Читать книгу Church History (Vol.1-3) - J. H. Kurtz - Страница 8

The sources of Church history are partly original, in the shape of inscriptions and early documents; partly derivative, in the shape of traditions and researches in regard to primitive documents that have meanwhile been lost. Of greater importance to church history than the so-called dumb sources, e.g. church buildings, furniture, pictures, are the inscriptions coming down from the earliest times; but of the very highest importance are the extant official documents, e.g. acts and decisions of Church Councils, decrees and edicts of the Popes—decretals, bulls, briefs—the pastoral letters of bishops, civil enactments and decrees regarding ecclesiastical matters, the rules of Spiritual Orders, monastic rules, liturgies, confessional writings, the epistles of influential ecclesiastical and civil officers, reports by eye witnesses, sermons and doctrinal treatises by Church teachers, etc. In regard to matters not determined by any extant original documents, earlier or later fixed traditions and historical researches must take the place of those lost documents.—Sciences Auxiliary to Church History are such as are indispensable for the critical estimating and sifting, as well as for the comprehensive understanding of the sources of church history. To this class the following branches belong: Diplomatics, which teaches how to estimate the genuineness, completeness, and credibility of the documents in question; Philology, which enables us to understand the languages of the sources; Geography and Chronology, which make us acquainted with the scenes and periods where and when the incidents related in the original documents were enacted. Among auxiliary sciences in the wider sense, the history of the State, of Law, of Culture, of Literature, of Philosophy, and of Universal Religion, may also be included as indispensable owing to their intimate connection with ecclesiastical development.

§ 4.1. Literature of the Sources.—

1 Inscriptions:de Rossi, “Inscriptt. chr. urbis Rom.” Vols. I. II., Rome, 1857.

2 Collections of Councils:Harduin [Hardouin], “Conc. coll.” (to A.D. 1715), 12 vols., Par., 1715.Mansi, “Conc. nova et ampl. coll.” 31 vols., Flor., 1759.

3 Papal Acts:Jaffe, “Regesta pont. Rom.” (to A.D. 1198), 2 ed., Brl., 1881.Potthast, “Regesta pont. Rom.” (A.D. 1198–1304), 2 Vols., Brl., 1873.The Papal Decretals in “Corp. jur. Canonici.” ed., Friedberg, Lips., 1879.“Bullarum, diplom. et privil. SS. rom. pont.” Taurenensis editio, 24 vols., 1857 ff.Nussi, “Conventiones de reb. eccl. inter s. sedem et civ. pot. initæ.” Mogunt., 1870.

4 Monastic Rules:Holstenii, “Cod. regul. mon. et. can.” 6 vols., 1759.

5 Liturgies:Daniel, “Cod. liturg. eccl. univ.” 4 vols., Leipz., 1847 ff.Hammond, “Ancient Liturgies.” Oxf., 1878.

6 Symbolics:Kimmel, “Ll. Symb. eccl. Orient.” Jena., 1843.Danz, “Ll. Symb. eccl. Rom. Cath.” Weimar, 1835.Hase, “Ll. Symb. eccl. evang.” Ed. iii., Leipz., 1840.Niemeyer, “Coll. Conf. eccl. Ref.” Leipz., 1840.Schaff, “Creeds of Christendom.” 3 vols., Lond., 1882.

7 Martyrologies:Ruinart, “Acta prim. Mart.” 3 vols., 1802.Assemanni [Assemani], “Acta SS. Mart. orient. et occid.” 2 vols., Rome, 1748.

8 Greek and Latin Church Fathers and Teachers:Migne, “Patrologiæ currus completus.” Ser. I., Eccl. Græc., 162 vols., Par., 1857 ff.; Ser. II., Eccl. Lat., 221 vols., Par., 1844 ff.Horoy, “Media ævi biblioth. patrist.” (from A.D. 1216 to 1564), Paris, 1879.“Corpus Scriptorum eccl. lat.” Vindob., 1866 ff.Grabe, “Spicilegium SS. Pp. et Hærett.” Sæc. I.-III., 3 vols., Oxford, 1698.Routh, “Reliquiæ sac.” 4 vols., Oxford, 1814 ff.“Ante-Nicene Christian Library; a collection of all the works of the Fathers of the Christian Church prior to the Council of Nicæa.” 24 vols., Edin., 1867 ff.

9 Ancient Writers of the East:Assemanus [Assemani], “Biblioth. orient.” 4 vols., Rome, 1719.

10 Byzantine Writers:Niebuhr, “Corp. scr. hist. Byz.” 48 vols., Bonn, 1828 ff.Sathas, “Biblioth. Græc. Med. ævi.” Vols. I.-VI., Athens, 1872 ff.

§ 4.2. Literature of the Auxiliary Sciences.—

1 Diplomatics:Mabillon, “De re diplomatic.” Ed. ii., Par., 1709.

2 Philology:Du Fresne (du Cange), “Glossarium ad scriptt. med. et infim. Latin.” 6 vols., Par., 1733; New ed., Henschel and Favre, in course of publication.Du Fresne, “Glossarium, ad scriptt. med. et infim. Græc.” 2 vols., Leyden, 1688.Suiceri, “Thesaurus ecclesiast. e patribus græcis.” Ed. ii., 2 vols., Amst., 1728.

3 Geography and Statistics:Mich. le Quien, “Oriens christianus in quatuor patriarchatus digestus.” 3 vols., Par., 1704.

4 Chronology:Nicolas, “The Chronology of History.” 2 ed., Lond., 1838.“L’art de verifier les dates, by d’Antine.” Etc., ed. by Courcelles, 19 vols., Par., 1821–1824.