For Christmas this year, my lovely young wife bought me Philip Schaff's eight volume
History of the Christian Church. It is a simply fantastic set on church history from the apostolic times to the Swiss Reformation. If anyone else is interested, the set is on sale right now at
Christian Book Distributors.
Anyway, Schaff begins with a great chapter on how we, as students and Christians, should approach the study of history. I thought it would be helpful to post some of what Schaff wrote. He goes through the nature of History, the Branches of History, the Sources of Church History, the Periods of Church History, the Uses of Church History, the Duty of the Historian and the Literature of Church History. I doubt that I will be talking about every section of this, but I thought it would be a fun exercise to go through several of them. Keeping in mind that Schaff wrote this work over a hundred years ago, it still has incredible relevance to us today.
First, Schaff presents what he believes is the nature of Church History, and it is the perspective that makes a Christian historian, like Schaff, unique among historians. He believes that "history has two sides, a divine and a human." He continues by explaining the divine side of history in this way:
On the part of God, it is his revelation in the order of time (as the creation is his revelation in the order of space), and the successive unfolding of a plan of infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy, looking to his glory and the eternal happiness of mankind.
In other words, God is the author of history. He acts with infinite wisdom, shaping cultures and people for His own purposes. We, as Christians, should always look at history as though it has a purpose; it came about exactly as God had designed it to. God is also "looking to his glory and the eternal happiness of mankind." What exactly does this mean? It means, in Schaff's own words, that "the central current and ultimate aim of universal history is the Kingdom of God established by Jesus Christ." God is acting throughout history for the establishment of his kingdom. Here we can shades of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians.
He worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:21-23)
Of course, this would be utterly ridiculous to the secular historian, but, unlike them, we do not study history for history's sake. We'll look at the uses of church history later, but it is enough to be said now that our goal is distinctly Christian in studying history.
Now, history has another side, a human one.
History is the biography of the human race, and the gradual development, both normal and abnormal, of all its physical, intellectual, and moral forces to the final consummation at the general judgment, with it eternal rewards and punishments.
Again, you will not be finding this definition of history in the secular world. Schaff reminds his readers that we shouldn't emphasize God's role to the neglect of mankind's because it overlooks the free agency of man, as well as his "moral responsibility and guilt. " Ultimately the actions of mankind work to "
serve the great purpose of God."
Our study of church history is the study of the growth, and the struggle, of mankind as it moves toward its final consummation. It is a record of God's providential work, Satan's evil activity, and man's maturation. It is a study of Christ's relationship to His church, which is the most important relationship in history, and in the present time. Ultimately the nature of church history must be understood as including both God's activity and man's activity. It must be understood with the Christ's church at the center. We, as students of the gospel, look at church history as
"a continuous commentary on the parable of the mustard seed and of the leaven. It shows at once how Christianity spreads all over the world, and how it penetrates, transforms, and sanctifies the individual and all the departments and institutions of social life."
So, before this gets too long and complicated, let me wrap it up. John, Steve and I all love to study Church History, and to read the works of great theologians and pastors. However, we don't simply love history for the sake of history (although I do love history a lot!). We love history because it is incredibly beneficial, and in some ways should be essential, to our growth as believers. It is the story of men and women who have gone before us, struggled with what we have struggled with, and attempted to pass on what they have learned. But most importantly,
The history of the church is the rise and progress of the kingdom of heaven upon earth , for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.
Labels: books, history
