Philip Schaff (1819-1893) was a German Reformed church historian, born in Switzerland. He was educated at Tubingen, Halle, and Berlin, and later took a position as Professor of Church History at Union Theological Seminary, New York. Schaff bases his work on the premise that church history in order to be valid and valuable must deal with three factors: 1) God through Christ, 2) man as a responsible moral creature, and 3) Satan as a real being employing the Anti-Christ as his agent at the end of time.
Schaff begins his history with an examination of the preparation for Christianity in Judaism and the heathen world and the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 8 volume series concludes with a general introduction to modern church history and a thorough analysis of the productive period of the Reformation, tracing the Protestant movement in Germany and Switzerland to the close of the 16th century. There are footnotes, charts, maps and each volume contains its own alphabetical index.
Schaff taught church history at German Reformed Seminary in Mercersburg, Penn., and Union Theological Seminary in New York. He was involved in the formation of the Evangelical Alliance, the revision of the English Bible (the Revised Version), and the Alliance of the Reformed Churches. Schaff was founder of the American Society of Church History.
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Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Paul Pavao (Selmer, TN), December 01, 2009
Schaff's history has proven completely reliable in my experience. Despite the fact that he is wildly biased toward Reformed theology, his history is well-referenced, Thoroughly-researched, and respected because it has proven reliable for over a century.
The language and, more importantly, the sentence structure is slightly antiquated, but it is much easier reading than the Ante-Nicene Fathers series, for example. His story-telling style is captivating, and he is happy to take space to let you read for yourself the words of the characters of history that he covers.
Schaff's is my favorite comprehensive church history, despite its age and despite the fact that I am strenuously opposed to much Reformed theology.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Daniel Wellons (Camby, IN), July 11, 2009
I have read through volume 4. I wish I could give it 5 stars! Dr. Schaff's zeal for the glory and majesty of God is electrifying. My favorite passage is from volume 8:
The Reformed Church excels in self-discipline, liberality, energy, and enterprise; it carries the gospel to all heathen lands and new colonies; it builds up a God-fearing, manly, independent, heroic type of character, such as we find among the French Huguenots, the English Puritans, the Scotch Covenanters, the Waldenses in Piedmont; and sent in times of persecution a noble army of martyrs to the prison and the stake. The Lutheran Church cultivates a hearty, trustful, inward, mystic style of piety, the science of theology, biblical and historical research, and wrestles with the deepest problems of philosophy and religion.
God has wisely distributed his gifts, with abundant opportunities for their exercise in the building up of his kingdom.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Raymond Jaramillo (Ontario, CA), February 17, 2009
This set is to be studied as well as read. It has a lot of great detail of the different movements from the early church to the Reformation Age where people began to study the Word of God for themselves. Church history teaches us not to get too comfortable or set in our own group. It will challenge you to study and search the Scriptures the way Jesus intended. This set is very detailed, but easy to read and follow. I highly recommend it.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sharon Moore (Whittaker, MI), January 10, 2009
I would recommend this set to any serious student of church history. It is hard to put down. I'm enjoying the detailed information in the volumes.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patrick Labruzzo (Santa Rosa, CA), January 02, 2009
This is an amazing set of books at an amazing value for such an amazing amount of information! This is a must buy for anyone who wants to have a general yet deeply founded understanding of church history.
2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Thomas Austin (San Bruno, CA), December 31, 2008
Antiquated language, we need an update! Our history is so brilliant, why shouldn't we have something contemporary?
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lawrence Underwood (Filer, ID), August 15, 2008
This is a really excellent set of books. It also is a tremendous value. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jeremy Shirk (Akron, PA), July 16, 2008
History in general is beneficial for anyone, but church history is one of a more interesting topic. How the church has progressed over the years is one for anyone to read. I would recommend these volumes for anyone researching church history.
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