Perhaps the best modern division is that of Schaff, who proposes nine periods, viz., three ancient, three viediaval, three modern, viz. : I. The Apostolic Church, A.D. 1-100. II. The Church persecuted as a sect, to Constantine, the first Christian emperor, A.D. 100-311. III. The Church in union with the Grasco-Roman em- pire, and amid the storms of the great migration, to pope Gregory I, A.D. 311-590. IV. The Church i)lant- ed among the Germanic nations, to Ilildebrand, A.D. 590-1049. V. The Church under the papal hierarchy and the scholastic theology, to Boniface VIII, A.D. 1049-1294. VI. The deca}' of mediaeval Catholicism, and the preparatory movements of Protestantism, A.D. 1294-1517. VII. The evangelical reformation and the Roman Catholic reaction, A.D. 1517-1600. VIII. The age of polemic orthodoxy and exclusive confession- alism, A.D. 1600-1750. IX. The spread of infidelity and the revival of Christianity in Europe and Ameri- ca, from 1750 to the present time {Ch. Hist, i, 14). Dr. J. A. Alexander {Op. cit. p. 214 sq.) objects to the minute and fixed rubrical arrangement on various grounds, and proposes to set it aside altogether " as a framework running through the history and determining its whole form, and to substitute a natural arrangement of the topics by combining a general chronological order with a due regard to the mutual relative importance of the topics themselves, so that what is prominent at one time may be wholly in the background at another, instead of giving all an equal prominence at all times, by applying the same scheme or formula to all alike. This natural method, so called to distinguish it from every artificial or conventional arrangement, far from being new, is recommended by the practice and exam- ple of the best historians in every language and in ev- ery age, affording a presumptive, if not a conclusive, proof both of its theoretical consistency and of its prac- tical efficiencj' and usefulness, and, at the same time, a convenient means of keeping this and other parts of universal history in mutual connection and agreement with each other." See also Baur, Epochen d. kirch- lichen Geschicht schreihung (Tubin2;en, 1852).
III. Branches of Church History. — The number of branches into which the history is divided will of course depend upon the method adopted (see above ; but the historian, besides setting forth the progress of Christianity in the world and its vicissitudes, must also treat, more or less fully, of the constitution and government of the Church (ecclesiastical polity); of the history of doctrines ; of worship, religious usages, domestic life ; of creeds, etc. Some of these are of so great importance as to justify treatment in separate books, and they have, in fact, grown to be independent branches of science : e. g. archa;ology, history of doc- trines, symbolics, patristics and patrology (the doc- trine and literature of the fathers, etc.), history of councils. Church polity, etc.
IV. Sources of Church History. — For the history of the Jewish Church and of the Apostolical Church, we find our sources of information in the O. and N. Testa- ments. For the histor\- since the closing of the ( 'anon, the sources are given by Kurtz as follows: "They are parth- primary (original), such as monuments and original documents ; partly secondary (derived), among which we reckon traditions, and reported researches of original sources which have since been lost. Monu- ments, such as ecclesiastical buildings, pictures, and inscriptions, are commonh' only of veiy subordinate use in Church history. But archives, preserved and handed down, are of the very greatest importance. To this class also belong the acts and decrees of ecclesias- tical councils ; the regesta and official decrees of the popes (decretals, briefs) and of bishops (pastoral let- ters) ; the laws and regesta issuing from imperial chan- cellories, so far as these refer to ecclesiastical affairs ; the rules of monastic orders, liturgies, confessions of faith, letters of personages influential in Church or State; reports of eye-witnesses; sermons and doctrinal
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 37 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
