Documents of the Christian Church

I agree with other reviewers that this is an indispensable volume for anyone studying the history of Christianity. Also, the use of primary sources, which is a hallmark of the classical school movement, allows you to examine the actual words of a document rather than having it filtered through someone else's point of view. I realize not every document could be included, but I was disappointed that Urban II's speech calling for the Crusades was not included as it has relevance to world politics today. Also, some longer works, such as The Rule of St. Benedict, have been ellipted so one must still look elsewhere to get the complete work. Still, this is a fabulous, reasonably priced volume to have at hand.

This is simply a collection of primary sources with brief explanations to provide historical context. Some of it may be a bit tedious, but such is the nature of the sources themselves and not at all a fault of this book. When one considers the sheer volume of potential documents church history offers us to read, Bettenson has done a wonderful job of sifting out much that would be redundant or unnecessary for today's reader. What's left is a valuable glimpse into issues and discussions that have occupied writers and thinkers over many generations.

The documents in this collection are essential first-hand accounts, and thus essential reading for anyone interested in the early formation of the Christian Church. I purchased the item for my Kindle so I could read them in any location, but the navigation made this difficult. Also, since I was reading this book with a group, it was difficult to match up the Kindle locations with the actual printed pages. It depends what kind of convenience you need - convenience of reading, or convenience of locating things.

I love to read original documents. I like to hear authors from centuries ago. In this book, you can read extracts from documents of the Christian world from classical times to not-so-long-ago. You can read descriptions of Christians being persecuted; ancient debates that still rage; some issues are deep and still unresolved; others are more like "How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?"; Christians were called "atheists" in Roman times. This is a book for dipping. There is no need to read it from cover to cover. But - what would Jesus make of these documents? I'd love to ask Him. Dominus vobiscum.

Got the job done and saved money

A good collection of many of the documents relevant to the growth of our Lord and Savior's church over the centuries. Provides insight into our faith as it developed in the larger church.

This is an excellent accompaniment to a course in the history of the Christian Church. It contains the most pertinent passages from documents that were vital in the formation of the liturgy and principles of the Christian Church. The third edition contains documents that address the most pressing moral issues in the church of the twenty-first century.

This book is a valuable reference and resource for early documents of the Christian Church. It contains many, many things most have never even heard about, and gives a great historical perspective on the Church. The material is often difficult to find unless you know exactly what you are looking for.

I highly recommend purchasing this book if you are interested in primary source material from the early church. It contains some interesting perspectives on events which I had not encountered.

This book presents, in one volume, a record of the development of the Church's doctrines over the centuries and up to the beginning of the 20th century. Dived into two sections, the first deals with early Christianity (up to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD) while part two primarily treats Church history from Chalcedon to 1920 AD. A separate section reviews the the reformation and development of the church in England and indeed the whole book is compiled from an Anglican point of view. An interesting book which can offer the student 'pointers' in specific areas of Church doctrine but don't be disappointed at the necessarily multitude of omissions.

An excellent up-dated work, which is informative concerning the primitive church, and a good historical guide regarding the early Church Fathers..

Excellent book and in excellent order

Made a good present & was appreciated.