The Rise of the Mediaeval Church And Its Influence on the...

A.—Before the Reformation: I.—Greek: 1.—Hegesippus, a Christian Jew in Asia Minor (2d cent.), wrote a Church history in five books. Based on traditions. Only fragments preserved. See Ante-Nic. Lib., viii., 762-5. See Eusebius. 2.—Eusebius (d. 340), "Father of Church History," wrote a history of Church to 324. Valuable storehouse. Various Eng. translations. That by McGiffert, N. Y., 1890, in Nic. and Post-Nic. Fathers, i., is the best. 3.—Socrates (d. 408), a lawyer, continued Eusebius to 439. Bohn. Nic. and Post-Nic. Fathers, ii. 4.—Sozomen (d. 400), a lawyer, continued Eusebius to 423. Ibid. Bohn. 5.—Theodoret (d. 457), a bishop, aimed to complete Socrates and Sozomen. Ibid. Bohn. 6.—Evagrius (d. 537), a lawyer, continued Theodoret. Bohn. Bagster, Eccles. Historians. For other Greek historians, lost or not in English, see Alzog, i., § 17; Schaff, i., 29. II.—Latin—to the Reformation: 1.—Rufinus (b. 345), a priest, translated Eusebius and added an inaccurate history of the Arians (318-395). Preface only in Eng. Nic. and Post-Nic. Fathers, iii., 565. 2.—Severus (b. 363), a Gallic priest, wrote the history of the world to 400. Good for Gaul. Ib., xi., 71-122. 3.—Orosius (5th cent.), a Spanish priest, wrote a world history to 416. Used as a text-book in Middle Ages. Bohn. 4.—Cassiodorus (d. 562), a statesman and abbot, compiled a Church history from Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret. This is the famous "Tripartite History." It served as a text-book throughout the Middle Ages. Not in Eng.

See Migne, Patrologia, lxix., and Hodgkin, The Letters of Cassiodorus. 5.—Gregory of Tours (d. 594), a bishop, wrote a valuable history of the Frankish Church. Not in Eng. 6.—Venerable Bede (d. 735), "Father of English Church History," wrote a history of the English Church to 731. Many Eng. eds. 7.—Paul Warnefried (d. 799), a Lombard monk wrote a History of the Langobards. Tr. by Foulke, U. of Pa. Transl. and Rep. Phil. 1907. 8.—Haymo (d. 853), bishop of Halberstädt, abridged Rufinus and added notes of his own. Not in Eng. 9.—Anastasius (d. 886), abbot and papal librarian at Rome, compiled a Church history from the Greek writers. Not in Eng. 10.—Flodoard (d. 966), a bishop, wrote a history of the Church of Rheims to 948. Not in Eng. 11.—Luitprand (d. 972), bishop of Cremona, wrote a chronicle and a report of his embassy to Constantinople. See Pertz, Mon. Ger., iii., 264; Henderson, Hist. Docs. of the M. A., 441. 12.—Adam of Bremen (d. 1076), a canon, wrote the only reliable history of the Scandinavian Church from 788 to 1076. Not in Eng. 13.—Orderic Vital (d. 1142), abbot in Normandy, wrote a Church history to 1142. Best work of the Middle Ages. In Eng., Bohn. Vols. 27, 28, 30, 36. 14.—Ptolemy of Lucca (d. 1312), a Dominican, and papal librarian, wrote a Church history to 1312. Not in Eng. 15.—St. Antoninus (d. 1459), archbishop of Florence, wrote the largest mediæval work from the creation to 1457. Not in Eng. 16.—Laurentius Valla (d. 1457), an Italian critic and scholar, wrote a history of the Church. Denounced the "Donation of Constantine" as a forgery.

Work full of doubt. Not in Eng. 17.—Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464), a cardinal, was a radical critic in his early days but temperate in later life. His works not in Eng. 18.—John of Tritenheim (d. 1516) was among the first historians to write from the sources. Not in Eng. 19.—Albert Cranz (d. 1517), a canon of Hamburg, wrote "The Metropolis," a critical history of the Church in northern Germany from 780 to 1504. Not in Eng.