treatises of acknowledged theologians, etc. If the doc- uments in existence are found insufficient, we must have recourse to earlier or later traditions, and to the historical investigations of those who had access to original documents which are now no longer extant" {Text-booh of Church History^ vol. i, § 3). "The pri- vate writings of personal actors in the history, the works of the Church fiithers for the first six centuries, of the scholastic and mystic divines for the Middle Ages, and of the Reformers and their opponents for the IGth century, are the richest mines for the histo- rian. They give history in its birtli and actual move- ment; liut the}' must be carefully sifted and weighed, especially tlie controversial writings, where fact is gen- erally more or less adulterated with party spirit, heret- ical and orthodox" (Schaff, Church History, vol. i, § 3). V. Literature. — (1.) Aijostolic Church. The Acts of the Apostles may be regarded as the first Church his- tor}', for they describe the planting of the Church among Jews and Gentiles from Jerusalem to Eome. (In wliat follows we make free use of Dr. Schaff, vol. i.) (2.) Greek Church. Eusebius (q. v.) won by his Church history (iKKXijaiaaTiict) taropict, up to A.D. 324) the title of the Father of Church historj', though he was able to make use of tlie work of a predecessor, Hege- sippus (about A.D. 150). Eusebius is learned, moder- ate, and truth-loving, and made use of man}' sources of information which are now lost. As a work of art his worlc is inferior to the classic historians. It was continued on the same plan and in a similar spirit b}' Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret in the fifth, and bj' the Arians Theodorus and Evagrius in tlie sixtli centu- ries. Among the later Greek Church historians Nice- pliorus Callistus (aVwut 1333) deserves mention. A Church history in the modern Greek Cliurch was be- gun in 18G6 bj' Const. Kontogonis ('E/o/cX/jfriatrri/c/) IcTTOpLa c'nro ri/c SreUig avcTaauoQ rrjij t\-(cX?;iT(«^ fii- Xpi Twv Ka^ >//(flc xpoj'oij^, vol. i, Athens, 18GG). (3.) The Latin Church before the Reformation was long con- tent with translations and extracts from Eusebius and his continuators, and but one work of consequence was produced during the Middle Ages. (4.) The Roman Church afoer the Reformation. At the head of Roman writers in Church history stands cardinal Baronius (f 1607), whose Annales Lcclesiastici CRome, 1588 sq., 12 vols, fol.) come down to the year 1188. They were continued, though with less ability, liy Raynaldus, Bzovius, Spondanus, and verj' recenth', from the j-ear 1572, l)y Theiner (Rome, 1853 sq., fol.). The Annales were designed as a refutation of the Magdeburg Cen- turies (see Centuries), and were refuted in part not only l)y several Protestant writers, but also by Roman scholars, e. g. by Pagi. The work of Natalis Alexan- der (t 1724), Ilistoria Ecclesiiutica V. et N. T. (Par. 1699 sq., 8 vols. fol. ; Bingii, 1785-91, 20 vols.), is Gallican, learned, and, on the whole, a very valuable -work. Fleurj' (Ilistoire Eccledastiqne, Par. 1G91-1720, 20 vols. 4to) commends himself by mildness of spirit, fluenc}' of style, and copiousness of material. Bossuet (f 1704) wrote in a very elegant stj'le a history of the world : Discours sur lllistoire Universelle depuis le commence- ment du mcmde jusqii a rempire de Charlemagne (Par- is, 1G81). Tillemont (f 1G98) compiled, almost en- tirely in the words of the original authorities, his Me- moires pour servir a I'hisfoire eccUsiastique des six pre- miers sH'cles (Paris, 1G93 sq., 4to), which is the most thorough of all the French Church histories. The first comprehensive work in Roman Catholic Germany was commenced bj' count Stolberg, Geschichte der Re- ligion Jesu Christi (Hamburg, 180G-1818, 8vo). The 15 vols, which he completed bring the history down to the year 430. The work is very copious, and written with the enthusiasm of a poet, but is not critical. The con- tinuation, by Kerz (vols. lG-38, 8vo, Mentz, 1824-51, to A.D. 1300) and Brischar (vol. 39 sq., 8vo), are still inferior. The work of Katerkamp ( Kirchengeschichle) (1819-30 to 1073, 4 parts, 8vo) is by far more 'thorough.