Recomendation

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cemccorkle

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Hello,

I’m currently reading Justo Gonzalez The Story of Christianity, which is telling the story from a Protestant perspective. Once I finish this I would love to read a book on Church History written by a Catholic, what are some of the best ones out there?

Thanks,

Chad
 
Why would you want to read a book about Catholic history that was written by Catholics, when you can read the *actual *history written by Catholics?

You would start with the Bible. You have probably heard of it, and you likely have one in your own home. That is your starting point. You cannot understand the Catholic Church apart from the Bible.

Then you would probably want to read the writings of those who were around in the earliest days of Christianity. We call these the Early Church Fathers (commonly abbreviated ECF). A student of history would call these “primary sources.”

The 24-volume Early Church Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff, is now in the public domain and can be accessed here. Schaff was a protestant. I do not find that he has tampered with any of the texts, but his commentary shows an obvious protestant bias.
 
Chad, it’s long, but Warren Carroll’s five-volume The History of Christendom is well worth your time, even if you only get one or two volumes. Actually, I hear that Volume Six (edited posthumously) is coming out soon, maybe even this year.

If you’re looking for something shorter, I haven’t read it myself, but several friends I trust have recommended W. H. Crocker’s Triumph: The Power and Glory of the Catholic Church. Just beware that in some parts it may be a bit polemical.
 
DavidFilmer said:
Why would you want to read a book about Catholic history that was written by Catholics, when you can read the *actual *history written by Catholics?

You would start with the Bible. You have probably heard of it, and you likely have one in your own home. That is your starting point. You cannot understand the Catholic Church apart from the Bible.

Then you would probably want to read the writings of those who were around in the earliest days of Christianity. We call these the Early Church Fathers (commonly abbreviated ECF). A student of history would call these “primary sources.”

The 24-volume Early Church Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff, is now in the public domain and can be accessed here. Schaff was a protestant. I do not find that he has tampered with any of the texts, but his commentary shows an obvious protestant bias.
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I’ve usually accessed the Early Church Fathers on the New Advent website: newadvent.org/fathers/
It’s quicker getting to the actual text and carries more text on each link. (For example, on St. Clement of Rome’s Letter to the Corinthians, the text of all the chapters immediately comes up.)

But, thanks for your **ccel link. What I really like about it **is that the writers are listed in chronological order - by century - and that is really helpful, especially when someone wants to read the very earliest writings. The New Advient website lists the authors alphabetically and does not always give the years the author lived. When that happens, I have to do a separate search to find the time frame for when the writings were penned.
 
cemccorkle said:
Hello,

I’m currently reading Justo Gonzalez The Story of Christianity, which is telling the story from a Protestant perspective. Once I finish this I would love to read a book on Church History written by a Catholic, what are some of the best ones out there?

Thanks,

Chad
Click to expand...
Concise History of the Catholic Church, by Thomas Bokenkotter, is pretty good. It’s been a staple since 1977 having undergone severaal revions (updates), and sold over 1 million copies (I believe).

Also, I just started The Catholic Church–a short history, by Hans Kèung (also spelt “Kung”)–too early for me to comment on that one.
 
cemccorkle said:
Hello,

I’m currently reading Justo Gonzalez The Story of Christianity, which is telling the story from a Protestant perspective. Once I finish this I would love to read a book on Church History written by a Catholic, what are some of the best ones out there?

Thanks,

Chad
Click to expand...
Here are a few.

The History of the Church by Eusebius Pamphlius (New York: Penguin Books, 1989)

The Founding of Christendom by Warren Caroll (Front Royal, Virginia: Christendom Press, 1985)

The Building of Christendom by Warren Caroll (Front Royal, Virginia: Christendom Press, 1987)

The Glory of Christendom by Warren Caroll (Front Royal, Virginia: Christendom Press, 1993)

A Short History of the Catholic Church by Joe Orlandis (Princeton, New Jersey: Sceptre Press, 1993)

THE (EARLY) CHURCH HISTORY, by Eusebius, first 300 years
 
Thanks ajecphotos.

David Filmer, I’m wanting to read about Church History, not a book about “Catholic History”. I believe that no author of history can give a truly unbiased account of the facts. I’ve been a Christian since 2005 and until recently I considered myself a Protestant. After studying some Catholic teachings, written by Catholics and not just what Protestants say about Catholic teaching, it feels like I’m in a state of Limbo. If I’m to be intellectually honest with myself I can no longer consider myself Protestant, but I’m also not quite ready to join the Catholic Church. This is the reason why I’m interested in Church History….if I can clearly see, from history, that the Catholic Church is the Church that Jesus Christ founded then I’ll but no choice to “swim the Tiber”. Thank you for the recommendations, and yes I have heard of the Bible and have read it several times 

Ad Orientem, Carroll’s work looks interesting. I’m going to order vol 1 soon!

Everyone else, thank you for the recommendations! Much appreciated……I will be looking into these as well.

Grace and Peace,
Chad
 
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