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The treatment of Church History, on account of its manifold ramifications, demands a distribution of its material, on the one hand, according to definite periods, during which the end hitherto aimed at in the whole course of development has been practically attained, so that either entirely new phenomena gain prominence, or else the old go forth in an altogether different direction; on the other hand, according to the various phases of endeavour and development, which in respect of time are evolved alongside of one another. When this last-mentioned method of division is adopted, we may still choose between two different modes of treatment. First, we may deal with national churches, in so far as these are independent and have pursued some special direction; or with particular churches, which have originated from the splitting up of the church universal over some important difference in doctrine, worship, and constitution. Secondly, we may group our material according to the various departments of historical activity, which are essential to the intellectual and spiritual life of all national churches and denominations, and are thus common to all, although in different churches in characteristic ways and varying degrees. It follows however from the very idea of history, especially from that of the universal history of the church, that the distribution according to periods must be the leading feature of the entire exposition. At the same time, whatever may now and again, in accordance with the other principles of arrangement, be brought into prominence will be influenced materially by the course of the history and formally by the facility afforded for review by the mode of treatment pursued.

§ 2.1. The Various Branches Included in a Complete Course of Church History.—The Christian Church has undertaken the task of absorbing all peoples and tongues. Hence it is possessed of an eager desire to enlarge its borders by the conversion of all non-Christian races. The description of what helps or hinders this endeavour, the history of the spread and limitation of Christianity, is therefore an essential constituent of church history. Since, further, the church, in order to secure its continued existence and well-being, must strive after a legally determined position outwardly, as well as a firm, harmonious articulation, combination and order inwardly, it evidently also belongs to our science to give the history of the ecclesiastical constitution, both of the place which the church has in the state, and the relation it bears to the state; and also of its own internal arrangements by superordination, subordination, and co-ordination, and by church discipline and legislation. Not less essential, nay, even more important for the successful development of the church, is the construction and establishment of saving truth. In Holy Scripture the church indeed has possession of the fountain and standard, as well as the all-sufficient power and fulness, of all saving knowledge. But the words of Scripture are spirit and life, living seeds of knowledge, which, under the care of the same Spirit who sows them, may and shall be developed so as to yield a harvest which becomes ever more and more abundant; and therefore the fulness of the truth which dwells in them comes to be known more simply, clearly, fully, and becomes always more fruitful for all stages and forms of culture, for faith, for science, and for life. Hence church history is required to describe the construction of the doctrine and science of the church, to follow its course and the deviations from it into heresy, whenever these appear. The church is, further, in need of a form of public worship as a necessary expression of the feelings and emotions of believers toward their Lord and God, as a means of edification and instruction. The history of the worship of the church is therefore also an essential constituent of church history. It is also the duty of the church to introduce into the practical life and customs of the people that new spiritual energy of which she is possessor. And thus the history of the Christian life among the people comes to be included in church history as a further constituent of the science. Further, there is also included here, in consequence of the nature and aim of Christianity as a leaven (Matt. xiii. 33), an account of the effects produced upon it by the development of art (of which various branches, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, have a direct connexion with Christian worship), and likewise upon national literature, philosophy, and secular science generally; and also, conversely, an estimate of the influence of these forms of secular culture upon the condition of the church and religion must not be omitted. The order of succession in the historical treatment of these phases under which the life of the church is manifested, is not to be rigidly determined in the same way for all ages after an abstract logical scheme. For each period that order of succession should be adopted which will most suitably give prominence to those matters which have come to the front, and so call for early and detailed treatment in the history of that age.

§ 2.2. The Separate Branches of Church History.—The constituent parts of church history that have been already enumerated are of such importance that they might also be treated as independent sciences, and indeed for the most part they have often been so treated. In this way, not only is a more exact treatment of details rendered possible, but also, what is more important, the particular science so limited can be construed in a natural manner according to principles furnished by itself. The history of the spread and limitation of Christianity then assumes a separate form as the History of Missions. The separate history of the ecclesiastical constitution, worship, and customs is known by the name of Christian Archæology, which is indeed, in respect of title and contents, an undefined conglomeration of heterogeneous elements restricted in a purely arbitrary way to the early ages. The treatment of this department therefore requires that we should undertake the scientific task of distinguishing these heterogeneous elements, and arranging them apart for separate consideration; thus following the course of their development down to the present day, as the history of the constitution, of the worship, and of the culture of the church. The history of the development of doctrine falls into four divisions:

1 The History of Doctrines in the form of a regular historical sketch of the doctrinal development of the church.

2 Symbolics, which gives a systematic representation of the relatively final and concluded doctrine of the church as determined in the public ecclesiastical confessions or symbols for the church universal and for particular sects: these again being compared together in Comparative Symbolics.

