Church history

Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception.

This article is about the academic discipline. For an overview of the history of the Christian religion, see History of Christianity. For other uses, see Church History (disambiguation) and Ecclesiastical History (disambiguation).
"Church historian" redirects here. For the official of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, see Church Historian and Recorder.

Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the history of civilized people ever since our Master's coming".[1] A. M. Renwick, however, defines it as an account of the Church's success and failure in carrying out Christ's Great Commission.[2] Renwick suggests a fourfold division of church history into missionary activity, church organization, doctrine and "the effect on human life".

Church history is often, but not always, studied from a Christian perspective. Writers from different Christian traditions will often highlight people and events particularly relevant to their own denominational history. Catholic and Orthodox writers often highlight the achievements of the ecumenical councils, while evangelical historians may focus on the Protestant Reformation and the Great Awakenings.

Notable church historians

See also

References
  1. Henry Melvill Gwatkin, Early Church History to A.D. 313, p. 4.
  2. A. M. Renwick and A. M. Harman, The Story of the Church (3rd ed.), p. 8.

Further reading
  • Reinhold Zippelius, Staat und Kirche. Eine Geschichte von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, 2nd ed. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, 2009, ISBN 978-3-16-150016-9
  • Church History and Religious Culture journal. http://www.brill.com/chrch%5B%5D


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