is hard to break it down from there; but my list reflects men still living.
In terms of generalists: Noll (Turning Points is the best summary of Christian history), Nichols of Lancaster, very easy to read and well researched, and Justo Gonzalez (The Story of Christianity: excellent and thorough as he seeks to look at the theological, political, and sociological reasons Christians did things.)
In terms of specialists: Carl Trueman on the reformation ( I put him ahead of Schaefer, Scott Clark, Godfrey, Beeke, and Hoffecker) Michael Hayken on Patristics (we need a lot more men who know this time period. In terms of a sociological method I enjoy Rodney Stark's Cities of God and the Rise of Christianity.) And Nick Needham (4 volume set of 2000 Years of Christ's power). In terms of American history- George Marsden and DG Hart are both excellent. [I know that is 4; go ahead and sue me].
I do not like Eusebius, even though he is "the father of church history" because of his over all bias and favor of Constantine. He is helpful in the sense that when one reads him you understand how Christians thought and lived in that time.
Pittsburgh, PA
New Covenant PCA, a church replant that you could read about here.
Co-Director of Children's Ministry
Bible Teacher - Trinity Christian School
M. Div Candidate at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Blogger, Relentless Grace
1. Eusebius
2. Schaff
3. The third and final one here a bit hard. John Fox would probably been one of the most influential. But personally, I like Everett Ferguson/ Tom Nettles.
David Jolley
Currently SBC, may change
Confessions: 1680-SLBCF/ 2000-BFAM
Escondido, CA
1. Richard Muller
2. J.N.D Kelly
3. Henry/Owen Chadwick
Keith
Pastoral Worker and MDiv Student, PCI
Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
1) Philip Schaff
2) Eusebius
3) John Gerstner
Johnathan Tate
Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (OPC), Arden, NC
Husband of one, father of 3 (1 in-utero); Time's "Man of the Year" 2006
I am no expert, but three that I have benefited from:
1. Michael Haykin
2. C. Gregg Singer (Theological Interpretation of American History)
3. Hughes Oliphant Old (Reading and preaching of the scriptures series.)
Rob VanDoodewaard
Free Reformed Church
PRTS Student
Grand Rapids, MI
I'm surprised at all the commendations of Schaff. I soldiered through two volumes and found him turgid, tendentious, pompous and really surprisingly uninformative given the sheer quantity of words.
Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana
Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New; which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favour.
Francis Bacon, "Of Adversity"
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Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness
The reason that there are so many commendations of Schaff is because he is brilliant. I might grant you that he is turgid, but then again, who wasn't back then? He was an academic and it seems to me that the academic style back then was to be excessive and complex. As far as being tendentious and pompous he says things we might disagree with, but that hardly qualifies as tendentious or pompous. As to being uninformative, how on earth can you say that? Whoever reads Schaff and comes away uninformed either is really really smart or hasn't taken care in reading him. Every time I pick up Schaff, I am amazed at the vastness of his learning, and the range of his abilities. I really hope that one day I can have a quarter of the knowledge and ability that he had.
Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal AnnChildren: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace
On a related note, is there any such thing as an "Adult Sunday School" curriculum that could give a rough outline of church history in a year's time - maybe something of a mix between lecture and video. Something to inform the lay person who is not going to pickup Schaff, etc. but who is interested enough to attend a weekly SS class for a year to become informed? Or am I dreaming?
Warren
Member, PCA
South Carolina
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek"
Romans 1:16
As far as Reformation history, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Heiko Oberman. I never knew the man, but one of my undergrad history profs was a student of his and he has been hugely influential in modern historical studies. Steven Ozment (another student of Oberman) is also worth reading and Richard Muller has also been mentioned a couple of times. On North American church history, Nathan Hatch (The Democratization of American Christianity), D.G. Hart, and George Marsden are excellent.
Wes Bredenhof
Pastor, Providence Canadian Reformed Church
Hamilton, Ontario
www.bredenhof.ca
Gospel Talk Radio Program
In terms of Sunday School education curriculum I have no idea. Your best bet is to read Turning Points by Noll; Crossway sells another overview but I forget the author. I teach church history at a local Christian school and have lots of notes on the subject, perhaps I can turn it into a SS. curriculum. Most pastors study our history in great detail and are a tremendous resource.
Pittsburgh, PA
New Covenant PCA, a church replant that you could read about here.
Co-Director of Children's Ministry
Bible Teacher - Trinity Christian School
M. Div Candidate at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Blogger, Relentless Grace
Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana
Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New; which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favour.
Francis Bacon, "Of Adversity"
Board Rules - Signature Requirements - Suggestions?
Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness


Alister McGrath- His books are very well written and easy to read, even when they deal with a technical subject, like Iustitia Dei.
Mark Noll- I put him in here just for his work done on American Christianity. His book America's God helped me greatly in understanding the religious atmosphere of 21st century American Christianity.
I haven't read much too many church historians, so I don't know if either of them qualify as the best, but they both write in an accessible style and seem to be non-partisan in their interpretations of history(i.e. Mark Noll disapproving of evangelicalism, yet writing The Age of Evangelicalism which convicted me more than ever that evangelicalism is an accurate representation of biblical Christianity).
What about historians dealing with the 1st and 2nd centuries of Christianity? Does anyone have any suggestion for a historian that specializes in that time?
Andrew C.
IFB
LBCF 1689
Plus, he was a liberal, and his liberalism is the most dangerous kind: the kind that pretends to be orthodox. I did a book review you may want to read.
Cheers,
Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA
Whisky may not cure the common cold, but it fails more agreeably than most other things.
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