B.—Roman Catholic historians after the Reformation: I.—Italian: 1.—Baronius (d. 1607), a cardinal, wrote Annales Ecclesiastici in 12 fol. vols. The work of 30 years. Invaluable. Not in Eng. Written to refute the Protestant Magdeburg Centuries. Continued from 1198 to 1566 by Raynaldus, to 1571 by Laderchi, to 1584 by Theiner. Pagi made valuable corrections. Best defence of the mediæval papacy. 2.—Caspar Saccarelli wrote Historia Ecclesiastica to 1185. Pub. in Rome, 1771-96, in 25 quarto vols. 3.—Muratori (d. 1750) made a valuable collection of Italian historians and original documents from 500 to 1500. Not in Eng. 4.—Mansi (d. 1769) edited a valuable and very complete edition of the councils. Not in Eng. 5.—Orsi (1761), a Dominican cardinal, wrote a Church history for the first six centuries. Continued by others to the Council of Trent. Not in Eng. For other Italian historians see Alzog, i., 49. II.—French: 1.—Natalis Alexander (d. 1724) wrote a clear, deep Church history to 1600. Its Gallican spirit put it in the Index till corrected. 2.—Abbé Fleury (d. 1723) wrote a Church history to 1414 in 20 vols. from the sources. Continued to 1595 by Fabre. First 3 vols. pub. in Eng. at Oxf., in 1842. 3.—Bossuet (d. 1704), the bishop of Meaux, wrote a "Discourse on Universal History." In Eng. Continued by Cramer, a German Protestant. 4.—Tillemont (d. 1698), a nobleman and priest, wrote fine biographies to 516 from the sources.

An excellent piece of work in 16 vols. 5.—Du Pin (d. 1719) furnished a biographical and bibliographical Church history to the 17th century. 6.—Ceillier (d. 1763) wrote a similar work but more complete and valuable. 7.—Darras (d. 1872). A General History of the Catholic Church. Transl. by Spaulding. 4 vols. Not reliable. III.—German: 1.—Count Leopold von Stolberg (d. 1819), an ex-Protestant, wrote a Church history to 430 in 15 vols. Kerz continued it in 30 more vols. to 1192 and Brischar in 9 more vols. to 1245. 2.—Theodore Katerkamp (d. 1834), a professor at Munster, and a friend of Stolberg, wrote a history to 1153. 3.—Locherer (d. 1837), a professor at Giessen, produced a very liberal work up to 1073. 4.—Döllinger (d. 1890), a professor in Munich, was the most learned historian of the Catholic Church in the 19th cent. Was excommunicated for refusing to accept the Vatican decrees (1871). Most of his many works have been translated into Eng. 5.—Hefele (d. 1893), a professor at Tübingen and a bishop, wrote History of the Councils to 1447. An excellent piece of work. Completed by Hergenröther. In Eng. 6.—Gfrörer (d. 1861) began his learned Church history as a rationalist (1841) and continued it from 1056 on as a Catholic. 7.—Hergenröther (d. 1890), cardinal and keeper of the papal archives at Rome, wrote a general history of the Church which is very partisan. IV.—English and American: 1.—Newman (d. 1890), an English cardinal, wrote The Arians of the Fourth Century (1883), Church of the Fathers, and many other historical works. 2.—Allies, The Formation of Christendom.

Lond., 1882-91. 7 vols. 3.—Spalding (1872), an American prelate, wrote The History of the Protestant Reformation, 2 vols., 1860, and edited Darras's General History of the Catholic Church. (1868) 4.—Gibbons (b. 1834), cardinal in the U. S., wrote Faith of Our Fathers and other historical works.