3 Patristics, which deals with the subjective development of doctrine as carried out by the most distinguished teachers of the church, who are usually designated church Fathers, and confined to the first six or eight centuries.

4 And, finally, the History of Theology in general, or the History of the particular Theological Sciences, which treats of the scientific conception and treatment of theology and its separate branches according to its historical development; while the History of Theological Literature, which when restricted to the age of the Fathers is called Patrology, has to describe and estimate the whole literary activity of the church according to the persons, motives, and tendencies that are present in it.

As the conclusion and result of church history at particular periods, we have the science of Ecclesiastical Statistics, which describes the condition of the church in respect of all its interests as it stands at some particular moment, “like a slice cut cross-wise out of its history.” The most important works in these departments are the following:

1 History of Missions.—Brown, “Hist. of Propag. of Christ. among Heathen since Reformation.” 3rd Ed., 3 vols., Edin., 1854.Warneck, “Outlines of Hist. of Prot. Miss.” Edin., 1884.Smith, “Short Hist. of Christ. Miss.” Edin., 1884.

2 History of the Papacy.—Ranke, “History of Papacy in 16th and 17th Cent.” 2 vols., Lond., 1855.Platina (Lib. of Vatican), “Lives of Popes.” (1481). Trans. by Rycaut, Lond., 1685.Bower, “Hist. of Popes.” 7 vols., Lond., 1750.Bryce, “Holy Rom. Empire.” Lond., 1866.Creighton, “Hist. of Papacy during the Reformation.” Vols. I.-IV., from A.D. 1378–1518, Lond., 1882–1886.Janus, “Pope and the Council.” Lond., 1869.Pennington, “Epochs of the Papacy.” Lond., 1882.

3 History of Monasticism.—Hospinianus [Hospinian], “De Monachis.” Etc., Tigur., 1609.Maitland, “The Dark Ages.” Lond., 1844.

4 History of Councils.—Hefele, “Hist. of Councils.” Vols. I.-III., to A.D. 451, Edin., 1871–1883. (Original German work brought down to the Council of Trent exclusive.)

5 Church law.—Haddan and Stubbs, “Councils and Eccl. Documents illust. Eccl. Hist. of Gr. Brit. and Ireland.” 3 vols., Lond., 1869 ff.Phillimore, “Eccl. Law.” Lond., 1873.

6 Archæology.—By Cath. Didron, “Christ. Iconography; or, Hist. of Christ. Art in M. A.” Lond., 1886.By Prot. Bingham, “Antiq. of Christ. Church.” 9 vols., Lond., 1845.“Dictionary of Christ. Antiquities.” Ed. by Smith & Cheetham, 2 vols., Lond., 1875 ff.

7 History of Doctrines.—Neander, “Hist. of Christ. Doct.” 2 vols., Lond.Hagenbach, “Hist. of Christ. Doctrines.” 3 vols., Edin., 1880 f.Shedd, “Hist. of Christ. Doc.” 2 vols., Edin., 1869.

8 Symbolics and Polemics.—Winer, “Confessions of Christendom.” Edin., 1873.Schaff, “Creeds of Christendom.” 3 vols., Edin., 1877 ff.Möhler, “Symbolism: an Expos. of the Doct. Differences between Catholics and Protestants.” 2 vols., Lond., 1843.

9 Patrology and History of Theolog. Literature.—Dupin, “New History of Ecclesiastical Writers.” Lond., 1696.Cave, “Script. Eccl. Hist. Lit.” 2 vols., Lond., 1668.Fabricii, “Biblioth. Græca.” 14 vols., Hamb., 1705; “Biblioth. Mediæ et infinæ Latin.” 6 vols., Hamb., 1734.Teuffel, “Hist. of Rom. Lit.” 2 vols., Lond., 1873.

10 History of the Theological Sciences.—Buddæus, “Isagoge Hist. Theol. ad Theol. Univ.” Lps., 1727.Räbiger, “Encyclopædia of Theology.” 2 vols., Edin., 1884.Dorner, “Hist. of Prot. Theol.” 2 vols., Edin., 1871.History of Exegesis.—Davidson, “Sacred Hermeneutics; including Hist. of Biblical Interpretation from earliest Fathers to Reformation.” Edin., 1843.Farrar, “Hist. of Interpretation.” Lond., 1886.History of Morals.—Wuttke’s “Christian Ethics.” Vol. I., “Hist. of Ethics.” Edin., 1873.

11 Biographies.—“Acta Sanctorum.” 63 vols. fol., Ant., 1643 ff.Mabillon, “Acta Ss. ord. S. Bened.” 9 vols. fol., Par., 1666 ff.Flaccius [Flacius], “Catalog. Testium Veritatis.” 1555.Piper, “Lives of Leaders of Church Universal.” 2 vols., Edin.Smith and Wace, “Dict. of Chr. Biog.” etc., 4 vols., Lond., 1877 ff.