“Good history makes us think again about the definition of things we thought we understood pretty well, because it engages not just with what is familiar but with what is strange. It recognises that ‘the past is a foreign country’ as well as being our past.”

Rowan Williams, Why Study the Past?

At a time in which the Church faces the challenge of redefining itself in contemporary society, many are beginning to call for a renewed look at its past.  Our history, as Rowan Williams suggests, is a powerful and often disturbing element of our identity.  History, and the way we tell it, says a great deal about who we think we are and what we think the Church is.

The present beliefs and doctrines of the Church did not arrive fully formed, but have been shaped by centuries of debates, heresies and politics. From its earliest days, the Church has been confronted with controversy, unorthodoxy and schism, as well as being blessed with unity and peace.  Given the current debates concerning such diverse issues as homosexuality, women bishops, war and terrorism, an examination of Church history is now more relevant than ever.

From the great councils of the early Church, to the schisms of the Reformation, the revivals of the 19th century and the decline of formal religion in contemporary Britain, the study of Church history is an infinitely varied and rewarding subject. Most importantly, it is one that will inform our opinions of our present and future Church.

But with over 2000 years of history that has been constantly told and retold, it is a subject that can be a little daunting. Giles Waller, Church House Bookshop's new Web Manager,  recommends six titles which offer a breadth of perspectives, ranging from general overviews to examinations and revisionary accounts of specific periods in the Church’s development.

This book provides an authoritative overview, with contributions from leading scholars in the chosen periods and full-colour illustrations.  Beginning with a theoretical discussion of the Christian interpretation of the historical process, it includes chronological and geographical accounts of the development of the Church.  It ends with a section which examines contemporary Christianity, and sketches areas for its future development.

This is both a comprehensive introduction to Church History and a valuable reference work for those already engaged in its study. 

The summation of a lifetime's work from the father of modern Church history, this is an authoritative and accessible narrative history of the first six centuries of the Church.

It follows a chronological approach, with particular attention paid to figures such as Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Constantine, Julian the Apostate, Basil, Ambrose, and Augustine, as well as an examination of the way in which theological texts affected the behaviour and beliefs of church communities.

This book is essential reading for all those interested in the formation of the early Church.

In a new edition rewritten to take account of recent scholarship, Peter Brown details the development of the Church in the late antique and early medieval periods.  A key text in the field, The Rise of Western Christendom is a historical survey which ranges across the Christian world from Iceland to China, placing its development in the context of other religious beliefs and civilisations.  This diversity is a real strength of the text, as it focuses not only on the Judaic and Roman worlds from which Christianity emerged, but also on encounters with Islam in the early Middle Ages.

The new edition contains chapters on monasticism and Irish Chrisitianity and an extensive bibliography which makes it a must for those seriously engaged in studying Church history.

The Archbishop’s magnum opus is not, strictly speaking, a work of Church history. Indeed, it rather defies categorisation. Arius is a rich theological exploration of the nature of doctrine and heresy which details the roles played by politics and cultural setting, and thus history, in the formation of Christian belief.

Williams draws attention to the way in which developments in the fourth century doctrine of God were influenced by the relations between emperors, bishops, and ascetical ‘charismatic’ teachers, exploring the intellectual and political background to the formation of the Nicene creed.

This work also deals with interesting questions concerning the reception of Arius’ writings. In examining the way in which Arianism has come to be seen as the archetypal Christian heresy, Williams illuminates the historiographical assumptions inherent in many treatments of Church and doctrinal history. In this respect, Arius is essential reading for students of Church history, doctrine and patristics, and for all who are concerned with the nature of the formation of Christian belief.

Published in a new edition with a new introduction and a fresh conclusion in which Rowan Williams reflects on the way in which his beliefs have developed since the publication of the first edition.

This is a defining work from Owen Chadwick, the pre-eminent historian of the modern Church. Originally delivered as the Gifford lectures, the material has been drawn together to form an authoritative study of the currents of thought that have shaped our society.

The declining hold of the Church and its doctrines on European society represents a major shift in Western life and thought. Owen Chadwick´s lectures on the secularization of the European mind trace this movement in the nineteenth century, identifying and exploring both the social and the intellectual aspects of this change.

The rise of technology, the growth of big cities and a cheap press take their place alongside evolutionary science and Marxism in this analysis of the erosion of the Church´s power. Also included are studies of both familiar and neglected thinkers including Marx, Darwin, Mill and Comte.