C.—Protestant Church Historians: I.—German: 1.—Matthias Flacius Illyricus (d. 1575), with ten educated Protestant scholars, produced the Centuriæ Magdeburgenses, covering 13 centuries in 13 vols., to justify the Reformation. Controversial. 2.—Hottinger (d. 1664) wrote a partisan history to 16th cent. in 9 vols. Not original. 3.—Spanheim (d. 1649) worked out a history from the sources to 16th cent. Aimed at Baronius. Eng. transl. 4.—Arnold (d. 1714) wrote an Impartial History of the Church and of Heretics to 1688. "Learned, but fanatical." 5.—Mosheim (d. 1755) wrote Institutes of Ecclesiastical History. Marks an epoch in the writing of Church history. Several Eng. transls. 6.—Schröckh (d. 1808) wrote large work in 45 vols. on epoch plan, to end of 18th cent. Rich in historical material. 7.—Henke (d. 1809) wrote a general history in a very rationalistic style. 8.—Neander (d. 1850), professor in Berlin, the "Father of Modern Church History," wrote A General History of the Christian Religion and Church to 1430. Based on the sources. Several Eng. transls. Torrey's the best. 9.—Gieseler (d. 1854), professor in Göttingen, wrote a history from the sources to 1648. Various Eng. transls. Excellent. 10.—Baur (d. 1860), professor in Tübingen, produced a History of the Christian Church in 5 vols. In Eng. 11.—Hagenbach (d. 1874), professor in Basle, wrote a general history of the Church in 7 vols. In Eng.

II.—French: 1.—Chastel (d. 1886), professor at Geneva, wrote a complete history of the Church in 5 vols. 2.—D'Aubigné (d. 1872), professor at Geneva, wrote a general history of the Reformation in 13 vols. In Eng. 3.—Renan, E. (d. 1892), was educated for the Catholic priesthood, but he early gave up that calling and devoted himself to history and literature. He produced many works of great value on early Church history. III.—English: 1.—Gibbon (d. 1794) devoted twenty years to his history of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. To 1453. Still very valuable. Best ed. by Bury. Lond., 1896. 2.—Milner (d. 1797) wrote a History of the Church of Christ in popular form. 3.—Dean Waddington (d. 1869) penned six "high and dry" vols. on the Church. 4.—Robertson (d. 1882), professor in King's College, London, wrote a History of the Christian Church to 1517. Fairly well done from the sources. 5.—Milman (d. 1868), among other works, wrote the History of Latin Christianity to 1455 in 8 vols. Excellent. 6.—Dean Stanley (d. 1881) has given us histories of the Eastern Church and Jewish Church in a pure, plain style. 7.—Creighton (d. 1901), has written the best History of the Papacy from the Great Schism to the Sack of Rome. 6 vols. Invaluable.

IV.—American: 1.—Smith (d. 1877), professor in Union Theological Seminary, worked out the history of Christianity in 16 chronological tables, (1860). 2.—Shedd (d. 1894), professor in Union Theological Seminary, wrote a History of Christian Doctrine in 2 vols. 1863. 3.—Schaff (d. 1893), professor in Union Theological Seminary, a disciple of Neander, wrote, in addition to other works of value, a History of the Christian Church. To the Reformation. 7 vols. Excellent. Vol. 5, by D. S. Schaff. 4.—Sheldon (b. 1845) has written an excellent history of doctrine and also of the Church. 5 vols. 1896. 5.—Allen (d. 1908) wrote Christian History in Three Great Decades in 3 vols. 1883. 6.—Fisher (b. 1827), professor in Yale, has produced several valuable books on Church history. 7.—White (d. 1885) wrote Eighteen Christian Centuries. 8.—Lea (b. 1825) has written invaluable monographs on the Inquisition, Indulgences, Celibacy, etc., which have given him a world-wide reputation. 9.—Other Americans who are doing good work in Church history are: Jackson, Hurst, Baird, Thompson, Mombert, Gillett, Storrs, Taylor, Clark, Emerton, Bigelow, West, Fulton, Jacobs, Newman, Zenos, Dexter, McGiffert, Dryer, Faulkner, etc.